Kettlebell Workout for Runners

When I think of runners, I think of these incredibly skinny, borderline anorexic, weak individuals who do way too much cardio to pack on any lean muscle mass. Sorry, but when I see marathon athletes, that’s what I see.

Over the years, almost every single athlete out there has realized the importance of strength training in their athletic regimens. Endurance athletes such runners should add in strength training to increase their lean muscle mass, improve their power, and boost endurance.

After seeing endurance athletes such as Lance Armstrong use Kettlebells in their regimen, endurance athletes are finally starting to embrace Kettlebells as a supplement to their long distance running.

So, what kind of training program should runner follow? One that increases their explosive power and is opposite of their long distance runs. So we’re talking about heavy, low rep power movements.

Here’s a sample workout:

3 rounds of:

Alternating Kettlebell Swings, 5 repetitions, 30 seconds rest
Kettlebell Front Squat,5 repetitions, 30 seconds rest
Kettlebell Clean and Press, 5 repetitions, 30 seconds rest
Kettlebell High Pull, 5 repetitions, 30 seconds rest
One Leg Kettlebell Deadlift, 5 repetitions, 30 seconds rest

Why the 30 seconds rest periods after each set? Well I feel that runners need to train at periods of high intensity. So the Kettlebell exercise is their high intensity portion, followed by a 30 second, or low intensity portion.

Runners usually stay at a low to moderate intensity level in their runs without training in the high intensity zone. It’s good to switch things up. In addition, the shorter rest periods makes your body work harder than normal.

I would also recommend adding sprint interval into your training program. You can do this either after your Kettlebell workout, or at a different session. Here is a sample sprint interval workout:

10 rounds of: