We often neglect strength training and focus on long hours of simple exercises or everyday runs. It might feel beneficial to run an extra mile but including only 10 minutes of activity in your everyday schedule is an integral part of the daily routine. For a strong distance-running activity, it is essential to include strength running, even if it is for a total of 10 minutes per day. It is also important for your body to build strength for later runs. 

 Strength Training

 What is strength training? It is an act of moving or lifting to build your body and make you stronger. Using a kettle bell or a dumbbell is one way to include strength training in your routine. It also helps your body grow and get more powerful.

 How to Include Strength Training in Your Routine

 A total of four days a week of strength training can be useful for a longer period of your life. It can start with small exercises, such as moving or lifting some object or building different parts of your body such as ankle strength. It can also involve improving your flexibility. You do not need to push yourself hard enough to attain such a routine. You can start with one day a week and then move forward with two to four days a week. It all depends upon how my body recovers after a running session as well as the weather or season. 

 There is no such thing called a perfect time to start your training. The most logical time to start with your training is to start with your runs after a major break. It can help you build the process as well as to gain agility and body strength altogether. 

 However, there is a downside to when you start to include strength training in your everyday exercises. The hard days become harder when you include them in your daily activities. If you are tired already, it is not a good time to physically drain yourself after a long-running session. The easy days, however, become easier to manoeuvre as they get easier after the routine is set. 

 Need Motivation?

 If you are tired all day and do not have any motivation to include strength training to your routine, then it is important to include it during your long days. It helps you to stay motivated while the easy days get easier. When you are running for a longer period of time, strength training makes it easy to build your body’s strength. You can also fully recover during the easy days.

 Training Routine throughout the Week

 Make a routine for yourself once you start running. Make one that also aligns with your workout and daily activities. When you have more time during the week, you would be able to invest your time in gaining strength and building it over a course of time. If it is too overwhelming for you, you can always start with 10-15 minutes of strength training and keep it light. Once you gain more momentum, you can move over to a stretch of 20-30 minutes for four days a week. Here are some of the easy core routines that can help you gain strength and flexibility over time:

  • Ankle and lower-length exercises
  • Core routine
  • Whole body routine exercises
  • At-home strength-gaining exercises
  • Using resistance band 

 FAQS about Strength Training

 It is important to ask the following questions before starting with strength training exercises:

  1. Am I motivated after a long workout?
  2. Does it fit into your schedule on a particular day?
  3. Do I like having really long days and really short days?  Or do I prefer all my days to be similar in length (in terms of how much work is done per day)?
  4. Am I exhausted after a longer run – and therefore, shouldn’t do strength work?

The next time you want to build a running schedule, think of including a strength-gaining workout routine which will help you gain your core and strength while enjoying your daily activities.