So if running isn’t going to make you so weak that you need help bringing in the Sunday paper, then why am I saying that all runners should do some strengthening work? For starters, because everyone should, in the same way that everyone should do some sort of regular aerobic exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that all adults do two or three resistance training sessions per week to maintain and build muscular strength. This recommendation makes sense to me. Being cardiovascularly fit, as you will become through running, is certainly the most important aspect of being fit, but it’s not the only one.
More specifically for runners, you’ll be able to progress more in your running if you include some basic strengthening exercises in your program. This type of movement means, among other things, that your upper body flows right along with your legs, rather than being somewhat awkwardly perched atop your legs, contradicting their every move. When you have a basic level of strength in your upper body, you can hold yourself better and more upright as you run. This ability will make a given pace feel easier.
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