Do You Need to Lift Weights if You’re a Runner?

If you run or use cardio equipment do you need to lift weights? 

I’ve heard someone say, oh I don't need to lift weights, I’m a runner. Or I don’t need to lift weights because…insert thing here. You absolutely have to lift weights. I’m not sure the reasoning here as lifting weights is quite different from running or any activity that isn’t specifically resistance training. 

If you’ve ever participated in an activity and were so surprised at how sore you were afterward, it’s because you don’t strengthen your legs. If you feel a severe burn in your thighs when you go up a flight of stairs, that’s because you don’t lift weights. I know subconsciously people avoid stairs because they know it will give them that burn and increased heart rate. If you lift weights you won’t see stairs as a daunting task. 

A friend of mine after a night out dancing (we were not old, mid 20’s) was in shock at how badly her left hip hurt and said her legs had never been so sore. She couldn’t believe it, and granted she was really cutting it up, and we did learn that she needs new dance moves since she was only using her left side. However, she shouldn't have been that sore. 

The notion that we don’t need to lift weights in order to not only complete certain daily tasks but also for longevity, is a bit doltish or silly. 

I was speaking with some of my pickleball friends after a two hour session and one was saying she is now so sick of being sore after every time she played. She wanted to figure out what she could do to avoid being wrecked the day after playing. The answer to that is strength training. 

When you strengthen your legs they recover much faster than if you don’t. After consistent training you will get to the point where you’re not sore after doing anything. It’s a no brainer, you can’t place demands on your body that you haven’t prepared it for, and expect to feel fine.

Here is a list of my favorite leg lifts. Remember there is no one absolute best and only movement.  It’s good to do movements that are single leg like lunges, also  that are both legs like squats and so on. Learning to hinge properly is very important. Just do what sounds good to start, and you can begin with body weight until you figure out how to do the correct form. These are just the lifts that I like to do at the moment, it’s not the ultimate database of lower body lifts. 

Legs:

Bulgarian split squats

Walking lunges

Single leg straight leg deads

Goblet squats

Single leg hip press

High step ups

Sumo/wide stance straight leg deads