BLOG
Is strength training important in athletics?
Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Athletics is often mistakenly associated solely with cardiovascular exercise, especially when we think of popular disciplines like sprints or hurdles. And yes, endurance and speed are fundamental factors, but they aren’t the only ones. Strength plays a crucial role in both the short and long term.
If we want to progress and achieve optimal results, strength training exercises must be included in our training routine. But why is it so important when we want to practice athletics?
Strength Training to Increase Our Performance
In athletics, and in any other sport, strength is what allows us to gain muscle mass. Popular belief holds that this is detrimental to athletics, since more muscle mass means more weight, which could reduce speed, but nothing could be further from the truth.
With a good training routine, muscles will become stronger and more resilient, and we will gain power. If muscles are not prepared, they will not respond correctly to exertion, and the likelihood of injury will increase.
Endurance is also related to muscles; the stronger they are, the greater their capacity to carry out longer runs and even improve technique thanks to postural correction. All these elements are part of a system that results in increased endurance, power, and speed. This doesn’t mean that our training should be based solely on strength exercises, not at all; it simply means that we should incorporate some of these exercises into our routine.
At theTenerife Athletics Centerwe have the best facilities for practicing athletics, including a gym where you can develop different strength training exercises. Shall we begin?
