Hey Reader,

Today is the last day to apply for one of my 4 available 1-on-1 coaching spots!

• You are a female runner
• You have a big running goal for the spring or summer (big doesn’t mean it has to be big in distance or a fancy PR. A 5k PR, a first half marathon, and an injury free marathon are all big goals if they feel big to you!)
• You have an at least somewhat consistent running and strength training routine and are ready to start optimizing that training to crush that big goal
• You are an experienced runner (you don’t have to be fast, but you need to have experience with what it takes to train for a goal)
• You have little niggles that tend to pop up when you add volume or intensity that have historically prevented you from reaching your full potential and you want to make sure you are proactive about them this time
• You want 2025 to be the year of your major running breakthrough
• You will be able to meet virtually on Tuesdays or Thursdays between 10am and 2pm EST for our monthly sessions

​If that sounds like you, click here to learn more and apply now.​

We’ll work with YOUR goals, YOUR schedule, and the needs of YOUR body. We’ll strategically integrate a personalized strength training program with a personalized and intentionally progressive run program to have you feeling strong, smooth and ready to crush that big goal.

Applications will close at the end of the day today, Wednesday, October 30th.​
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Part of that personalized strength training program will include specific strategy for the season you are in.

What exactly does it mean to optimize your strength training strategy for the season you are in?

Let’s start with a few foundational ideas:

1. We can break out running up into seasons.
2. The overall stress running puts on the body increases with volume and intensity.

I like to look at it through the lens of having 4 seasons:

• Off season - running volume and intensity is decreased.
• Base maintenance - holding running volume and intensity mostly steady (when it comes to strength training recommendations I usually lump gentle base building here too)
• Building - early in the training block. You are building volume and intensity but not yet peaking.
• Peaking - highest mileage or intensity window of a training block (when it comes to strength training recommendations I usually lump taper and racing in with this as well)

As you move through the seasons, the stress running puts on your body will increase.

AND therefore the opportunity to stress your body with strength training will decrease.

In other words, we can really lean into the stress from the strength training in the off season, maintenance, and early building to lay a solid foundation. Then we pull back the reins on the stress from strength training in the later building, peaking, taper, and race seasons.

This does NOT mean just do a bunch of strength training in the former and then stop in the latter. I recommend strength training in some way in ALL the seasons. It’s the strategy behind the sessions that changes.

By the way, if you're sitting here like, “why do I even need to strength train in the first place.” This blog post will go into more of the benefits for your running.

To understand that strategy it helps to understand some key variables and how they contribute to the stress the body experiences with strength training: volume, tempo, and speed.

Volume is the total reps and sets. More volume = more stress.

As you move into seasons of more stress from running, reduce your strength volume accordingly. While in the off season and maintenance seasons, you have the opportunity to really build strength with more volume.

Eccentric vs concentric contraction contribution. Eccentric is the muscles lengthening with the load (thinking sinking down into your squat or shifting back into your hinge. Concentric is the muscles shortening with the load (think pushing out of that squat or hinge). More eccentric = more stress.

Speed is how we can alter time under tension with each rep. Slower movement = more time under tension =more stress.

As you move into seasons of more stress from running, you can move faster in your lifts to reduce time under tension.

We manipulate the ratio of eccentric and concentric and the speed with strength training by changing the tempo of the lift.

Tempo prescriptions use the following formula: Eccentric Count - Pause Count - Concentric Count. Using a squat as an example, eccentric would be as you lower down, pause would be a hold at the bottom, concentric would be pushing out of the squat back to standing.

For example, a 4 - 2 - 1 tempo with a squat would be a 4 count as you lower down, a 2 count pause at the bottom, and a 2 count to push back out of the squat from standing.

I use 3 main tempos with lifts:

• Slow with eccentric focus: 4 - 2 - 1
• Slow without eccentric focus: 2 - 0 - 2
• Moderate: 1 - 0 - 1

Minimize/cut out eccentric work in the peaking/racing phase by adjusting tempo in your lifts. Additionally, when it comes to more dynamic/plyometric movements choose concentric power (powerful jumping) over eccentric yielding (sinky catching/landing) in your more dynamic movements. While in the off season and maintenance seasons, you have the opportunity to build more strengh with more eccentric focus.

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Putting it all together, here are some season by season guidelines for each variable.

Off Season and Base Maintenance (including Early Building) = Strength Building

• Work up to heavy lifts (strength building)
• Higher volume is possible. You might need to start with 3 sets of 10 type schemes, then 4 sets of 6-8, and consider working up to 5 sets of 5 near 80-85% max.
• 2-3 sessions per week
• Eccentric work (muscle building) and slow tempo (4 - 2 - 1)

Later Building = Strength Maintenance

• Strength maintenance. You can and should still lift heavy.
• Reduce volume a bit by moving to 2-3 sets at 6-8 reps per set (compared to that 4 sets of 6 - 8 reps as an example)
• 2-3 sessions per week
• Reduce eccentric work but maintain a slower average tempo (2 - 0 - 2)

Peak Mileage/Race Prep = Low Stress Strength Maintenance

• Strength maintenance. You can and should still lift heavy. You want to maintain that force production capability!
• Reduce volume a lot moving into something like 2 sets, 5 reps per set. You are leaving reps in the tank to reduce the stress but still getting some work with that heavy lift for force production.
• Potentially reduce to 1 session per week (monitor fatigue and recovery from main run workouts)
• Eliminate eccentric work and increase tempo of the lift (1 - 0 - 1)
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One other variable you can play with over the seasons is in the movement patterns you choose. Use more big movements in the sagittal plane in the lower run stress, strength building seasons and using more frontal and transverse planes and change of direction work in the higher run stress, strength maintenance seasons. You can sort of think of it as working more of the movement patterns your body isn’t getting directly from the running in those later seasons. This could be a whole topic itself.

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Bottom line is, as you build run volume and get closer to racing, you still want to be lifting to preserve your capacity for force production but you want to reduce the added stress from your strength training by playing with the variables mentioned.

Reduce volume.

Phase out eccentric work.

Reduce time under tension.

AND make time in your season for times where you focus on this stuff!

If you tend to get burned out from your training, it can be very helpful to zoom out and use more of this seasonality strategy. It definitely requires some planning ahead with a heavy dose of consistency and patience.

​That’s what solid coaching can do for you!​

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Your Coach,
Alison

Alison Marie Helms, PhD Certified Personal Trainer and Running Coach Unlock your full running potential through physics and physiology. ​Work with me.​