The Importance of Strength Training for Optimal Running Form and Efficiency

When most runners think about improving their performance, they tend to focus on logging more miles and improving their pace. While these are vital components of a runner’s development, one key area that is often overlooked is strength. Building strength can dramatically decrease the chance of injury, enhance running form, efficiency, and overall performance.

One of the most common reasons runners experience persistent injuries is due to muscular weaknesses and imbalances.  These imbalances or weaknesses can lead to inhibited movement patterns and overcompensation in other areas of the body, which can ultimately lead to an injury. For example, weak glutes may force your quads or hamstrings to take on more of the load, causing increased forces through the knee joint resulting in knee pain.

Whether you're dealing with knee pain, calf pain, or lower back discomfort, strength training can be the key to running injury-free and achieving your full potential.

A combined strength assessment and detailed running gait analysis is an invaluable approach to identifying these weaknesses and imbalances. Through a gait analysis, we use high-speed cameras to capture precise angles, allowing us to observe exactly how each joint is loaded at every phase of your running stride. A strength and movement assessment complements this by identifying which muscles are underperforming and contributing to poor movement mechanics.

Pickwick Physio have teamed up with The Recovery Studio to offer a comprehensive assessment and rehabilitation package to runners;

Session 1:  Pickwick Physio -Functional Strength and Mobility Assessment

Session 2: The Recovery Studio - Biomechanical Running Gait Analysis 

By addressing these issues with a tailored strength and running rehabilitation plan, you can correct misalignments, build strength, improve your posture, and run more efficiently, all while reducing the risk of injury and smashing your running goals.