Weight Room Exercises for 400m Runners

Weight training for sprinters and mid-distance runners is a tricky proposition. A runner needs strength and power to push off the starting line and achieve a crisp, regulated pace, and sufficient muscular endurance to maintain that pace throughout the race. However, many strength training routines may increase the athlete’s muscle mass, which inhibits speed and makes the race difficult to win. Several weight room exercises, when performed in the right way, can help the 400m runner compete on the track.

  1. Strength Training for Runners

    • The one aspect of weight training that sprinters and distance runners alike must focus on is the development of fast-twitch muscle response and muscular endurance. To accomplish this, use standard sets of between 10 and 15 repetitions, with a weight level that doesn’t place the target muscles near the point of muscle failure. Light weights for a moderate number of reps and sets work well in conjunction with body weight exercises and with your running program. Work out in the weight room two or three times each week with a full-body routine that works out the upper and lower body in the same session.

    Upper Body Exercises

    • The upper body is not a direct focus of weight training for most runners, and any strength exercise should focus on the arms, shoulders and core for flexibility and stability. Standing military presses with a weighted barbell develops flexibility and promotes endurance in the deltoids, triceps and trapezius. Alternating biceps dumbbell curls performed while standing targets the biceps, but incorporates muscles throughout the back, core and lower body to keep you upright. Weighted back extensions using a hyper-extension bench and a barbell develop strength and power in the core.

    Lower Body Exercises

    • A runner’s weight training program will focus more on the lower body, where power and endurance are needed to generate and maintain speed. Rather than isolation exercises that target a specific muscle with limited joint movement, select compound exercises that promote joint flexibility and broaden range of motion for your legs. For lower body weight training, select exercises that have a form mimicking the angle at which you run, meaning against the ground. The deadlift and the back squat are ideal for achieving this, but be careful in the amount of weight you use for either exercise. Lift less than your body weight to avoid the development of significant muscle mass.

    Considerations

    • Weight training for a 400m runner should be a supplemental exercise, not the focus of your overall regimen. Limit your weight room time to no more than three times a week, but two is preferred by some college coaches. Schedule one to two rest days in between weight room sessions, and limit any rest day exercise to running exercises or other cardio work. Avoid overtraining, which can diminish performance and increase the risk of injury.