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1. Has it been studied and tested….and what was the outcome. Just because it works great for my training buddy doesn’t mean it has any value at all. Research and scientific studies deliver the goods when it comes to answers. Anecdotal stories from my buddy or an internet forum are just that….stories. I only have so much time in a day, I would rather try something that has been tested to produce gains rather than HOPE something will work that my very average performing buddy swears by.

2. What are the big kids doing? Are Galen Rupp and Mary Cain integrating this stuff into their training? They can’t waste time or effort on training that won’t work. They are also surrounded by teams of experts that are closely monitoring the latest advances in training. So it makes sense that if the pros are doing it, it would be worth a try.

3. What are my personal results? So I added weight training to my training….now comes the hard part; I have to determine if it’s worth it. If I picked wisely using rules 1 & 2 from above, I still need to figure out if the new training is delivering results for me. Training is a very complex thing and it can be difficult to determine where the gains are coming from. Many times people abandon something well before it even has a chance to help improve performance. So when it comes to changing up your training, be cautious of adding in new elements “just because” or “it sounds good”. Be a student of your sport; keep a training log, constantly assess if your workouts are value added, talk about it with your coaches and always keep learning.

It is proven many times over (rule #1) that weight and core training will help improve a runner’s performance. Galen and Mary are DEFINITELY doing core and strength training (rule #2). New research is pointing to many new and exciting ways to do weight training for endurance athletes. But for now, keep it simple. If you start simple you can (and will) add to the intensity and complexity (don’t make it too complicated however, I’m a big fan of simple is best). Now it’s just up to you for rule #3. Good luck!

A basic core and strength routine for runners:

-A yoga mat, stability ball and some dumbbells are all that you’ll need for a full strength workout.

-3 45-second planks with 30 seconds rest between sets.

-3 sets of 10-20 Push-ups. 30 seconds rest between sets. (stick to the 30 seconds, too much rest will greatly reduce the benefit)

-3 sets of 30 crunches. 30 seconds rets between sets.

-3 sets of 30 leg lifts. 30 seconds between sets.

-3 sets of 30 mason twists. 30 seconds between sets.

-More exercises here….jfakldsfjalkgj;ldfgjkvnzkjbnkjvzdvzd