Run Stronger, Run Smarter: The Power of Strength Training for Runners

Want to run faster, longer, and stay injury-free? In this episode, we’re joined by sports physiotherapist Mr Khuliso Netshivhangani, who shares expert insights on why strength training is the missing link for many runners. We unpack the science, address common mistakes, and offer practical strategies to help you build strength without compromising your running. If you’re serious about performance, resilience, and longevity, this conversation will change how you train.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:12

What comes to move? The podcast of the 504 move better. Stay smarter and stay healthy for life. Without fitness and without avoidable interests. I am Dr. Saban, your sports physical coach and partner on this data towards a thriving and high-performing life. So I invite you to move, to grow, and drive. Today we want to discuss a topic that has completely transformed the running world. And honestly, it's one that many runners feel overlook or feel unsure about. Here is the truth. If you want to run faster, if you want to run longer, and if you want to run without battling with injuries, then strength training might just be the missing link in your training. Over the past years, research has shown that strength training doesn't just make runners stronger, it makes them more efficient, more resilient, and better performance overall. We are talking about improvements in running economy, better strides when you run, increased speed, and increased time to exhaust training, meaning strength training can delay fatigue when you run. Strength training can even have a potential to reduce injury risks when done consistently and correctly. In my experience as a sports physiotherapist and a coach, I have come across runners who run without incorporating strength training. Very talented runners, but do not do strength training. I always say to them, if you could add strength training in your program, you could be better than what you are now. And I've seen that with my running as well. Strength training has helped me improve my performance and it helps me to prevent injuries. But here is the catch with strength training. Strength training must be planned, must be timed, and progressed appropriately. So there is science to doing strength training. When done correctly, it will elevate your running. When strength training is done incorrectly, it can interfere with training, it can increase fatigue or even lead to frustration. So today we are diving deeper into the what, why, and how of strength training for runners. The principles we're going to discuss apply in other sporting courts as well, not just in running. And to help us navigate this, I have invited somebody, someone who works at the interface of science, movement, and performance. A sports physiotherapist, his name is Mr. Kulito Nechevengani. He's an experienced physiotherapist. He has helped countless runners integrate strength training in ways that actually enhance their running. Greetings to you, uh Mr. Nietzschevengani. It's an absolute pleasure to having you in this platform. And welcome to Move and Thrive. How are you? Are you good? I'm good, dog. Uh, it's nice to be in the space. How's how how's family on your side? I know you are a family man. How are things going at home? We we we yeah, we're good. We're good.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Uh kids are growing well. Uh keeping us busy, you know, um, as they should. So, but uh everything is going well. I won't complain.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Claire, that aspect of your life is going all right. You're getting busy now with with with with runners. They are preparing for their major events. Absolutely. There's lots of marathons now, and people are preparing for two oceans and Comrades Marathon. So, what kind of problems are runners troubling you with these days?

SPEAKER_00 4:15

Look, um most of the the the injuries you see here, it's overuse. Um, I'm seeing a lot of overuse injuries. Um if you some of the patients, if you do uh deep uh analysis and uh assessment, you also recall that it's carrying over injuries, you know. Um I I always say uh running over the wound. And hoping hoping that the pain will be better, and when when they cannot run anymore, then you you see those injuries. Um obviously you try to um to to teach them not to you know to run over the wound. Um but mentality of runners, you know how how it is. But we are we we are winning comparing to the years that I've started working with runners, you can see that there's a lot of mental shift when it comes to um prevention of injuries. I do get some invitation in one in the clubs to talk about you know prevention. As as you can agree with me, that our main uh job as physiotherapists is to prevent injuries by all costs, and then if we we fail or if somehow um the injury is not preventable, then that's where we come into treatment. But preventing the injury it is still remains our primary goal.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Sure, sure, sure. And yeah, and I I get feedback from your patients from the runners that you see. Uh they are really happy with your services. So you're doing well. You're doing very well. Thank you. Yeah, so if anyone is listening, if anyone is listening and is in Praetoria, you are the best physio. Thank you. We appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

They just forgot to tell you that they they cry a lot when they're here.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

Yes, they know they say Kulissa is a strong physio. It doesn't play, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

No, thank you. But but we are happy that they are back on the road. Um as as as that's our main goal, you know? To keep them on the road as as much as as as we can. Thank you, Doc. I appreciate for the feedback. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

Sure, sure. Now let's dive into our big topic today. We are going to talk about strength training for runners. We want to talk about the importance of incorporating strength training in our programs. I know runners don't want to do strength training. They just want to wake up and go run. Tell me, um, maybe let's start with some basics. What is strength training? Why is strength training essential for runners? Why do we need strength training in running?

SPEAKER_00 7:06

I I 100% agree with you, Doc, and I like the way you're asking your question. Um it's we we are in consensus here that it's not an argument if strengthening is important or not. We agree that it is a vital component of running the strength. Um, but I think one has to go a little bit uh deeper into it and just to um not even convince but to to make it one of their uh parts of training, um not to just get into the shoes and and hit the road, but also consider the strengthening as a huge part of um of a of a life of a runner. So I'm gonna try not to be so much scientific so that we can be in the same page with my runners. Um and and and obviously at the end of this uh talk, they can understand what is the strength, um, and also how do they progress into the strengthening, um and also what is it that they can prevent, you know, the the things that um it's a no-no uh when trying to do the strength. Because after um they realize the importance of strength, I'm sure they will want to do, but there are also little things that we have to put and say, don't do this, don't do that. But let's start on the strengthening talk. Um what is basically what is what is the strength to the runners? Um, it is the capacity of the muscle, um, particularly the the major running muscles, which are mostly on the lower body. We're talking about the glutes, the hamstring, um, sometimes the hip muscles and uh and the core. So these muscles they have to produce a certain force that will improve the propulsion and obviously um the efficiency of running uh during their stride. So, for example, if you are a runner, you are planning to do a hill repeat um of I don't know, maybe uh two 30 minutes of hill repeats of hundreds uh meters or one thousand meters. If you are in your um halfway and you feel that there's no way you can run again that hill, not because you are injured, but you just don't have the capacity to do that. You are most likely not well strengthened. Um, or I can put it this way, you are not well conditioned. So, in other words, your muscle needs to be conditioned, needs to be strengthened to be able to carry that capacity um and to be able to produce the certain force um to finish the task that you've put um in your in your program. So most of the runners they struggle to finish these uh uh intended programs, um, not because they are really injured, but because there's no capacity uh in their muscles. Their muscles cannot produce that force that will propel them up the hill, down, up the hill, down for that intended um amount of uh of meters or kilometers that they need to cover. Um I like I said, I don't want to go too much into the scientific weight, but I think I'm forced to put my runners into the understanding. You know, uh I do get uh question to say, look, I've got a nice shoes, um, I'm eating right, um, I'm trying to do strength, this and this, but why am I struggling? Um and I realize that one may one maybe needs to just, you know, that thing of by the way, uh, when you run, there is different forces that you encounter. As as long as you put down your foot, as long as you run into the wind, um, there are forces that are nature. Like I said, um the force of your muscle will be against the force of nature. And let me talk about three forces that my runners need to understand because that will help them to choose what kind of shoes they must put on. Um, it will also help to choose what kind of clothes they must wear, it will also help them to focus on certain muscles so that they can the forces that the muscles produce against the forces that they come across. Um, it can be equalized and and obviously the patient be above those forces, and then we say the patient is stronger, the muscles are more uh conditioned to deal with these forces. Right? I'm gonna tone it down. I'm gonna tone it down, my dog. I'm gonna turn it down because I I just feel I know it's a little bit um complicated, but I'm I'm I'm gonna take it and tone it down because you you need to understand that the moment you put your your foot down, there's there's a force that um fight your body. So if you're not strong, you are most probably going to hurt your muscles. There's the force called a ground reaction force. If people understand the the principle of action reaction, you know, those who have done science will understand. So the moment you put down your foot on the ground, the ground puts the force back to you. Right? And then the other force is the normal force we understand is the force of gravity. As you wake up in the morning when you try to run, there's a force of gravity that pulls you down. And then the last force it is the aerodynamic. Now, the force of gravity, the action reaction, it is mostly uh combated if you are wearing proper shoes. If you are not wearing proper shoes, the amount of force the earth gives back to you, it will be transmitted right into your legs if you are wearing the wrong shoes. Right? And then the muscles that are going to suffer mostly, they will be glutes, quadriceps, and shin muscles. So the the the ground reaction force or the GRF, it will be mitigated if one's shoes are uh it's it's it's for the food because you cannot just buy any shoes from the shop. You need um, I'm sure I've called you some minute some other time uh asking for a podiatrist because I wanted to refer my patient to a podiatrist who will look at the kind of the food the patient has. Is he pronating, is he supinating, and give him the right shoe. Then he will mitigate or reduce the impact of the ground reaction force. Now, the force of gravity, we can't do, we can't do much about it. We it it's the nature. Whenever you stand, the force wants to pull you down. So you need to be having as strong muscles, especially of your spine at the back, the erector spinae, the muscles that erect your spine. If they are stronger, this force of gravity won't have too much um effect on you. And then the last one, it is the aerodynamics. So people who cycle, they will tell you about what you call dragging. So in other words, when you run, there will be people too in front of when you cycle, there'll be people in front of you kind of shaving the the air so that it doesn't come back to you. Now, these forces, when you run, especially when for the for the for the fast runners, slower runners, it doesn't really affect them that much. But those who run sub sub three, uh, especially uh in a 42 kilometers abuchip chonky and the rest, they definitely get affected with this force I'm talking about. So, and I believe this little uh knowledge about understanding that that's why you run and you get tired. That's why you run sometimes you get hurt. It's because your body is it's it's functioning within the forces.

SPEAKER_01 15:57

No, that's powerful, man. Thank you so much. You've clarified it in a very simple way. Why we actually need we need strength training. Because from what I'm picking up, we do need strength training to prevent ourselves from injuries, to support our performance. And what I've also what I've also realized is that uh you know, strength training does improve your running economy as well. You know, the efficiency of of utilizing energy. Um so yeah, there's there's there's more benefit to this. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Improve your endurance. Yes, the ability of you sitting on the um 42 kilometers without collapsing, without um regressing uh with energy. So the more you are strong, the more endurance you'll have. Um you'll understand that marathon, like comrades marathon, it is not a speed race, it is an endurance race. So you definitely need strength to stay in those kind of races. Actually, if you run over 21 kilometers, I think you need the strength for endurance, for mobility, and for the efficiency of running, as you have mentioned.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

Sure, sure, sure. That's powerful. Thank you so much. Now let's talk about some training principles. What are the principles that apply the key principles of effective strength training for endurance athletes specifically? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

That is very important. Um because uh and and I want us to talk about specifically running related um strength. Because I I always say it is always good to strengthen, but to strengthen the right muscle, it's it's the one that makes the difference. Most of our runners they have gym affiliation and they go in the gym and they spend mornings and evenings gyming there. But the most important thing is that are they strengthening the right muscles that will help them to be more efficient on what we have talked about, the endurance, the mobility during the run. Because um, like like I said, if you strengthen, but strengthen the wrong muscles, you're not gonna get the intended results. It is very important that when I'm speaking now, I'm going to try to zoom it into running. Um, and the the the the principles that are more effective um to build this uh strength and and the endurance. The the the you'll agree with me that in in in a running body, the muscles that work the most is the lower body muscles. So that is the first thing. When they try to do this strengthening, they have to be the first principle is specification. Where am I strengthening? Am I strengthening my biceps? Am I strengthening my glutes, my hamstring? So that specification, it is very important. I say in runners, um the the muscles that they have to concentrate on, it is the lower body muscles. Um, as I explained earlier on the glutes muscles, the hip muscles, the hamstring muscles, and the calf muscles. I'll explain later which one works more at what terrain. But the specification is that when they do the strengthening, they have to concentrate more on the lower body uh extremities. Upper body is very important, obviously, for propulsion, but for strength, for endurance, and for mobility, lower body is very important. All strength is good, but effective strength is one that is targeting a specific muscle. All right. So I'll the second principle, it will be isolation. Uh yes, it's lower body, but you you need to look at your race um and study it very well. Let's say um what is coming up now is two oceans, right? There is a lot of uphill because the chia neck and all those things. So one if is intending to perform well in that kind of terrain, they have to obviously do the lower body, as I explained, but also isolate the muscles that work mostly on the uphill. And in this case, we're talking about calf muscles, gastrocnemius muscles, the the the potteries, as we put it. So when we say isolation, it's when you say today I'm going to exercise the calf muscles. Why? Because I'm about to run the race that has more heels. For the downhill, we will be looking basically for mostly when we talk about isolation, it will be the quadriceps muscles, the shin muscles. So after you have specified that is lower body, and after you have um isolated specific muscles according to a specific race that you are targeting, or the specific training program that you guys are are targeting, you then have to jump into the third principle, which is the timing. What is your session? Are you are you doing speed session? Um are you doing um uh uh heel repeats or is it a a a recovery run? That's that's very important for you. To understand. You also need to understand is that it's the timing of the season. Now, when I say the timing of the season, I understand very well that ever since I've worked with the runners, is that um comrade marathon is their ultimate goal. It's like when I used to work with other sports like rugby, we train so that we can play a certain tournament or a certain game. So in runners, all this training, they have a certain race that they are going to um to run or they have targeted it. So I'm gonna use comrade because it's our biggest one. So you need to understand that after comrade, after you have recovered, you you cannot start with um speed and and all those kind of things. You need to start, number one, like I said, the recovery. Um that is timing. And you need to start now with some strength. Why are you doing that? You are building your body, you are building your muscle. That when that time of peak comes, you don't now focus on strengthening. You then now focus on making sure that what you have gained during the strengthening or during the beginning of your season, it is now utilized during the peak season. What am I trying to say is that you need to dissociate your season. I I I figure that the running season is about eight to ten months, doc. You are a comraded marathon runner, you can correct me. But I understand that from June to July, it's mostly recovery. Um, and then from uh August up until September, October, November, that is where there's little qualifying race, but there's not too much pressure. So I call that time strengthening time. If you want to do more strengthening, do it right there. Do it in that season. And then the peak season is where we are now, whereby we are a few months before the comrades marathon. Now, the problem that many runners do, this is the time when they want to strengthen now. They go to the gym, they want to strengthen, they want to do a lot of build up of the muscles now at the peak season. It is not really the best time to do the strengthening and killing yourself that much now. Now is the performance time. Now is to make sure that your muscles are well flexible, the muscles, the strength you have gained during September, October, it is well maintained. And in that way, you prevent your injuries because your timing is very good. Coming to Comrades Marathon, you will find yourself that you are strong, but you are less injured. I think that is the third principles. The progression is that um it's the last principle. You have to progress. You start small, today's strength. Um remember that if if if if you strengthen today, that strength will carry you tomorrow. So, in other words, you strengthen small by small and use lightweight, heavyweights, and then you increase and and and then you become to the point where you know that you've reached your maximum. Example of progression is that you cannot increase reputation of dumbbells with the weight of the dumbbell. If you increase the reputation, you must reduce the weight of the dumbbells if you improving the reputation, I mean the the the weight, you decrease the reputation. That is the progression that I can talk about. So the principles are simple. Specify the muscles, which which the lower body muscles, which muscles are you targeting, and time it very well. Know when to strengthen, know when to recover, and then the body will perform much better with progression.

SPEAKER_01 26:15

Yeah, no, thank you. Uh that that's very good. Because I mean uh strength training, as you have mentioned, it depends on what you are strengthening for. Yes. And then you use the principles you have mentioned to guide that those sessions that you that we are doing. And you mentioned that you focus more mainly on the lower limb because those are the muscles that work the most. Yes. And tell me, would you want to start with body weight kind of of exercises? What type of exercises should I start with or should I prioritize the runner?

SPEAKER_00 26:50

At the beginning, you need to start with body weight. And then as you see that you are progressing with body weight, you then introduce the metals, which personally is not my favorite, but um I think it's very important to introduce them very lightly, because um it's easy to get carried away in the gym as you see your neighbors busy carrying heavy weights and all those things. Um running does not need those, it's it's it's not a it's not an a building activity, it is an endurance activity. So if you take too much weight, you'll build more muscles that are going to be not so flexible and so light on the road. So body weight, we start with it and graduate a little bit into the the weight, um and then don't don't put too much metals on the strengthening. I will vote for for for body weight more than the metal uh strengthening.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

Yeah, what would be the types of exercises that I can I can try as a runner? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:05

The type of exercises that a runner needs to do, they need to, like I said earlier, to maximize the strength of the glutes medias, to maximize the strength of the glutes maximus, glutes minimum, all the glutes, to maximize the strength of the quads and then the flexibility of the calves. I'm saying the flexibility of the calves deliberately because I believe that all runners, especially if you run obviously there's the terrain in South Africa, is healing, all runners will, by running heels, develop the strength of the calves. So if you increase the strength of the calf again after running, you might be putting it on the overuse. So the most important muscles is the glutes muscles. You increase the strength of the glutes muscles by side lunges, by side squats, I'm putting the weight side because if you do straight quads, squats and straight side lunges, you are most probably putting force and pressure around the quads and around the knee without engaging the hip, which is a very important muscle to align your knee. So when you do the squats, try to do them like in a side lunges with a resistant band to give a little bit of uh force on the muscles. Remember, we we are looking for to maximize the force of your muscles so that it can be stronger when it meets those forces that we have mentioned earlier. So side lunges, side squats, um, stretching of the calves. I don't recommend to do uh heel uh lifts so much because, like I said, my reasoning is that if you run your calves will normally become uh tighter. So if you go and do the calf raises, you are actually making them even more worse. Rather stretch them and make sure that they are flexible more more than strengthening them again because that will make it um a little bit overused. Okay, anything for hamstrings and quadriceps? The quadriceps muscles um they are strengthened mostly with um the slight dumbbells um with straight uh squats. So when you you strengthen your quartz, it's just a front lunges um with uh maybe two or dumbbells on your side, squatting up and down almost uh 10 to 15 repetitions and then exchanging so. Like I said, um and this is coming from clinical experience now. That um when it comes to strengthening, um body weight is number one, like I said, the the metals must be very light because if we put too much weight on the muscles, we are overusing them. Going downhill, uh what you call the downhill, that is eccentric strength by its own. Going uphill is concentric concentric strength by its own. So if you put more metal, you are actually overusing overusing your muscles. So the quads uh you must make sure that you um you do the the straight lunges, but stretch them more. Hold the car one leg stand, hold your other uh uh leg from the ankle to push back your knee, and then maybe bend one knee. You'll see the quads will be stretching the most. Same thing with the hamstring. I know that the generic strength for the hamstring is the hamstring curls, but again, clinical knowledge has shown me that lots of hamstring curls have hurt our patients a lot because of the overuse. So we must we must invest on the eccentric strength of the of the hamstring, the eccentric strength of the quadriceps that will minimize our injuries and reduce tension on the tendon and on the tendon. So, people who are working in the gyms, most of the our runners they do have uh fitness trainers, just talk to them that when it comes to quads and hamstrings and calves, focus on the eccentric strength more than the concentric strength. When it comes to the glutes media, of course, concentrate on the um uh concentric strength, but they have to be stronger to control both your knee and and your shins in one case in most cases.

SPEAKER_01 32:56

Can you just simplify the terms that you've mentioned? Eccentric, concentric, for somebody who may not understand what you mean.

SPEAKER_00 33:05

Uh concentric is to exercise a muscle in a shortened way, and an eccentric is to exercise this in the long, elongated way. I will give example with the hamstring. When you do your hamstring curls, you are concentrically exercising your muscles. So that is concentric exercises for the hamstring. But if you are doing the opposite of the hamstring curls, for example, instead of um uh uh what to call, instead of pulling to your towards your your palm, you will be pulling away from your palm, controlling that movement that is eccentric strength of your hamstring. Same thing with the quadriceps, instead of uh having the bar in front of you, kicking it in front, you will be starting from the front, going down, controlling it. If you are standing on a balance board, instead of going up and down, you will be starting from up and going down, controlling the knee to bend. Instead of controlling the knee to straighten up. So, in other words, if your knee straightened up, your quad is working concentrically, but if your knee is bending, your quads is working eccentrically. I I I I am saying this, like I said, from clinical um experience that I have I have I've encountered in my practice, that people will be hurt from the gym coming to see me. And then when you realize, you realize they just overdid it. And overdoing it, it means when you run heels, for example, it you cannot run heels and go and do hamstring curls and also uh heel raises because during the heel repeat, the hamstring were working more mostly concentrically, and your cows were working more concentrically. So if you go to the gym and pump again, you are overusing it.

SPEAKER_01 35:13

Is it important for me to train my core? Uh the core exercises that I must do, I must incorporate.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

Yes, very, very important. The core is made up of two types of muscles, the mobilizers and this and the stabilizers. The mobilizers, it's basically what we can see the six-pack, um, the the V, as they call it, the oblique muscles. Um, those are the muscles that we I call them Instagram muscles, because when you do them, you can take a nice picture and and post, and when you are done, you can show how good they are looking. But uh they are also important for mobility. Um, and then the the the stabilizers is those we cannot see. Um, is the slow controlled movement um of the tummy, as you actually I don't even um recommend that we do the the the sitting up. The best thing is to lie flat and move your your lower leg while you are feeling your inner transverse muscles is the muscles that you feel next to your hip as you raise up the leg slowly, lift and then drop the leg slowly, raise up the leg slowly and drop it slowly. Um, and also maybe take the deep breath and deep breath out while you are controlling your navel. Um, that's the best way to control the I mean to strengthen the stabilizers of your of your core. So it's very important. So as you do the six-pack strengthening exercises, we must remember to do the um the control movement so that the stabilizers also can be um can be strengthened. I I think the stabilizers also is important, especially nowadays, people are sitting a lot in their workplaces, um, and then they they they they can have um weakness of the lumbar spine impinging the nerve, and the most popular um condition now, the sciotica nerve can can can be prominent. So if you strengthen your your your stabilizers, then you strengthen your lower spine, and then the you minimize the chance of your nerve to be to be compressed. So it's very important to strengthen the core, both the mobilizers and the stabilizers. So planks are included as well? Planks, planks, they are working more on the stabilizers, which are very good. Yeah. Planks are very good for the stabilizers. Um uh side uh side flexion of the while they are side lying and side planks, very good for the stabilizers. Yeah. Um like I said, raise uh raising up the leg while you're controlling leg uh and then bringing it back while you're controlling the movement of the tummy, especially controlling the navel to be stabilized, that will increase the the cost stability. Sure. We are not saying don't do mobility, it's very potent, but we must not neglect the stability.

SPEAKER_01 38:37

Okay, okay. Yeah, makes sense, makes sense. Now tell me about now how much of these I must do. Let's say I'm doing bridges for my glutes. How many repetitions I can do, how many sets can I do?

SPEAKER_00 38:52

I I normally make basically the best thing also is to do the cross-training of them. Because there are three muscles of the or of the core. Um, when obviously you won't go there for core only, you will be liking to do your quadriceps, your glutes, and everything. So before I can say the reputations, I can say we must uh encourage our runners to adopt the cross-training. So the cross-training, it means you do one exercise, you jump to the other, you do say you do the quadriceps, after quadriceps, you go for the hamstring, after the hamstring, you go for the calf, after the calf you go for the core, after the core, then you repeat them in that manner. So the repetition, it is 10 repetition. I I I also now uh advise people to uh to go for 15 just in case they are you know those movements that are not um well, maybe there is you are disturbed with uh uh overflow of the muscle or something you are feeling it's not settled with you, and then you end up doing 10, and you find that the most effective moves they were actually seven. So I advise that maybe go a little bit more than 10 repetition, up to 15, then it will be more effective. So 10 to 15 repetition of three sets, the way I have explained in terms of uh cross-training.

SPEAKER_01 40:28

Sure, sure. And then uh in between the sets, obviously I will have to take a few seconds of rest to allow the muscle to recover and my heart rate to uh to drop a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 40:39

But the but the the aim of cross-training is to mitigate that.

SPEAKER_01 40:44

Oh yes, you're right.

SPEAKER_00 40:45

Yes, it's if you if you're doing a quadricept strengthening and you go for a calf, the quad is is resting. So the active healing is going on. So you might not even remember, it's also good to put your heart rate at a certain level. Um so when you do cross-training, that's that's what it's it's it's preventing to exhaust the muscle. So when you come back to the quads after the seventh muscle, the quads will have relaxed and then move. So you won't even feel tired.

SPEAKER_01 41:18

Yeah, I get it. I get it.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have if I have to to to just to finish up this one, eh? Um, is that it's also the the coaches. I know there are coaches in running, I know there are a lot of clubs that have got the coaches. The coaches need to understand also that um uh they they must incorporate non-weight bearing exercises as well. It it must not always be uh dumbbells and weights and all those things. We can do cycling, eh? We can swim. Those are good non-weight bearing exercises that can give chance for your muscles that were pounding on the road to rest but while they are still strengthening. I think that is the point I just want to quickly put across.

SPEAKER_01 42:06

Yeah. All right, no, thank you. Tell me about the frequency now as a distance runner. How often do I incorporate uh stretch training? Is it once a week, twice a week, or every day?

SPEAKER_00 42:23

In a week, two to three times. It will make sense that Monday will be more of recovery and um and and and like I remember I've talked about the season as well. So, like this time of the peak season, there's no need to do too much of a strength. It's to do more of a recovery activity, stretching activities, dumbbell here, dumbbell there, um, swimming, cycling, uh maybe on a Monday, and then you go and run, maybe on the Tuesday, and on a Wednesday again, you pump again, you go again and do the little bit of those eccentric strengths, and then Thursday you run again, Friday loosen up the muscles again. And we incorporate here physio and uh uh massous, yeah, dog. That people, especially towards their race, they need to maybe get some deep tissue to re to release the the mush the fascia and trigger points and to improve the performance uh on the coming weekends. Sure. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 43:23

So you're saying physio is not just to come for injuries. No, no, no, come for maintenance as well.

SPEAKER_00 43:29

Absolutely. Our our our our job, as I said at the beginning, is to prevent. Is to prevent. Unfortunately, if you come injured, we have to treat you. We can't massage an injury. So that's the thing that I always tell my patients. Oh, yeah. Uh yeah, that you are injured, I can't massage an injury, I have to treat it. Um, yeah, and then of course, if if you are not injured, you need to see us so that we prevent the injury, you know.

SPEAKER_01 43:55

Yeah, so yeah, it's very important. Um, so we Have covered a lot and uh seen that you have addressed some of the myths that are there when it comes to strength strength training. Because many runners think when you strength train uh you know you become bulky and slow, it affects your speed, which is not true. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 44:17

What are the other myths that are there that you know of? That is one of the myths I know that uh uh when you are bulky you're slower. So the it it's basically um when when the other thing is that quantity over quality. So the myth is that because you did not strengthen, then the race is gonna hit you, you know, and then you find the patients uh strengthening more than they they are on their road. So um it's it's it's it's very important to to to understand that running is different from the other activities, it is an endurance um activity. It is if if your muscles can endure a certain elongation of period, a certain terrain, um you should be able to do to do very well.

SPEAKER_01 45:10

Sure. Because I've come across a lot of runners who have a different way of thinking. They say if you run often, then you build strength. There's no need for uh separate strength sessions, which is not true. You if you want to improve your performance, prevent injuries, you always need to incorporate strength training. You really need to incorporate strength training. How do I adjust my training, especially strength training, as I prepare for races? And because there's different periods of of of training. Obviously, when you are preparing closer to the race, you don't want to be doing a lot of strength training because there you're gonna get tired and gonna affect your your performance eventually. So you're saying the good time is now, especially those who are for doing comrades. So the good time to get closer to the to the to the race than you choose.

SPEAKER_00 46:07

Yeah. Do you agree with me? We are the pick season now? Yes, we are. It's from much, so there's this there's this too much of races happening. So at this stage, one needs to focus on the healthiness of the muscles, not to say uh sit in the gym a lot. I mean, you need to do body weight strengthening now, right? To build up on what you have built recessing, as I call it, between September and till December. If one wants now to pump too much on the strength, possibilities that they will get hurt not on the road but in the gym. Yeah. Because the combination of the peak or the mileage you guys are putting on the road now, together with the force of the metals you're gonna get into the gym, it is simply equals to overuse. Yeah, yeah, and then injury will then easily happen in that regard. So at this stage, do body weights, strengthening is important. I agree 100%. But you cannot it let's let us let it let us let us put it this way: maintaining strength is very important. Sure. So you cannot start building your strength now. You you almost too late, but building maintaining your strength that you've built before, it is very important.

SPEAKER_01 47:32

Sure, sure. Yeah, yeah. No, thank you so much for sharing your insights. We're really learning, we're learning a lot. Tell me now, as we wrap up uh this topic, are there things that you want to give to a runner some practical takeaways?

SPEAKER_00 47:48

Yes. The practical takeaways um are simple. Number one, um it's it's remember we we deal psycho uh biopsychosocially with our patients. They must run their race. Um don't um don't look uh on the next neighbor. What is the next neighbor is doing? Um uh try to control uh uh to to do too too early too soon, you know. I even call it I call the other one the Strava syndrome. That is the one I was saying. It's difficult, I know, because it's posed everywhere, but you you you need to really control the Strava syndrome. Um you need to be disciplined. This is the time where you are disciplined. If if your body is nice and then you told yourself you are going to run five kilometers, let it be five. Yeah, even if you are still feeling good, go back. You can go and swim and cycle, that won't hurt you. Um uh and if today you are doing heel repeats, do heel repeats, don't mix it with speed. Oh, yeah. Yeah, control the formal, you know. Um, especially those who are recovering from the the injury. Physio always makes you feel better. Yeah, always. If you come to us, you'll feel better. The question is that are you healed? Most probably not, you are healing, not healed. So, in that process of healing, there's too much FOMO, and what I call runners high as well. You know, I need to go back, I need to go back. So, you need to control the FOMO, you need to be very, very, very much disciplined. And the last thing that I want to say, I even wrote it in a big, big letters. Do not run over a wound. Oh, yes, oh yes, do not run over a wound. You know, um making things worse. You're making things worse. If if if you are in a good recovery, uh, allow it to recover. Thank God he gave us what we call muscle memory. Yeah. So if if you heal better, if you recover well, um, and then there's time before combraid marathon, you're most probably going to finish that comrades marathon nicely with no injuries. Rather than running over the wound, it really is not gonna help anyone.

SPEAKER_01 50:30

Sure, sure, sure. Well, thank you so much. I have learned a lot from you. Uh so as a runner myself, um I'm I'm realizing that uh there are things I need to improve on. Yeah, much as I'm a physiopath. I'm learning a lot from you today. When are you joining me in the comrades journey?

SPEAKER_00 50:49

We we are coming there, and then the the other thing that I I just have to say before, and I'm not running away from joining you, Doc.

SPEAKER_01 50:58

You must join me in this crazy marathon, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:02

I must join you. The um uh the the other thing that um I just have to conclude is that um is okay, physio. The the the talk that I was talking about today, I tried to be to become more clinical. You know? Okay. Um I'm not I'm not like you, Doc. You are you you are more your your your academics is very great compared to mine. Um I'm a hands-on physio, so uh the the the clinical experience that I I have received um is the one that guided me to to say whatever that I've seen. And then using it to my patients in my practice, I have seen a lot of patients becoming happy um and and recovering with with with no with with with no time. They recover faster and then they they stay on the road longer. Me being on the road is it's the the the the goal because as I can tell you now, I'm speaking from a clinical point of view, and I must be honest with you, I can run, but I run 5Ks to just my heart to bump a little bit. That's it. But I cannot I cannot comprehend what you feel until I can run a 21, and until I can run a 42, and obviously eventually until I can run uh a compared marathon. I'm looking forward for me to tap into that uh sphere where it's no longer a clinical knowledge I share, it is also an experience. Yes, yeah, and I believe it will come very soon. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 52:40

Yeah, like the PhD, that the PhD that must come soon, also. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 52:45

No, the PhD, the PhD is the next thing before before I can go to the roads. I must I must do the PhD. Because I I must be honest with you, uh, I I feel like um running chose me more than I chose it. So I must I must respect it and then and go deeper into the study. Um and um I mean you know my study very well. You can realize that most of my content comes from the research that we have conducted in Panama. Yeah, my masters when I was doing the dissertation. You can hear that the content comes from from evidence base. So I will want to go in more, as you say, uh PhD level, where one can draw more of knowledge, but eventually be on the road. I mean, I must be on the road so that the combination of all this, I think it will help our learn even more.

SPEAKER_01 53:42

Wow. Chris also thank you so very much for sharing your expertise. Uh your ability to you know, your ability to break down such complex uh concepts into practical, understandable advice. It's really uh uh appreciated. Thank you so much. Thank you for your time. May God bless you.

SPEAKER_00 54:03

Yeah, thank you. God bless you too, and uh happy running to our runners, and then all of the best for the upcoming two oceans marathon um and the many marathons that are coming. Um remember not to run comrade before comrade. Uh comrade is coming on the 14th of June.

SPEAKER_01 54:21

Yes, yes, yes. I take that. If there is one message to take away from today's episode, it is this one. Strength training is not an add-on, it's a foundation. It's what helps you run more efficiently. It helps to maintain better form when fatigue sets in. Strength training helps you to generate that power that you need for each stride that you make. Strength training helps you to reduce the risk of injuries. As we have heard, it's not about doing more, but it's about doing the right thing, progressing wisely, staying consistent, and aligning your strength work with your running goals and training phases. Whether you are preparing for your first 10 kilometers or testing a personal test, comrades are comfortable, building a strong body will always translate into better running. So start where you are. Keep it simple and commit to process. Because strong runners are resilient runners, and resilient runners stick to it. Thank you for joining us again and moving traffic. If this episode is supported to you in any way, you pass it forward and inspire someone else.