Hva er hypertrofi?

Dersom du er interessert i styrketrening har du kanskje et forhold til begrepet hypertrofi. Hypertrofi er når muskelcellene vokser i størrelse, eller for å være mer konkret; du får flere kontraktile proteiner (1).

Se for deg at du skal delta i en tautrekkingskonkurranse. Desto flere personer som trekker i tauet, desto større kraft kan laget skape. Det er akkurat dette som skjer i musklene når vi trener; flere kontraktile proteiner kan bidra til å skape større kraft/hastighet over det leddet muskelen jobber.

Mekanismer som stimulerer til muskelvekst

Det er spesielt to faktorer som er verdt å nevne når det kommer til muskelvekst:

1. Mekanisk drag

Mekanisk drag omhandler hvor stor kraft muskler og sener blir utsatt for. Når vi trener tung styrke utsettes muskulaturen for et større mekanisk drag sammenlignet med lette vekter.

2. Metabolsk stress

Metabolsk stress derimot oppnår vi gjennom å øke tiden muskelen er under belastning, eller ved å redusere pausene mellom settene. Du har kanskje kjent på pump-følelsen når du trener styrke? Det er en god indikasjon på at du har oppnådd et høyt metabolsk stress i muskulaturen.

La oss eksemplifisere dette nærmere:
Tung styrketrening (1-4 repetisjoner) kjennetegnes ved at man løfter tunge vekter (ca. 85 – 100 % av maks) og med relativt lange pauser mellom hvert sett (3-5 min). De tunge vektene bidrar til å skape et høyt mekanisk drag, men tung styrketrening med lange pauser bidrar ikke til et stort metabolsk stress. Velger du derimot litt lettere vekter (70-85% av maks) klarer du en plass mellom 6-12 repetisjoner.

Kombinerer du denne motstanden med relativt korte pauser (1-2 min) vil det metabolske stresset øke betraktelig. Kombinasjonen av et høyt mekanisk drag sammen med et høyt metabolsk stress er det som karakteriserer «hypertrofitrening».

Nå er det slik at du kan oppnå hypertrofi med både tunge og lette vekter, men kombinasjonen av de to faktorene over ser ut til å ha god effekt. Trener du med lettere vekter (12-20 repetisjoner) er avgjørende at du løfter tilnærmet til utmattelse.

Slik trener du hypertrofi:

• Velg en motstand som gjør at du klarer mellom 6 – 12 repetisjoner
• Hver repetisjon utføres med konstant hastighet
• Kort pause mellom hvert sett (1-2 min)
• Tren flere øvelser per muskelgruppe, men er du nybegynner anbefaler vi at du trener samme muskelgruppe flere ganger i uken.
• Kombiner hovedøvelser (f.eks benkpress) med isolasjonsøvelser (flies)

Andre metoder for muskelvekst:
Metodene under er nødvendigvis ikke bedre enn tradisjonell styrketrening, men de kan ofte bidra til å øke det metabolske stresset i en øvelse.

Supersett:
Superserier eller supersett består av to øvelser som gjennomføres rett etter hverandre uten pause. Her kan du kombinere f.eks press- og trekkøvelser eller kombinere en hovedøvelse med en isolasjonsøvelse på nærliggende muskelgrupper. Følg retningslinjene over hva gjelder motstand og pauser mellom supersettene.

Forced reps:
Forced reps er en metode hvor treningspartneren din hjelper deg med siste 1-3 repetisjoner slik at du klarer flere repetisjoner enn hva du hadde gjort på egen hånd. Velg en motstand som gjør at du klarer 6-10 repetisjoner selv før du får hjelp av treningspartneren.

Super slow-trening:
Denne metoden kjennetegnes ved at hver repetisjon utføres langsomt både i den konsentriske fasen og i den eksentriske fasen. Bruk gjerne en plass mellom 4-8 sekunder på begge fasene av løftet.

Lykke til med treningen!

 

Referanse:

1. Raastad, T., Paulsen, G., Refsnes, P. E., Rønnestad, B. R. & Wisnes, A. R. (2010) Styrketrening – i teori og praksis. Gyldendal forlag.

If you want to become a better runner, you should definitely consider adding strength training to your workout routine.

Many people think strength training is only important for injury prevention, but did you know that it can actually make your running stride more efficient?

Historically, many have been hesitant to engage in strength training out of fear that it might negatively affect endurance performance. It’s true that adding large amounts of strength training on top of endurance training can logically compromise your endurance training. However, even more important is the ability to periodize your training—meaning to focus on different capacities at different times.

Do I need to do strength training if I want to run fast?

A certain level of strength is essential to move the body from point A to point B. However, you will reach a point where increases in strength no longer improve endurance performance and may even have a negative effect. This is because a lot of strength training can lead to hypertrophy (muscle growth), which increases body mass—you become heavier. That said, it takes quite a bit of muscle gain before it negatively impacts endurance performance, especially if you combine strength and endurance training in the same training cycle.

What determines running performance?

From a physiological perspective, three main components determine running performance:

1. Maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max)
2. Running economy (how much oxygen is consumed at a given submaximal pace)
3. Fractional utilization (how much of your VO₂ max you can sustain over a prolonged effort)

Together, these three factors can predict performance in a 10-mile (16 km) race with 95% accuracy for well-trained athletes [4].

Strength training and running economy

Of the three components mentioned above, running economy is the one we can influence through strength training. Let’s say two people are running at the same submaximal pace—the one who uses the least amount of oxygen per kg of body weight at that speed has the better running economy.

In a scientific context, strength is usually defined as “the maximum force or torque a muscle or muscle group can produce at a specific or predetermined velocity” [1]. This definition may seem complex, but in the context of running, it relates to how much force you can generate with each stride, and your ability to maintain that force over time.

Two particularly important factors here are:

• The muscle’s ability to use elastic energy stored during the eccentric phase of each stride—when the foot hits the ground.
• The rate of force development (RFD)—how quickly the muscle can generate force.

Fast force development is critical in running because the contact time with the ground is short (200–300 ms). So, how can we influence these qualities through strength training?

General Information on Strength Training for Runners

When we talk about strength training for runners, we usually divide it into heavy strength training and explosive strength training.

• Heavy strength training involves loads heavy enough that you can do no more than 8 repetitions—typically around 80% of your 1RM (one-repetition maximum).
• Explosive training can be done with or without external resistance and should always be performed with high intensity and speed.

Duration:
It appears that recreational and well-trained athletes need 6–14 weeks of concurrent strength and endurance training to improve running economy. For elite athletes, training periods longer than 14 weeks are usually required [2].

Consistency:
It’s essential to maintain the training over time, as the adaptations diminish if you stop strength training.

Heavy Strength Training

Exercise 1: Squats
Squats are a fantastic exercise for the extensor chain. To make it more running-specific, we recommend going down to a 90-degree angle in the knees.

Exercise 2: Lunges
Running is a unilateral movement, so it’s important to include single-leg exercises along with bilateral ones. Walking lunges are a good option as they mimic the forward propulsion of running.

Exercise 3: Bulgarian Split Squats
Place one foot on a raised surface behind you, centering your weight over the front foot. Bend the front leg until the back knee nearly touches the floor. This exercise also challenges balance.

Explosive Strength Training

Exercise 4: Drop Jumps Over Hurdles
Stand on a platform about 20 cm high. Place a couple of hurdles in a row, or substitute with something similar. Step off the platform and explode through the landing and takeoff phases.
Note: This is very taxing on the calves—use sparingly in the early phases of training.

Exercise 5: Explosive Squats
Also known as Counter Movement Jumps (CMJ). Lower to about a 90-degree knee angle—shallower is okay. Perform the downward phase quickly and push off with maximum power. This can be done with or without external load.

Exercise 6: Jumping Lunges
These can be performed with little or no external resistance. Lower until the knee nearly touches the ground, then push off explosively. Alternate legs to increase the challenge.

Sample workout

Start of with a light warm-up with general warm-up for 5 minutes, and complete around 5 minutes of dynamic movements.

Jumping lunges: no external resistance  x 3-6 reps x 3 sets

Explosive squats: 30-50 % of 1 RM x 3-6 reps x 3 sets

Heavy squats: 80-90 % of 1 RM x 4-8 reps x 3 sets

Bulgarian split squats: 80-90 % of 1 RM x 4-8 reps x 3 sets

Make sure you learn proper technique before loading heavy weights, we recommend a 2-3 week period with lighter loads to make the muscles accustomed to the new stimuli before loading maximally.

As you progress, add more weight. In the long term, more sets can also be added, but note that this should be accompanied by a reduction in reps (e.g if you complete 4 reps, reduce reps to 3 rather than 6).

 

Sources:

1. Raastad, T., Paulsen, G., Refsnes, P. E., Rønnestad, B. R. & Wisnes, A. R. (2010) Strength training – in theory and practice. Gyldendal forlag. 
2. Denadai BS, de Aguiar RA, de Lima LC, et al. Explosive training and heavy weight training are effective for improving running economy in endurance athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2017;47(3):545–554.
3. Blagrove R.C., Howatson G., Hayes P.R. Effects of strength training on the physiological determinants of middle- and long-distance running performance: A systematic review. Sports Med. 2018;48:1117–1149.
4. McLaughlin JE, Howley ET, Bassett DR, Jr, et al. Test of the classic model for predicting endurance running performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(5):991–997.