Runners, here’s why you need to stop doing HIIT if you want to run a faster 5k

Woman doing jump lunges at the gym

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Strong Women


Runners, here’s why you need to stop doing HIIT if you want to run a faster 5k

By Miranda Larbi

3 years ago

1 min read

Sorry to break it to you, but those HIIT classes you keep doing? They’re probably not making you into a better, faster runner. This workout, however, will.

If you want to run stronger and injury-free, there’s one thing every expert recommends: strength training. Follow any run coach or semi-elite marathoner on Instagram, and you’ll find them talking about the need to do two strength sessions a week for better posture, balanced glutes and arms that’ll cut through the air.

But the kind of strength training you do matters. I’m your archetypal lazy runner, and in recent months, I’ve been going to a high-intensity strength class at a studio close to my flat. The weights are medium-heavy, the burpees last forever and you leave feeling like you’ve had a serious workout. But do I have fewer niggles when running? No.

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