Want to run faster? Add power!

Most runners appreciate that strength training improves the ability to generate force. If you look a little deeper though, running your best requires you to be able to generate those forces quickly. 

We’re talking fractions of seconds to produce forces many times greater than your body weight. 

That’s where power comes in. 

Often overlooked as we fall into old routines on the strength front, workouts and movements emphasizing power are major winners for those seeking performance and tackling big running goals.

Let’s dive in to figure out how to tap into some serious potential. 

What is power?

First up, let’s define what power is. 

Simply put, it’s the ability to apply a high amount of force quickly. The quicker we can perform a controlled forceful movement, the more power we produce. So we think of power as work over time. 

In a lab or research setting, we call this measure of how quickly an athlete can produce force the rate of force development. 

Force x velocity = Power

A few examples:

And why should we care about power?

The more power you generate, the faster you’ll run. You could also look at it as the ability to use less energy while running a given pace. 

Either way, it means you perform your best, and we’re here for it! 

How to build power into your training

First up, we want to highlight where folks tend to go wrong. 

There are two common mistakes that runners make when starting to consider power:

1. Not building the foundation
   
   A key component of building power is the ability to generate force. That means that a few prerequisites need to be met. Can you coordinate the movement? Do you have the range of motion? What about basic strength?
   
   Before you start to apply force with speed, make sure you can apply force, period.
   
   

2. Confusing power and plyometrics
   

   Both power and plyometrics require an athlete to move with speed. But the goals are pretty different and it’s important to be clear on the “why” behind our training.
   

   So to clear things up:
   
   Plyometric movements help improve your ability to use elastic energy stored in the tendons.
   
   Think springiness!
   
   You’re looking to get off the ground as quickly as possible, which helps to reduce your ground contact time on the run (...also increase cadence, reduce overstriding, reduce force at the knee and a whole bunch of “trickle down” effects).
   
   I.e. Squat jumps with emphasis on a quick pop off the ground.
   
   In comparison, power is the ability to generate force quickly.
   
   Think explosive!
   
   Your goal is use strength as quickly as possible, with less focus on ground contact time.
   
   I.e. Squat jump where you add a load. 
   

How to get after it

A few pointers to help you kickstart performance by adding power into your routine safely and effectively. 

1. Make sure that you have the prerequisites down
   

   No sense in testing whether your house can tolerate a major storm if it’s shaky in perfect conditions.
   
   Spend some time building your coordination, range of motion, motor skills and strength before you start to layer on the speed.
   
   In short, make sure that you’re picking up some heavy stuff using movements that use multiple joints. 
   
   

2. Time it right
   
   The week before a race isn’t the right time to get after it. Nor is the first week of your offseason (we could write novels on the pitfalls of failing to allow your body to recover adequately). There’s always an “it depends” on how and when to build this in and a ton of individual variation.
   
   We love to see runners playing with these movements 6-8 weeks before a peak event.
   
   That said, our biggest recommendation is always to be intentional and consider the bigger picture of your running and racing goals. If it’s peak week in a training plan, the increased demand of throwing in new demands on the strength front is starting to look more precarious.
   
   

3. Fine tune your load
   

   As a general rule, we want runners to be loading their bodies. Move heavy things and you stand to benefit. Since power is all about creating force quickly, we still want to create demand for force. Aka we encourage load.
   
   That may mean body weight, and for many exercises and runners, it probably means adding weights of some form.
   
   You’ll want to dial it back a bit from what you might do in an exercise purely targeting strength, but don’t forget that load is a key part of power.
   
   Aim to find your sweet spot around 3 sets of 5-8 reps of a given exercise. As you move through each movement, think explode!
   
   

4. Assess, progress, reassess
   
   Our bodies adapt in response to demand. If you keep the demand the same all the time, you won’t have any stimulus to create further adaptation. So once you’ve been at it for a while, consider ways that you can change the ask on your body.
   
   You wouldn’t run the same 5k route at the same easy pace every day for a year and expect major improvements in your 5k time.
   
   Same thing applies to strength training, including developing power.
   
   

5. This is one strategy
   

   It’s easy to get excited about a new way to challenge our bodies. We’re always curious about what we’re capable of and hope that tweaks to our systems will be game changers.
   
   But that new tool doesn’t mean that the systems you’ve had in place forever are no longer worthwhile. Not every exercise or every workout needs to be power focused (please don’t!).
   
   Mix things in, have fun and keep tuning into your body on the regular. 
   
   

You got this, and we’ve got you!

Curious about how this fits into your plan?

Our team of Strength Coaches, Run Coaches and Run Specialist Clinicians have you covered.

If you’re not sure where to start, we offer no cost consultation calls to help you find the right fit!