Weight training for marathoners is essential to maintain lean muscle mass and functional strength for daily activities. However, their programs should not be the same as bodybuilders or strength athletes because the marathoners' primary goal is to develop aerobic endurance to finish a race. For physical conditioning, marathoners should focus on both functional strength and endurance strength, to improve performance and prevent injury.
Circuit Training
The goal of circuit training is to develop muscular endurance and improving work capacity. According to Vern Gambetta, director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems, exercises in circuit training must involve the entire body, be simple, and be goal-oriented. A sample upper-body circuit may include five or six exercises, including standing cable chest fly, standing cable row, standing two-arm dumbbell curl and overhead press, Turkish lift with kettlebell, and kettlebell swings. Intensity should be between 55 to 60 percent of maximal effort and should be severely fatiguing at the end of the workout.
Exercises should be done standing because marathoners must train to support themselves. Sitting will not strengthen the trunk, hips or back.
Super-Setting
According to physical therapist and fitness professional Gray Cook, super-setting is used to increase muscular development by overloading on fatigued muscles. This is done by doing one traditional pushing exercise, like the incline dumbbell press, followed by another pushing exercise that requires more stabilization, such as the standing alternating arm cable push. The same is applied to pulling exercises.
Another way to superset is to perform one pushing exercises followed by a pulling exercise that requires more stabilization. For example, you do an incline dumbbell press followed by a standing alternating two-arm cable row.
Core Emphasis
Training the trunk and hips is vital for marathoners because the core is what supports the body and provide strength and stability to the extremities. Since running and daily activities and habits can cause imbalances, training the core on both sides can minimize this imbalance. Two exercises that can help are the chop and lift patterns.
The chop is the downward movement across the body from a high position to a low position, while the lift is the upward movement from a low position to a high position. These exercises can be done by using the cable column with either a bar or a rope. If you do not have access to a cable column, you can use an elastic band or rubber tubing attached to a sturdy hook on a wall. For runners with good stability, perform the chop and lift standing or in a stride position. For those with poorer stability, perform them in a kneeling position.
Summary
Remember that the goal of upper-body training is to preserve muscle tissues and increase or maintain good bone density. The training can also relieve over-training of the lower body and boredom.
References
- Essentials of Program Design; Juan Carlos Santana; 2004
- Athletic Body in Balance; Gray Cook; 2003
- Athletic Development; Vern Gambetta; 2006
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