Q&A webinar Rich Blagrove Running

Strength training for runners is explored through both performance and injury prevention. Rich Blagrove, a university lecturer and strength and conditioning coach, explains why runners often benefit from structured resistance training and how it can improve robustness without necessarily causing unwanted muscle gain. Key themes include common causes of overuse injuries, especially training errors such as increasing volume or intensity too quickly, and the importance of consistency over aggressive progression. Previous injury is highlighted as a major risk factor, along with factors such as sleep, nutrition, recovery, and overall training load. The discussion also covers age-related injury patterns, why younger runners more often have hip and knee issues while older runners tend to develop foot and Achilles problems. Practical strength training principles are outlined, including the value of exercises such as step-ups, lunges, hopping, calf work, and trunk training. Special attention is given to muscles important for running, especially the soleus, calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps. The session also explains interference between endurance and strength training, as well as the difference between useful running stiffness and excessive loss of mobility.