Official Review: Strength Training for Runners

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Strength Training for Runners" by Devon Gaines.]

Strength training is a vital aspect for runners who want to improve their speed and endurance. Strength Training for Runners: Women, Men, Seniors and All, by Devon Gaines, lays out 19 essential exercises that can help runners reach their optimal state of performance. Gaines attempts to present exercises that give the runner strength without adding too much bulk.

Being a former collegiate athlete and runner myself, I jumped on the opportunity to read Strength Training for Runners. Periodically I am training for 5ks, so I was hoping this book would give me an edge without having to pound more pavement. Having a pretty robust experience with weightlifting, I can attest that Gaines advises excellent exercises. All of the moves presented are compound moves that work not only the legs, but help develop the core. The book conveys the information very well and describes the moves with impeccable form.

Though the exercises presented are great for overall athletic fitness, they are not specific to running. If you are a beginner looking to gain overall strength, this is a book for you. This book provides standard exercises without giving a routine specific to runners. I was hoping that rep ranges and sets would vary for sprinters and endurance runners. I have to believe that workouts would be very different for someone running a 100 meter dash compared to someone running a marathon. There is no mention of specific training for specific running events.

Another problem I have is that it contains no illustrations of the movements. Though the exercises are described in excellent detail, there is no frame of reference. It would be very hard for me to read two pages of text right before doing a deadlift. Attaching images to the text would give the reader a frame of reference right before completing an exercise.

Being only 22 pages long, I am not sure why this collection of exercises went into a book. They are not really specific for runners as stated and could have easily been a part of a blog. I would have like to see his fantastic descriptions posted right above a video on a workout website. After reading the description of the author, it states that he is a basketball enthusiast. It makes sense that these exercises are tailored more towards increasing one’s vertical jump than endurance running ability. I have to say that this was a well written collection that was advertised poorly. I give Strength Training for Runners: Women, Men, Seniors and All, 2 out of 4 stars.

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