Heavy lifting improves running economy
Medium confidence
Running economy is how much energy each stride costs. Heavier weights for low reps lower that cost a little, with the clearest edge over lighter sets at faster running speeds and in fitter runners. Lighter loads have also improved economy in some trials, and plyometric jump drills help mainly at slower speeds.
Why it works
Heavy loading builds maximal strength, which is thought to make each stride cheaper. The linked meta-analyses measured economy changes, not the pathway, so the exact mechanism is unresolved.
What it means in practice
Build a runner's strength work around heavier compound lifts at about 80 percent of max or more once technique is solid, with near-maximal loads and programs of 10 weeks or more showing larger effects in one meta-analysis. Some plyometric work can add to this, especially for slower runners. Do not claim light weights are useless, because moderate loads have also improved economy.
The evidence
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Strength training improved running economy in trained middle- and long-distance runners, but the best method tracked with pace. Plyometrics helped most at lower speeds, at or below 12 km/h (ES -0.307, p=0.028). Heavy loads at 80% 1RM or above worked better at faster speeds and in runners with high VO2 max. Submaximal and isometric loading barely moved economy at all.
n=652
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Across 22 studies of long-distance runners, heavy resistance training improved running economy (g = -0.32, 95% CI -0.55 to -0.10, small), while plyometric training's effect on economy was trivial and not reliable (g = -0.13, 95% CI -0.47 to 0.21). Time-trial effects were also larger for heavy resistance (g = -0.24, small) than plyometrics (g = -0.17, trivial). Near-maximal loads (≥90% 1RM) and longer programs (10-14 weeks for heavy resistance) produced greater effects. The authors conclude heavy resistance training, especially with near-maximal loads, may be superior to plyometric training for economy and time-trial performance.
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Adding strength training improved running economy by about 3.9% versus control. Explosive training (-4.83%) and heavy weight training (-3.65%) produced similar improvements, while isometric training had no significant effect. Longer programs produced larger gains.
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Foot-ankle strengthening (Taddei 2020) was associated with a running injury incidence 2.42 times higher in controls over a one-year intervention, and in a soldier cohort resistance exercise at least 3 times per week was associated with 54% lower injury risk than doing none or less than weekly. Six weeks of neuromuscular training (jumping, landing, strength, endurance, agility, trunk) lowered injury incidence in track and field, most clearly for MTSS (p=0.012), though the authors call it a very small study (n = 22) with limited generalizability. The same section reports null results (a trial in 1020 soldiers, p = 0.162; a strength program for NYC marathon runners, p = 0.90; stretching in 1538 soldiers), and the review concludes that lower-limb resistance exercise may help reduce running-related injury risk but further evidence is needed. Trail-runner risk factors include running experience, skipped warm-ups, no specialized plan, asphalt training, and double daily sessions. More than 70% of running injuries are overuse, but inadequate technique and poor neuromuscular control are also key mechanisms.
Why we call confidence medium
Medium: several meta-analyses show heavy lifting improves economy, but only one compares heavy with lighter loading, and moderate loads also work. Llanos-Lagos 2024 pooled trials in 652 trained middle- and long-distance runners and found loads of 80 percent of one-rep max or more improved economy (small effect), mainly at faster speeds and in high-VO2max runners, while submaximal and isometric loading barely moved it. Eihara 2022 (22 studies) found heavy resistance training improved economy (small effect) while plyometrics did not significantly, and Denadai 2017 found heavy weight training and explosive training cut oxygen cost by similar amounts (about 3.7 and 4.8 percent). Balsalobre-Fernandez 2016 found large economy gains in 93 highly trained runners mostly from 40 to 70 percent loads, which qualifies 'heavy beats light'.
Where it applies
Trained adult distance runners who already lift with sound technique; the heavy-load edge appears mainly at faster speeds and higher VO2max.
Does not apply to: beginners who have not yet built lifting technique; runners advised against heavy loading for medical reasons.
Last reviewed Oct 14, 2026. See how we score.