Exercise Science Commons^™

Improving Running Performance Using Non-Running Tasks, Darien Lewis

Honors College

For decades researchers and runners have endeavored to improve endurance running performance. Recent evidence suggests that adding resistance training to a running program can improve running performance. Our purpose was to determine if 6wks of resistance exercise via negative eccentrically-induced work (RENEW), an exercise that increases muscle size, strength, and stiffness, could serve as an effective “non-running” modality for improving running performance. Recreational runners were assigned to a: RENEW (n=7), plyometric (PLYO, n=7), or control (CON, n=7) group. RENEW trained on an eccentric ergometer (3x/wk, 10-30min, 54-66% of peak heart rate) while the PLYO performed …