01
Why Strength Training Makes You a Better Trail Runner
Why running alone can't build what strength training does, and how to start.
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02
Strong Bones for the Long Run
Why running is only part of the bone-health picture.
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03
Strength Is Part of the Treatment
Why rest alone may not resolve running pain, and how to rebuild capacity.
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04
Coming Back to Running After Injury
Walk-run progressions, load signals and rebuilding trust with your body.
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05
Your Achilles And Calves
Tendons don't respond to rest. They respond to load.
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06
Sleep & Injury Risk
How sleep affects recovery and injury risk in female runners.
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07
Does Running Wear Out Your Joints?
Running is often blamed for knee and hip arthritis, but the evidence is more reassuring.
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08
The Niggle Playbook.
Runner's knee, IT band, glute tendinopathy and OA: how to name the niggle and train around it.
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09
Why Strength Makes You Faster.
Running economy, tendon stiffness and force production: the case for lifting.
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10
Why Runner's Knee Finds Us.
Q-angle, hip adduction and why descents expose it, plus what to train to help.
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11
Running Through Perimenopause
Members only note.
12
The Relationship Between Running and Hip Arthritis
Members only note.
13
You Are Not Declining. You Are Adapting.
Members only note.
14
Poles, Pack and the Upper Body Trail Runners Forget
Members only note.
15
Hormonal Contraception and the Athlete Inside It
Members only note.
16
Train the Downhill: Eccentric Strength
Members only note.
17
Preventing Trail Injuries: What Actually Works
Injury prevention comes down to building capacity, so this guide covers functional strength, resilient feet, downhill technique and smart recovery.
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What the evidence says
Running builds your engine. Strength builds the chassis that carries it โ the force, tendon stiffness and bone density that keep you fast and durable. For a female runner, it is not optional extra work. It is the work that protects everything else.
- Lift heavy, 2โ3× a week. Progressive strength improves running economy and force production, and builds the bone and tendon resilience running alone cannot.
- Load is the signal. Tendons and bone adapt to progressive load, not rest โ most niggles need rebuilt capacity, not just time off.
- Train the downhill. Eccentric strength โ the controlled lowering โ is what protects your quads and knees on descents, where trail runners break down.
- You adapt in recovery. Strength gains happen between sessions. Sleep and fuelling are part of the program, not the thing you skip.
Written by the Her Trails coaching team ยท evidence-informed ยท founded by ultra-runner and adventure athlete Samantha Gash
Common questions
Do runners really need to lift weights?
Yes. Strength training improves running economy, tendon stiffness and force production, and is one of the most effective ways to lower injury risk. Running alone doesn't build it.
Will lifting make me bulky or slow?
No. Strength work for runners builds force and durability, not size. It tends to make you faster and more resilient, not heavier.
How do I come back from a running injury?
Rebuild capacity gradually. Tendons and muscle respond to progressive load, not rest alone โ walk-run progressions and targeted strength usually beat waiting it out.
How often should I strength train while running?
Two to three focused sessions a week is enough for most runners. Run before you lift on shared days, and keep heavy lower-body work away from hard or long runs.
Train with us
Strength built for a runner's body.
Progressive, runner-specific strength programs โ for durability, power and the long run. Start where you are and build.
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