Strength training should be an important part of every runner's training plan. "Any runner who is serious about their running should be strength training regularly," says Richelle Weeks, a certified running coach and running physiotherapist at Sportscience Ottawa. "When done properly it can improve performance by 5% because it improves running economy. It can also help reduce common overuse running injuries. Especially in the 40-plus runner!"
Finding the time to strength train on top of running (you do also need to keep running to become a better runner) can be easier said than done, but Weeks has helpfully posted this (and other) 20-minute routines you can do at home. Weeks says the workout targets the "most important running muscles" including the calves, quads, the glutes, hamstrings and core.
