🏋️♀️ Strength and Conditioning: Building a Resilient Runner
- High Peak Running
- Oct 17
- 4 min read
🏋️♀️ Strength and Conditioning: Building a Resilient Runner
When preparing for The Lap or any other Mountain/Trail Ultra, you’re asking your body to run for many hours over uneven, hilly, and often unpredictable terrain. Strength and conditioning (S&C) are not optional extras — they’re essential tools to help your body handle that challenge efficiently and injury-free.
S&C doesn’t mean becoming a gym junkie or lifting heavy weights for aesthetics. It’s about developing functional strength, stability, and resilience that directly support your running.
1. Why Strength Training Matters
Every stride you take on the trails is essentially a single-leg hop — repeated thousands of times. Over that distance, small weaknesses can become major problems.
Here’s what good strength work delivers:
Improved endurance and posture: As you fatigue, your form naturally starts to collapse. A strong posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, and core) helps keep you upright and efficient, especially on climbs and during the final miles.
Reduced injury risk: Strength work corrects muscle imbalances that often lead to knee pain, Achilles issues, or IT band problems. Strong stabilising muscles help absorb shock and reduce the load on joints.
More power and control on climbs and descents: The Lap’s route has sustained climbs and steep descents. Leg strength and eccentric control (the ability to absorb force when going downhill) keep your quads from blowing up mid-race.
Better running economy: Studies show that runners who lift twice a week can improve efficiency — meaning you can maintain pace with less effort.
Think of S&C as your long-term injury insurance policy.
2. Key Areas to Focus On
You can build a strong foundation using bodyweight or simple equipment like dumbbells, resistance bands, or a step.
🦵 Lower Body
Squats and Lunges
Build strength in quads, glutes, and hamstrings — the muscles that power climbs.
Variations: bodyweight squats, goblet squats, reverse lunges, or walking lunges.
Focus: full range of motion and control. Avoid rushing through reps.
Coaching tip: 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps, 1–2 times per week is plenty for most trail runners.
Step-Ups
Fantastic for single-leg control, mimicking uphill movement.
Use a bench or sturdy box around knee height. Step up with control, drive through your heel, and lower slowly.
Add weight (like a backpack or dumbbells) as you progress.
Single-Leg Deadlifts
Great for balance, coordination, and hamstring strength.
Keep your hips square and your back flat — think “reach long behind” rather than “drop low.”
This helps stabilise the hips and improves trail balance.
Calf Raises
Calves absorb impact and power push-off.
Do them both seated (for soleus) and standing (for gastrocnemius).
Try single-leg raises to build strength and endurance on each leg.
💬 Pro tip: Many ultra runners neglect calves until they cramp late in a race — consistent calf work prevents that.
💪 Core and Stability
A strong core isn’t about six-packs — it’s about connecting upper and lower body movement efficiently.
Planks and Side Planks
Develop deep core endurance, protecting your spine and improving posture.
Hold for 20–60 seconds; focus on bracing and breathing, not arching your back.
Bird Dogs & Dead Bugs
Excellent for coordination and spine stability.
These train your ability to stabilise while limbs move — crucial for balance on technical trails.
Pallof Press / Band Rotations
Train the core to resist twisting forces, like when you run on cambered or rocky ground.
Attach a resistance band to a post, press it straight out, and resist rotation — simple and highly effective.
🏃 Mobility and Control
Mobility keeps joints moving freely and reduces strain on muscles. Many runners sit for long hours — mobility work counteracts that.
Key areas:
Hips: Tight hip flexors limit stride length and cause back pain.
Ankles: Stiff ankles reduce shock absorption and increase the risk of rolling.
Thoracic spine (upper back): Good rotation and posture improve breathing mechanics.
Use dynamic stretches before runs (e.g., leg swings, hip circles) and static stretches or foam rolling after training to restore range of motion.
💬 Coach’s insight: The goal isn’t yoga-level flexibility — it’s smooth, functional movement that lets you run naturally and efficiently.
3. How to Fit Strength Work into Your Week
Time is always a factor, especially for runners balancing training with life. Here’s a simple approach:
Off-season / base phase: 2 focused sessions per week (30–45 minutes).
Race build-up: Reduce to 1 maintenance session per week (20–30 minutes).
Race week: No strength work — focus on recovery.
Structure ideas:
Pair S&C with easy run days (e.g., short recovery run + 20 mins core and stability).
Avoid heavy strength work the day before a long run or interval session.
Even micro-sessions (10–15 minutes) add up if done consistently.
💬 Think long-term consistency, not perfection.
4. Progression and Specificity
As you move closer to race day, shift your focus from general strength to movements that replicate the race demands:
Hill sprints or stair climbs: Develop strength and cardiovascular power.
Weighted pack hikes: Mimic race-day fatigue and strengthen posture muscles.
Eccentric control drills: Slowly lower from step-ups or lunges to train your legs for long descents.
These activities bridge the gap between gym strength and real-world performance on The Lap’s terrain.
5. Recovery and Adaptation
Strength training only works if your body can adapt.
Prioritise quality sleep, as most adaptation happens overnight.
Get adequate protein intake (roughly 20–30g per meal for most active adults).
Use mobility and active recovery sessions (yoga, walking, or light cycling) to keep muscles loose.
DOMS (muscle soreness) is normal, especially at the start — but if it’s stopping you from running well, ease back and rebuild gradually.
💬 Coach’s mantra: “Train hard enough to grow stronger, but easy enough to train again tomorrow.”
6. Putting It All Together
A balanced weekly approach could look like this:
Remember — consistency trumps intensity. A small, sustainable routine beats an ambitious plan you abandon after two weeks.
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