Should runners do strength training?

Yes. A 2017 systematic review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that strength training reduced sports injuries by approximately 33% and overuse injuries by nearly 50%. For runners, the specific benefits include reduced injury risk and improved running economy — the physiological efficiency of running at a given pace.

What strength exercises help runners most?

Single-leg exercises (split squats, single-leg Romanian deadlifts), posterior chain work (conventional and Romanian deadlifts, glute bridges), and hip stability exercises address the most common runner injury patterns. These are the movements a coached S&C program emphasizes for runners.

Where should Beach Cities runners add strength training?

Gate 14 in El Segundo offers coached barbell S&C in a class format. The coaching staff manages programming that complements rather than competes with your running volume. It is 10-15 minutes from the Hermosa and Manhattan Beach strand running routes.

Strength Training for Beach Cities Runners

Beach Cities runners who add a programmed strength program at Gate 14 run with better economy, hold form later in long runs, and get injured significantly less — because the posterior chain and hip stability work that barbell training builds is the one thing the Strand's flat running surface cannot provide. Here is what the evidence says and what to do about it.

What running on the Strand cannot build

The El Segundo-to-Redondo Strand is one of the best flat running routes in Los Angeles County. It is also, because of its flatness, one of the routes least likely to stress the physical weaknesses that cause running injuries.

Distance running on flat surfaces is biomechanically efficient and somewhat forgiving. It does not challenge single-leg stability in the same way trail or uneven surfaces do. It does not load the posterior chain under high force. It does not develop the hip abductor and external rotator strength that keeps the iliotibial band healthy.

The result: many Beach Cities runners have developed significant mileage capacity and significant hip, knee, and back vulnerabilities simultaneously. The Strand delivers aerobic conditioning. A strength program delivers injury resilience.

What the research says

A 2017 systematic review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine covering 25 studies found that strength training reduced sports injuries by approximately 33% overall and overuse injuries — the type that kill most distance runners' seasons — by nearly 50%.

A 2016 meta-analysis in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that concurrent strength and endurance training improved running economy (the oxygen cost of running at a given pace) by an average of 4-8% without impairing endurance adaptations. That improvement directly translates to faster race times and better late-race performance.

What strength training to do for running

Physical quality	Why runners need it	Key exercises
Single-leg stability	Landing and push-off mechanics	Split squats, single-leg RDL, step-ups
Posterior chain strength	Glute and hamstring protection	Deadlifts, hip thrusts, Nordic curls
Hip abductor strength	IT band syndrome prevention	Lateral band walks, clamshells, goblet squats
Calf and Achilles resilience	Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy	Single-leg calf raises, tibialis work

How to add strength training to a running schedule

The key is not doing more overall training volume but replacing some easy running days with strength sessions. Two strength sessions per week is the evidence-based minimum for runners who want the injury-reduction benefit.

A coached program handles the programming so the strength sessions complement your mileage rather than compete with it. Gate 14 in El Segundo is 10-15 minutes from the Beach Cities strand and runs coached classes that fit into a runner's training week.

For race-specific preparation, see off-season strength for the Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K and LA Marathon strength training. For the broader S&C picture, see strength and conditioning in the South Bay.

See Gate 14 membership options or the Gate 14 story.