which version of the same person would you expect to run the 10k the fastest?
(Note: all running training would stay the same in all of the examples)
A) no weight training, just running
B) finished novice LP plus running
C) ran a hypertrophy program, added 5lbs of muscle (plus strength) plus running.
The general question here: since strength is specific, would strength training help my run time? I would assume it is limited, but then I wondered if a hypertrophy program, which would add muscle mass, would then help my run time since I now have more available force producing muscles.
The person who is better at running a 10k race is the one who is better at running. Makes sense, right?
Now, onto some nuance…
The idea behind resistance training in non barbell sports is to increase force production in the relevant musculature in a way that is transferable to the particular sport. Given that the demands of different sports are…different…AND the response of an individual to any given training stress is also…different…it is hard to reliably say that “this particular approach works every time” without multiple disclaimers (or lying).
From a 10,000 foot view, the goal for training a 10k runner would be to improve repeated force production in the lower extremities, trunk, and to a lesser degree-the upper body. The force production velocity is not particularly high (compared to sprinting, for instance) suggesting that a lot of high velocity resistance training like power cleans, snatches, dynamic effort stuff, etc. is probably lower yield.
The indicators that best predict performance in the 10k are not universally agreed upon, but they all revolve around different endurance parameters, suggesting that a significant amount of training for this application would revolve around running. This has the additional benefit of ensuring maximal transfer of any other training to the sport of choice to the degree there is a potential transfer.
Onto your scenarios:
A) If a person is fairly well trained from a resistance training perspective, but undertrained from a running standpoint- this would likely be the highest yield training scenario. The strength training requirements for a 10k are lower than say, an Olympic weightlifter, so there needs to be some assessment here.
B and C) The Novice LP does not uniquely make someone better equipped for running a 10k than any other resistance training program. I would also argue that multiple parameters of the LP are suboptimal for training in general, which are magnified in this particular scenario. Admittedly, the hypertrophy program isn’t the “best” program for a 10k runner. Adding 5lbs of muscle isn’t uniquely tied to either program necessarily, but adding 5lbs of body mass is probably not a great idea for an endurance athlete in most cases. If it’s located in the trunk then it reduces running economy by ~4%, for instance.
Going to take a stab at answering this but I’m no expert. Your best bet is doing some sort of strength training plan with auto-regulation features, like RPE, so that your strength training doesn’t pull too many resources away from recovering from and adapting to the stress you’re putting on your body from the running training, which will be the most important factor in improving your 10k time. So it’s not going to be an LP. And it might not be a hypertrophy program that adds 5 lbs of muscle mass, if adding that 5 lbs. takes resources away from better adapting to the cardio training you’re doing.
Strength training can help your running time by making you a more efficient runner, better able to hold running form, etc. Not too sure about the relationship between force production and running, but think it’s safe to assume that at some point adding muscle mass becomes counterproductive. In other words there’s a good reason that elite-level long distance runners aren’t exactly jacked – a ton of muscle mass requires a ton of resources (oxygen, glycogen, etc.) to sustain it, which is bad from an efficiency of movement standpoint.