Do You Need To Go To The Gym To Be A Better Runner?

I use Hevy its a great app for tracking progress

Another great episode thanks guys. Been toying with the idea of joining a gym for a while. Swimming and training at home has been enough for me so far but i can see how it would be beneficial. Just cant get excited about it though!

I ran for over a year before going to the gym and I almost instantly got a boost in running performance, my main problem is doing RDLs as my legs are just dead for at least 3 days after.

Always brings me good mood to see you guys on the screen. Long run tomorrow. Wish my hips and knees good luck. :- ) Started training my hamstrings and butt, No quads at all. That has done wonders for my stupid hip. 90% pain free these days. A little bit more, i will beat Andy! (If he runs backwards...)

Birkenhead Parkrun is pretty quick but Andy’s right to point out it’s surprisingly bendy. It does contain several hairpins which do slow you down a bit. There is a bit of an incline just after the cone hairpin he described as well.

I like Andy am also terrible at navigating hairpins 😅

I know Sarah asked to send them in but I think Rick's mint comment raised more questions than I would want to ever know the answer to.

I do full body gym workouts but a slight leg focus. 45 minutes of compounds then 10-15 minutes of upper body isolation super sets.

Learning to deadlift heavy completely cured all of my back pain and stopped me throwing my back out. Took about a year of not going for me to start getting back twinges again.

This episode was a cracker for me at just the right time. Finished the Lantau 100 a month ago and struggling for motivation. I definitely need the gym to stabilise my hips, knees and calves otherwise I end up crocked and don’t recover well. Good to hear you got back to the Wirral Andy, I was back this summer at the oval, was lovely to see some familiar faces even if a bit short in terms of time there. Do you guys ever do Q&A on,one btw? I’d love to get my students at school to pose you some questions from a young athletes point of view. Keep it up guys, still my most motivating channel!

No mention of Kevin Sinfield’s efforts this week in TRC running news? Hugely impressive and very inspirational. Well done Kev!!!

I used to go to the gym an awful lot more than I do now....I would generally run in the morning and gym in the evening...and I was a lot better runner than I am now! Need to make an effort to get back on it.

I love the gym, but I think there's too much emphasis on muscles and not enough on connective tissues. Isometrics and plyometrics are great for building connective tissue and needs more attention than typical strength training exercises. I'm NOT saying strength training is bad, it's necessary; however, building connective tissue is setting a very strong foundation for future strength training/running. The lack of building this foundation is why so many runners experience injuries with their joints.

You need to go at least to intimidate the other runners

Joke aside, yes for many reasons: fight sarcopenia, getting better running economy, preventing injuries and get faster

Weather in Perth WA has been super up and down as well but it looks like we might have finally got to proper summer - this week's all 30⁰+. About time, I can't wait to actually feel warm while I run!

"The 3rd one just dangles down in the middle" 😂😂😂

OK, we need a video on "activation" & warm ups! Or a link if there's one out there already ❤

One just dangles down the middle. Sarah, that's not a hamstring.

Rick's "special chair" was gilded and jewel encrusted. Most of us would refer to it as a "throne."

Sarah visit Brooklands parkrun. It has many 90 degree turns. The parkrun uses a former airfield so is ideal for doing airplane wing manoeuvres.

After watching a LOT of The Running Channel . I'm still trying to work out weather Tom is lucky or brave .

Just on the anatomy Andy mentioned,. If anyone is interested! It may explain his confusion re quads, etc. Sorry for latin names. The below are each one muscle.with muliple heads, one muscle because all the respective heads insert via a shared tendon. Interestingly I googled just before posting and some online references do say 4 separate muscles for quads but my understanding is as above from gruelling anatomy studies many years ago! And thus the names being analogous.

In the leg, thigh: Quadraceps femoris - 1 muscle four heads (each does have its own name thus some terming them separate muscles,vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis and rectus femoris). Insert via the quads tendon and ligamentum patellae (aka patella tendon) to the tibia below the knee.
Biceps femoris (one of the hamstrings) - one muscle.two heads, long and short, which insert via the shared endon to the fibula below the knee.
In the arm: Ticeps brachii, one muscle 3 heads, long, medial a nd lateral heads, insert below the elbow via their shared tendon.
Biceps brachii, one muscle 2 heads long and short insert via a shared tendon below the elbow joint.

Probably as clear as mud, but may help!

Andy: "I'm massive" Well delivered and super funny. Love it.

I start the running channel podcast in the gym, the gym is handy when the weather is cold or wet or in Australia where its stupidly hot and humid, need a video on suggested gym work outs for running

I came for the banter and all I got was this science.

"I feel like I'm on friendly terms with everyone"
Slightly telling pause from "everyone" 😂

Treadmill then gym, makes it easier to go to the gym for me. Love your podcast

I am entered for the Brighton Marathon. My friend wants me to do a half marathon with him two weeks before. What pace should I run it at? Obviously not half marathon pace, but is marathon pace safe or should I just do easy pace?

Please stop with the clickbait faces. You're too good for that TRC.

Lol Andy "I corner like a barge" 😂😂😂

Tactician!

Good at maths ……….mathematican
Physics…….physician
Tennis ……. tenniscian!

Obvious Sarah, c’mon!!! 👀😂

I can’t with you guys, the chemistry between you is so awesome, I wish I could join you for some bants but in the pub however, I would be afraid of a roasting from Sarah. Hate the “bants” but it’s fitting. Anyway…. everyone should be in the gym/ resistance training especially runners! And did I miss something… are Sarah and Tom an item??

I needed this today! Recently started adding some weights but my legs were dead! Just concentrating on running with an occasional visit to the gym

Wait; did Andy just imply that Sarah is a dog?😂 A bit rude.😍

How do you know if your glutes are / are not activated? I would have thought that all your running muscles activate automatically as soon as you start running

Years of conditionning, good cardio levels and being lightweight all help!

“Wafer thin mint with erotic pacing”, I’m sure ;)

Had pain in my IT band and glutes, realized I was neglecting the gym. Did strength work specifically for my rear legs, glutes, and it band. Within days, the pain was gone. It’s vital.

That a boy thin mint Rick💪

Saw you at the start of Birkenhead Parkrun Andy and said hello... I tried to keep up with you , and well, I couldnt. Though I did get a PB 1/2 mile time .The whole pack was doing about 2.50 pace for about 500m.. I cant explain this well enough for others, but when Andy runs he looks like hes running in Zero G. Effortless and just pulls away... where as me and my mate where ragged after 1km. Consequently I went out too fast, and had a fairly slowish finish with 23mins..... It was great to see you and a surprise as we had been watching your "Get faster 5k " video literally a day before... so was quite a weird surprise to see you at the start line the very next day.

How many polyps? That’s disgusting.

For me its one day gym and the next day run with one full rest day per week

TRIANGLE MAN! 🤣🤣🤣

Wish she would drop that laughing at the least thing

Really funny guys! Keep it up! 😁

Just ran my first marathon this past Saturday! 💪

I never go to the gym if I did what exercises do I need to do as a runner.
I run marthons

Pre watching I'm hoping this answers the question I have why can't I run faster than 4 min km. I can do this pace for Half Marathon, and it seems to be my fallback speed. Intervals and speed session go much faster but every race I fallback to 4min km.

Is it Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run" there in the shelf?