Today we have a special guest post from Dr. Elizabeth Farmer, our newest Performance Physical Therapist at Cohen Health and Performance Bethesda!
As a performance physical therapist and avid long-distance runner, I’m no stranger to the aches and pains that can threaten to derail a training plan or race goal. Over the years, both in my own training and while working with runners at Cohen Health and Performance, a leading provider of physical therapy in Bethesda, I’ve noticed something important: most “overuse injuries” are really under-preparedness injuries.
When aches or pains arise during training, it’s often because the body isn’t fully prepared for the stress of increased mileage or intensity. The good news? With the right guidance, you can build the strength and resilience needed to handle those demands, helping you run stronger and stay injury-free.
The Role of Strength Training in Preventing Running Injuries
Even the best running programs can fall short if they don’t include one key ingredient: strength training.
At Cohen Health and Performance, our Bethesda physical therapy team help runners develop strong, balanced, and durable bodies that can handle the demands of training. Strength training improves muscular endurance, running economy, and speed while significantly lowering the risk of injury.
How to Incorporate Strength Training Into Your Running Plan
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned marathoner, here are a few guidelines our performance physical therapists recommend:
1. Start Strength Training in the Off-Season
If you’ve never lifted before, the off-season is the perfect time to begin. It gives your body time to adjust (and recover from that initial soreness!). Studies show that it takes roughly 6–8 weeks to see true strength improvements, so the earlier you start, the better prepared you’ll be when race training ramps up.
Building the habit in your off-season also makes it easier to maintain strength workouts once your running mileage increases, a key principle we teach at Cohen Health and Performance through our Bethesda physical therapy and performance programs.
2. Keep Hard Days Hard, and Easy Days Easy
Your goal should be to complement your running, not compete with it. We recommend stacking your strength workouts after your harder running days (like hills, intervals, or long runs). This allows your easier runs or rest days to stay truly easy and promotes recovery.
A good rule of thumb: always lift after running, not before, so you can perform your key running workouts with fresh legs.
3. Intensity Matters: Choose the Right Rep Range
If you’re short on time, focus on higher-intensity, lower-rep movements. Aim for 2–3 sets of 6–12 reps at a difficulty level that feels like a 6–9 out of 10 on the effort scale. You should only feel capable of 2–3 more reps with good form at the end of each set.
This approach helps you get the most benefit from your workouts without spending hours in the gym, a philosophy we emphasize with our runners seeking sports physical therapy in Bethesda.
4. Essential Strength Exercises for Runners
Here are four lower-body exercises we often prescribe at Cohen Health and Performance to help runners build strength, stability, and resilience:
1️⃣ Single-Leg Depth Drop – Builds resilience when absorbing landing forces.
2️⃣ Bulgarian Split Squat (Front Heel Float) – Improves unilateral quad, glute, and hamstring strength while also challenging calf stability.
3️⃣ Copenhagen Plank – Strengthens the adductors and core to support pelvic control.
4️⃣ Side Plank with Leg Lift – Targets hip stabilizers, crucial for preventing “under-preparedness” injuries.
Looking for Physical Therapy Near You in Bethesda?
If you’re a runner dealing with nagging aches or simply want to improve performance, our team at Cohen Health and Performance in Bethesda can help. We specialize in sports physical therapy, strength training for runners, and performance optimization, all under one roof.
Our Doctors of Physical Therapy provide one-on-one, 60-minute sessions designed to help you move better, recover faster, and perform your best.
Ready to take your training to the next level?
Contact us to schedule your session today and experience why so many athletes searching for physical therapy near them in Bethesda trust us to keep them healthy and strong.
