Seb Coe’s Strength & Conditioning Program – Part 1: How To Assess Your Total Body Fitness And Gauge Your Starting Point
[Article by Chelsea Ho of Sweat Elite]
Virtually all elite runners incorporate some kind of strength and conditioning work into their training routine. There are various reasons – to enhance muscle strength and endurance, as well as minimise risk of injury. But what kinds of exercises should we do? How often should we do this? How lean is too lean? Should we use weights? In this series, we will share the principles and practicalities on how runners should approach this minefield. This is a summary from Chapter 6 of Better Training For Distance Runners written by David Martin & Peter Coe.
To begin with, a well-developed, balanced athlete possesses three fundamental characteristics:
- Efficient cardiovascular and fuel-metabolising systems which translate to aerobic and anaerobic fitness – developed by running
- Adequate joint flexibility as well as strength/power/endurance in all major muscle groups – developed by a comprehensive conditioning program
- A body composition which consists of an optimal lean body mass and minimal body fat, to provide the highest possible power-to-weight ratio
Collectively, these three domains make up an athlete’s ‘total body fitness’, as termed by the authors. We have already covered the first point in a previous series (The Multi-Tier Training System) and will explore the second and third points in this series.
The following table is one such tool that athletes could use to evaluate their current performance in the three domains. This will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses at baseline so you can prioritise certain exercises accordingly and improve your total body fitness.
You might note that the table includes tests (i.e. press-ups, pull-ups, situ-ups, barbell press) that don’t directly contribute to the development of muscles involved in running. This leads to a frequently-asked question: should runners prioritise developing their hamstrings, soleus, quadriceps and calf muscles? What about the abdominal muscles, trunk and upper limbs?
Well, the authors write that that running is indeed a highly specific sport which stimulates certain muscle groups (i.e. the posterior lower limb muscles) out of proportion to the others. Such imbalance in strength and endurance between major muscle groups leads to an increased risk of injury.
Therefore, they suggest that a comprehensive conditioning program is most beneficial. This aims to increase general strength and balance of all major muscle groups and not just the hamstrings, glutes, etc. This will also help to strengthen the connective tissue system (ligaments, tendons and cartilage) to help maintain joint integrity.
In the next article we will explore the different types of resistance training that helps to build muscle strength and power.
Continue to Part 2: Static and Dynamic Resistance Training 101
Source: Martin, D. E., & Coe, P. N. (1997). Better training for distance runners. Human Kinetics 1.
