COACHING DECISIONS
Three Strength-Training Mistakes That Hold Runners Back
By Greg Kench · 3 min read
The most common mistake runners make in the gym is turning strength training into more endurance training. The session feels busy and tiring, but the load, progression and recovery may be too weak to develop much force.
Running already gives you a large endurance stimulus. Strength work has a different job: create an appropriate force-producing stimulus, then progress it without spoiling the running that matters most.
Mistake 1: the load never becomes challenging
High-repetition circuits can be useful for general conditioning or as an entry point, but they are not automatically effective strength training. If the same easy load is repeated week after week, the body has little reason to adapt.
Research in distance runners suggests that high-load, combined and plyometric approaches can improve running economy, although effects vary by athlete and programme. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis found small improvements from high-load training and moderate improvements from combined methods, with important differences between studies.
“Heavy” is relative to the athlete. It does not mean forcing a beginner to test a one-repetition maximum. It means choosing a load that is technically sound, meaningfully challenging and appropriate to the person’s training history.
Mistake 2: there is no progression plan
A programme can contain excellent exercises and still go nowhere. If the repetitions, load, range of motion and execution never change, the stimulus eventually becomes familiar.
Progressive overload means increasing the training demand over time. That may involve a small load increase, another well-executed repetition, an additional set, better range of motion or a more demanding variation. The right option depends on the runner’s experience and the rest of the week.
Progress does not need to happen every session. During a hard race block, maintaining strength with less gym volume may be the productive decision.
Mistake 3: the session is designed to create exhaustion
Short rests and constant movement make a workout feel athletic. They can also reduce the load and quality you can sustain on the next set.
When force production is the aim, rest long enough to repeat technically good work. That might be longer than a runner expects. The clock is a guide; readiness, breathing and movement quality matter as well.
A productive strength session does not need to end with you gasping on the floor. Fatigue is a cost of training, not proof that the right adaptation occurred.
The common thread
All three mistakes come from judging lifting by running rules: more repetitions, less rest, a higher heart rate and continuous effort. Those qualities are familiar, which is exactly why runners drift towards them.
Strength training earns its place when it supplies something the running week is not already providing. The exercises, loads and timing should be chosen around that purpose.
Audit your current programme
Look at the last six weeks of training and ask:
- What adaptation is each main lift meant to produce?
- How has the demand progressed?
- Can I repeat the important sets with good technique?
- How does the session affect my next priority run?
If those answers are unclear, adding more exercises is unlikely to solve the problem. Clarify the job first.
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Educational information only. It does not replace individual medical assessment or rehabilitation advice.