Strength and Conditioning for Adolescent Endurance Runners

Abstract

For the adolescent athlete who chooses to specialize in endurance running, strength and conditioning (S&C) activities provide a means of enhancing several important determinants of performance and may reduce the risk of overuse injury. It is recommended that adolescent endurance runners include at least two S&C sessions per week that comprise of movement skills training, plyometric and sprint training, resistance training, plus exercises designed to target specific tissues that are vulnerable to injury. This article describes how these modalities of training can be integrated into the routine of adolescent endurance runners.

Effects of Running-Specific Strength Training, Endurance Training, and Concurrent Training on Recreational Endurance Athletes’ Performance and Selected Anthropometric Parameters

“…The improvements obtained in RE14 by CTG and RSSTG were significantly higher than those achieved by ETG. In RSSTG, the improvements in RE could be related to the attainment of certain adaptations [ 9 , 10 , 32 , 50 ]: (a) improved musculotendinous stiffness of the lower extremities; (b) improved motor unit recruitment and synchronization patterns; (c) improved intermuscular coordination and neural inhibition; (d) delayed activation of less-efficient type II muscle fibers; (e) conversion of type IIx fibers into fatigue-resistant IIa fibers; (f) facilitation of the optimal application of strength throughout the entire training or competition; (g) reduction of the relative intensity that each particular cycle of effort or sports technique represents for one athlete when overcoming the same resistance; (g) improved ability to perform the same effort with lower oxygen consumption; (h) improved ability to apply the same strength with less muscle mass; (i) improved reuse of elastic energy in each stride. Therefore, attaining all of these physiological adaptations could be the reason why RSSTG obtained significant improvements over ETG in RE14.…”

“…In this way, specific scientific evidence indicates that combining endurance and strength training generates additional benefits in terms of athletic performance improvement and injury prevention [ 8 ]. These improvements could be related to the following mechanisms [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]: Musculotendinous factors: Improved muscle-tendinous stiffness and stretch-shortening cycle properties, conversion of fast-twitch type IIx into more fatigue-resistant type IIa fibers, and delayed activation of less-efficient type II fibers. Neuromuscular factors: Improved neuromuscular function and efficiency, improved intramuscular coordination, motor unit recruitment, and firing frequency.…”

“…Actually, the main adaptations produced by endurance and strength training are not only different but also opposed: Endurance training adaptations include oxidative enzyme activity increment, mitochondrial and capillary density increment, maintenance or reduction of fiber size, and possibly also fiber type transformations (Type II into I), modifying the model of recruitment and reducing the muscle contractile capacity [ 17 ]. In contrast, strength training is associated with reduced capillary density, oxidative enzymes, and mitochondrial density, reducing the oxidative muscle capacity [ 10 , 15 ].…”

Effectiveness of Maximum, Explosive and Combined Strength Training on Endurance Runners Performance Indicators: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…This phenomenon is called interference or concurrent training effect [3,20]. Thus, it must be considered that while endurance training increases the capillary luminal diameter and number, increases mitochondrial density and decreases the muscle fibre size [21], strength training generates the opposite effects [19,22].…”

Effectiveness of Pilates Training on Body Composition and Isokinetic Muscular Strength in Adolescent Baseball Players

“…This model may have an important role in the improvement of fundamental motor skills, contributing toward success in competitive adult sports [1,2]. Fitness coaches have used various types of exercise, including endurance, strength, and flexibility training, to reach adequate physical maturation and development [3,4]. Such conditioning exercise programs, with proper supervision and plans, should be implemented to improve sports-related physiological factors, such as body composition and muscular strength.…”