If you and I both run 8-minute pace, but I'm using less oxygen and less energy to do it, I'm more economical. Over a 5K, half marathon, or marathon, that gap adds up in a big way. And here's the thing most runners don't realize: the strength training you're already doing might not be the kind that actually improves your economy. Here’s what a 2024 study found, and how it may impact your training next week.
The Research
A 2024 systematic review in Sports Medicine pulled together 31 studies and 652 middle- and long-distance runners to answer a question that's more nuanced than it sounds: not just whether strength training helps runners, but which type of strength training helps, and at which running speeds. That distinction matters more than most people realize.
What They Found
The research suggests these are the key takeaways
🟡 Moderate evidence — well-designed review but individual study sample sizes were small. These are patterns, not perfect prescriptions
Combining heavy lifting and plyometrics produced the largest improvements in running economy, across speeds of 6:45-9:40 per mile
Heavy load training (at or above 80% of your one rep max) improved running economy across a wide range of speeds, 5:25 to 11:05 per mile, and became increasingly effective as speed and fitness level increased
Plyometric training improved economy specifically at paces around 8-minute mile or slower but showed no significant benefit at faster speeds
Submaximal load training (light to moderate weights) and isometric training showed no significant improvement under any conditions
Minimum effective program length was 6 weeks, with 2 to 3 sessions per week
Worth noting: sample sizes across individual studies were small and protocols varied a lot, so there is no single perfect program proven here. These are patterns, not prescriptions.
What This Means For Your Training
I see this constantly in the clinic. Runners come in doing circuit training with light kettlebells, moving fast, getting sweaty, feeling like they worked hard. And I have to deliver the news: your strength training has turned into aerobic training. You already get that from running. Your strength work needs to actually be strength work.
The biggest shift is in how you think about the goal. You are not trying to get tired. You are trying to produce more force. Three sets of three or four reps with heavy weight gives your neuromuscular system a much bigger stimulus than three sets of fifteen with a weight that barely challenges you. Less volume, more intensity, more recovery between sets.
Here is the encouraging part for busy runners who keep telling me they don't have time. If you are running at 8-minute pace or slower, plyometrics might be your lowest hanging fruit. Drop jumps, double leg hops, single leg hops, squat jumps, bounds. These are movements you can do at home in 10 minutes, two or three times a week. I've had athletes get meaningful results from nothing more than a short plyometric circuit done consistently for months. And consistency is the whole game here. I get bored brushing my teeth every morning, but I still do it. Your strength work is the same. Boring, repeatable, non-negotiable.
🏆 How To Apply It
If you run at 8-minute mile pace or slower, start with a home plyometric routine 2 to 3 times per week: drop jumps, double leg hops, single leg hops, squat jumps, and bounds. Keep it under 15 minutes. Do it for at least 6 weeks before judging results.
If you run faster than 8-minute pace or are a more competitive runner, prioritize heavy load training. Squats, deadlifts, split squats, calf raises, leg press. Aim for 80% of your one rep max, 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps, 2 to 3 days per week.
If you don't have access to heavy weights yet, start with what you have and add load progressively. Fill a backpack with books. Use two dumbbells instead of one. The goal is to gradually shift from high volume and low weight toward low volume and high weight over months, not weeks.
Do not skip calf raises. Your calf-Achilles complex is one of the most important energy storage and return systems in running, and calf raise variations showed up in nearly every successful study.
Combining both methods is the sweet spot if you have the time. A short plyometric circuit followed by a few heavy compound sets covers both ends of the force-velocity spectrum.
Strength training is not injury prevention homework. It is a performance tool, and the research keeps pointing in the same direction: runners who treat it that way run more efficiently, stay healthier, and get more out of every mile they put in. You don't need hours in the gym. You need the right kind of work done consistently over time.
Hit reply and tell me: what does your current strength routine actually look like? I read every reply and it helps me know exactly what to cover next.
Keep running happy, healthy, and strong,
Spencer
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