HFS clinics is a company dedicated to providing the highest standards in physiotherapy and podiatry care with clinics based in Liverpool street, Harley Street, West Hampstead and Crosswall in London. All clinicians are highly trained and specialise in the assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal and sports injuries. We are registered with all major private medical insurance companies

1. HFS Running Seminars
Greg Ryan MCSP SRP
Neuro-musculoskeleatal Physiotherapist
Co-founder HFS
Qualified 1991 Guys Hospital
www.hfs-clinics.co.uk

2. Strength in Running

3. Strength in Running
We will cover:-
 What ‘strength’ means
 Muscle and its functions
 The importance of strength in
running
 How injuries can occur
 What to think about when
strengthening for running

4. What is ‘Strength?’
 Not clearly defined in literature
 Different types of strength:

5. What is ‘Strength?’
 Maximum strength – force generated in a
single max. voluntary action
 Absolute strength – force generated
irrespective of bodyweight
 Relative strength – force generated
relative to bodyweight
 Elastic strength – force generated at high
velocity of anisometric action = muscle
power.
 Strength endurance – force generated for
sustained (isometric) or repeated
(aniosmetric) muscle action

6. What is ‘Strength?’
 Any exercise which is intended to
increase the ability of a muscle to
produce force is a strength training
exercise
 (A) definition of muscle strength =
“The ability of a muscle to produce
force.” Clarke 2001

7. Muscle Function
 Basic function = to generate force for
stability and movement
 Also muscles act as shock absorbers/force
absorbers/dampeners
 So they are a ligament stress-shield – not
forgetting bone, cartilage and nerve
Therefore;
 Muscle is critical for protecting non-
contractile tissues from micro and macro-
trauma

8. “But won’t running itself make me
stronger?”
No
Or rather
Not necessarily

9. Running will make you better at
running.
But if there is a compensation strategy
in the system, this too will be
strengthened and reinforced

10. What Causes Muscle ‘Weakness?’
 Pain
 Effusion (swelling)
 Ageing
 Overtraining
 Disuse – immobilisation, bed rest and
physical inactivity
 Reduced patient compliance
 Medical problems, such as stroke,
peripheral neuropathy

11. Why is Strength so Important?
 Forces involved in running:-
 Approx 3 x BW @ foot strike going through each
leg – more if there’s a problem
 Energy involved must be absorbed and dissipated
efficiently by the tissues to allow normal and
healthy function – otherwise injury can occur
 80kg (800N) man in a 42km (marathon) race:
500 foot strikes/leg/km x 42 x (80 x 3) =
5,040,000kg
or 50,400,000N of force

12. Load History and Injury
‘Intrinsic’ injuries only…
 How often?
 How far?
 How fast?
 How hard?
 Ho quickly are you increasing the training
parameters?
 This info gives us the load history and a
possible cause of the problem

13. How Do We ‘Strengthen?’
 Part of the criteria for our patients to
return to running is:
 Single leg heel raises = 30 reps
 Single leg leg press = 150%BW
(MVMA), i.e. one rep
 Single leg knee extension =
100%BW (MVMA), i.e. one rep

14. How Do We ‘Strengthen?’
 Squats
 Split-squats
 Lunges
 Step lunges
 Hopping
 Plyometrics

15. Summary
 Strong muscles will shield the joints,
ligaments etc from excessive loading
 Appropriate strength training will
help protect tissues from pain and
injury
 In order to run (to get fit) you must
be fit to run – Conditioning
 When in doubt, seek expert opinion

16. Thank you
Health and Fitness Solutions @
Aldgate
Broadgate
Harley Street
0844 264 0334
www.hfs-clinics.co.uk