STRENGTH VS ENDURANCE Does Strength training impair your endurance?
Its been asked time and time again. Does strength training impair running economy or endurance?
This is a great topic that relates to hunters. If any of you have been on a western backcountry hunt you know that it is often 6-7 miles per day up and down some grueling country. There is this allure to it that brings a sense of direction to ones life. Perhaps it is the bond with nature or perhaps the ability to distance ourselves from the hustle and bustle of life and reach deep down in side and be humbled. Whatever it is, August and September are two of my favorite months and ones that I look forward to every year. In fact like most of you, I can close my eyes and feel the cool brisk mornings and the warm afternoons. I can literally smell the air and envision myself sitting on a mountain top glassing big basins patterning the bucks and bulls. I can feel the load of a heavy pack and hopefully I have done the training necessary to be ready for the moment of truth.
Mountain hunting is such a great topic and pairing it with what is actually truth when it comes to training is imperative. I have people ask me all the time “How can I increase my endurance and strength at the same time?” Many people have been told they can’t do both for on the one hand endurance muscles are a completely different fiber type. This is known as the interference phenomenon. Mainly by developing one of these capacities the other in training will be impaired. Well this is true that there are different fiber types there is no reason why you can’t train both and why you shouldn’t train both. In fact this is such a fascinating topic and according to this systematic review endurance running and strength training should be related in our training regimens.
Type 1 muscle fibers are more fatigue resistant, can be use for longer durations, have higher capillary and mitochondrial densities. I like to think about this into animals as it makes sense. You see a ducks breast meat is made up primarily of these Type 1 fiber types which is necessary for hours and hours of flying. Whereas a pheasants is made up of Type 2 fibers made for quick bursts to fly fast and short distances.
Now can you train them both and should you if you want to increase your endurance and strength? Perhaps if we could get every duck on the planet to begin a training program they could be a super animal with endurance for months and power to evade even the fastest steel shot. Now that is not going to happen but we can train our muscles to be ready for everything the mountain throws at us. Lets dive into it a little more.
There are many things that affect ones running economy including age, sex, anthropometric factors. In this article they found that running economy is largely influenced by training strategies, including a wide range of strength training such as low resistance training, high resistance training, explosive training and plyometric training. In fact by including all types of resistance training it was shown to increase type 1 and type 2 fibers strength resulting in less motor unit activation to produce a given force. This increase in strength may also improve biomechanical efficiency and muscle recruitment patterns thus allowing a runner to run more efficiently at a given running speed. Now when asked the majority of runners spend little to no time strength training. Perhaps it is a lack of understanding or knowledge or purely because a runner was born to do one thing, RUN!
Now see I disagree strength training can only make a runner better. In fact 100% of the studies showed a significant benefit to strength training to increase running economy. So how do we do it? Well it comes down to the right balance between endurance training and strength training. If you are strength training to failure then yes you will likely start to turn over a few of those type 1 fibers. However if you rehab the right way and work on a good balance to avoid injury then a training ratio can make the elite even more elite. Focusing on a program that is low to moderate in intensity and roughly 3:1 ration of endurance to strength resulted in optimal performance increasing endurance, strength, power and jump height.
So how do we relate this to hunters? Well in order to become that #elitemtnathlete we should all be training on a 3:1 ratio. Work on endurance training including aerobic and cardiovascular exercise 6-9 session per week and strength training 2-3 sessions per week. Resistance can and should be the main muscles of the lower legs including the quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves. Include a plyometric portion into your week to work on power and explosiveness.
There you have it. Hunting season is around the corner. We will soon find ourselves hitting the hills to find sheds, set trail cams, and pack gear into the mountains. To become the elite of the elite work on strength and aerobic exercise to become that mountain hunter.
