Strength and Conditioning for Endurance Running

by Richard Blagrove

Endurance runners and coaches have tended to neglect weight training and conditioning techniques, often in the belief that they don't benefit performance, add unwanted muscle bulk, or cause excessive soreness. But as standards at elite level have improved, so coaches and runners have become increasingly keen on learning about the latest new training techniques or ways to stay injury free. No longer does the running community view strength and conditioning with scepticism, or as something that can only benefit elite runners. In Strength and Conditioning for Endurance Running, author Richard Blagrove shows how a strength and conditioning programme can directly improve running performance and reduce the risk of injury, as well as allowing an athlete to tolerate high volumes of running in the future. Fully illustrated with 312 colour images and diagrams.

793 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2015

Reviews

[Aurelian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dunoo.. i rated it 3/5. Basically I was expecting complete programs, but the book is more in do it yourself style: it has an assignment to identify your problems then it has exercises targeting various areas and then you have to figure out what exercises you need from proposed ones.

Which is totally fine and the obvious way of how this thing should be done: why would I do ankle strengthening if my problem is a weak glute, right? Overall, it has good information but not in a way I was expecting.

I reckon the Kindle is not the best format for this kind of book.

[Alan Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a goldmine of information. I suppose that the main audience is running coaches, but I found it perfect for a well-motivated uncoached runner.

It is comprehensive and so possibly overwhelming for those of an insufficiently nerdy disposition. However, the writing is very clear (no "scientese" here) and the technical level kept to a minimum. Disclaimer: I am a scientist by trade.

Each weight training exercise is carefully described with loads of clear photos showing how to do it and also illustrations of common mistakes, which is very helpful for the self-taught.

"Conditioning" covers exercises like plyometrics, that aim to improve explosivity. Again, everything is carefully explained both the relevance and practice (reps, frequency, etc.).

Finally there is a good section on how to set up a training program over the season and running career. This is not a book about "quick fixes". Different ways that the pieces of can be put together to form a training programme are illustrated with three examples for runners at different levels.

[John McLain · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly thorough book that details pretty much every dimension of strength and conditioning for runners, including a robust array of initial movement screens and performance tests. Detailed descriptions of a variety of exercises are given along with rationales for each. Obviously photos and text can only do so much to capture the exercises, so someone might need to turn to YouTube to get full video tutorials. This is an incredibly dense book not for those who aren't willing to dive deep. But otherwise I would strongly recommend it to anyone.

[Muness Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference with an explanation of why strength and conditioning are useful to runners, an assessment to understand your needs and exercises to meet them. I would love to find a coach to work through the system with but even in the absence of that, the case studies in the book promise to be a great starting point.

[CherylR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too intense

This book has way too much information for the average runner. I ended up skipping large portions. Should be used more as a reference book.

[Melanie Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard work to follow amd devize own programme. But fabulous book.

[David Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some great general principles laid out here, plus the included visuals where helpful for the many exercises that got outlined. The specificity of the exercises illustrated will help many coaches who was come from little to no S&C background develop some appropriate programs to develop their athletes. I do suggest that such coaches also seek feedback on these programs or make decisions with some additional context from other texts. One section I want to revisit relates to assessments of strengths and weaknesses an athlete may possess. Since that was barely covered during my formal schooling and I see the benefits in being able to conduct such assessments as a coach.

[Miły]

good