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Sarah:
I believe every athlete can benefit from a weight training program. It doesn’t matter if you are a middle aged jogger, a college football player or a recreational golf fanatic. Stronger muscles equal better performance.

Obviously runners are constantly working their legs with each and every step they take. However In my opinion there is no substitute for adding a little pig iron to ones training regimen.
Here are a few reasons why I believe runners should include leg work in their training programs.

Weight training increases muscular endurance. The stronger your legs become the more capable they are of handling difficult workouts. As you become tired and fatigued during your runs stronger quadriceps and hamstrings will help you maintain your pace. Weight training with your legs also helps to build the explosive strength needed for good starts and strong finishes.

Weightlifting helps reduce the chance of injury. Strong muscles help you keep good posture. Good posture keeps the body in line putting the pressure on your muscles where it belongs instead of you joints. Lifting weights can also build stronger bones and can improve your balance and stability. If you happen to fall during a run stronger bones and muscles will help protect your body from serious injury. Therefore It only makes sense to work your legs as well as your upper body.

Weightlifting helps to maintain muscular balance. In a previous article I wrote that your hamstrings should be at least 60% as strong as your quadriceps. Many runners tend to over develop their quadriceps leaving their hamstrings weak and their leg strength unbalanced. This imbalance can put undue pressure on the knee joint and could possible cause pain or injury. With the edition of weight training you can target your weaknesses in order to balance your legs. If your hamstrings are weak you can develop a program designed to make them stronger.  As the leg strength becomes more balanced the risk of injury becomes less likely.

Weight lifting helps to slow the aging process. Whether we like it or not as we grow older certain hormones in the human body begin to decrease causing us to loose muscle mass. As a result of this we become weaker and less capable of performing to our potential. That’s why most people find it’s harder to stay in shape with each passing year. We are fighting an up hill battle. The good news is we can drastically reduce this process by weight lifting. Weightlifting can slow the aging process by allowing us to maintain our muscle mass and strength. A quick tour around your local gym is proof enough that those who choose to lift weights generally look ten to fifteen years younger than those that don’t. Therefore lifting weights will help to keep your entire body young including your legs.

In conclusion I believe that runners can receive great benefit from lifting weights with their legs as well as their upper bodies. However It’s is important not to over do it. Try to stagger your leg workouts on days when you choose not to run. If you run a great deal during the summer it’s usually a good idea to scale back your leg training to what I like to call maintenance workouts. Just do enough to maintain your strength. Use the off season to build stronger legs.