Can getting stronger actually make you a better endurance athlete? The research says yes. A 2024 review looked at strength training in nearly 900 middle- and long-distance runners, from moderately trained to highly trained athletes. The big finding? High-load strength training improved running performance. As did Submaximal strength and plyometric training. Interestingly, it did this without significantly improving VO₂max. That's an important distinction. Strength training isn't replacing your endurance training or trying to build a bigger aerobic engine. It's another tool that can help you perform better with the engine you've built. That's why strength belongs in an endurance training program. Not instead of swim, bike and run, alongside them. Research linked below. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38627351/

“Does all that endurance training kill your strength gains?” There’s actually some science behind where that idea came from. It’s called the interference effect. The concern: endurance training and strength training create different demands on the body, so doing both might limit your results. But newer research gives us a better picture. A review of 43 studies found that combining endurance + strength training did not significantly compromise maximal strength or overall muscle growth compared with strength training alone. Where can interference become more of an issue? Explosive strength, especially when endurance and strength are done in the same session. The takeaway for endurance athletes is pretty simple: You don't have to choose between being strong and having endurance. You just have to be smart about how you combine them. And that's where when you strength train becomes just as important as what you do. More on that next. Research: Schumann et al. — Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function Read the peer-reviewed study in Sports Medicine

“I don’t want to lift too much because I don’t want to get bulky.” I hear this from endurance athletes all the time. Here’s the simple answer: Getting stronger does NOT automatically mean getting bigger. In one 26-week study, long-distance triathletes added progressive strength training and improved their strength, cycling economy AND running economy…without a significant increase in body mass. That’s exactly what we’re after. More useful strength. Not unnecessary mass. Research: Strength Training Improves Exercise Economy in Triathletes⁠