How Strength Training Makes You a Faster Runner with Dr. Richard Blagrove

Dr Richard Blagrove is a strength and conditioning academic at Loughborough University, a coach who has worked with runners reaching Olympic finals, and the author of Strength and Conditioning for Endurance Running (2015).This episode is a direct response to my own January article arguing that some ultra runners are better off running more rather than adding strength training. Rich and I go through where that argument holds up and where it falls down, who's actually a good candidate for strength training, when it makes sense to add it, and what the honest evidence says about injury prevention versus performance.One of the most interesting parts is just how murky the injury-prevention evidence is compared to the performance case. Rich's own systematic review found no overall protective effect in pooled data, with one important exception.We also cover the mechanism behind why strength training improves running economy, and the practical side; which exercises, how many sets, and whether to train on the same day as a hard run.Give the full episode a listen for the breakdown.Looking for coaching or guidance? Read more at https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/coachingRELATED CONTENTStrength and Conditioning for Endurance Running (Dr. Blagrove's Book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1847979874RELATED BORN ON THE TRAIL CONTENTWhy Runners Should Not Strength Train: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/why-you-should-not-strength-train?r=39kjk2 and https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/why-runners-should-not-strength-train?r=39kjk2A Scientific Guide to Strength Training for Endurance Athletes: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/a-scientific-guide-to-strength-training-for-runners?r=39kjk2The Case for Strength Training in Endurance Sport: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/the-case-for-strength-training-in?r=39kjk2FOLLOW DR. RICHARD BLAGROVETwitter/X: https://x.com/rich_blagroveLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-blagrove-a7009128/University Contact: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/schools/sport-exercise-health-sciences/people/richard-blagrove/WATCH THIS SHOW ON OTHER PLATFORMSSubstack: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/podcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bornonthetrailSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6o5yHthUidO0No4VA3xdVbApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/born-on-the-trail-going-longer/id1857231629YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvFOih1rUBA2F_3Bi7Ii-cAqieAQSumU_FOLLOW BORN ON THE TRAIL ON SOCIAL MEDIASubstack: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bornonthetrail/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bornonthetrailFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bornonthetrail/ Get full access to Born on the Trail at bornonthetrail.substack.com/subscribe