Hey Reader!

How's it going today? I am getting quite excited, as this weekend marks one of the main coaching weekends and events on the trail running calendar: the Buffalo Stampede.

This event is close to my heart for three reasons: It was my first trail marathon in 2022, it's my local "big" event, and I used to do event logistics for the organisation that runs it, SingletrackEvents. All to say, I get excited when it comes around each year, especially this year, when I have a lot of athletes racing and some other fun activations planned with the Peak Pursuits Podcast.

Completely coincidentally, I am marking this edition with a little update to the newsletter experience featuring a redesign at the top. My wife took the photo at the summit of Puig Tomir, a mountain in Mallorca, which is also the namesake for the Nnormal Tomir trail running shoe. What do you think?

For this week's newsletter, we are continuing the discussion on strength training, this time focusing specifically on strength for trail runners. It felt fitting with Buffalo on. Next week, we will delve into strength training for the ageing runner, particularly those over 50. However, research suggests that those over 30 need to consider this at an exponential rate compared to when we were in our 20s. Great.

Before we start, I'd love to hear what you all find most valuable in this newsletter and which topics or questions you’d like me to address. Whether it's gear, sports psychology, training plans, or event selection, I'm more than happy to research and provide answers to any queries you have!

How to Strength Train for Trail Runners

Honestly, the basic principles are all the same as what we discussed over the last 2 weeks:

1. Build movement proficiency: Practise ideally under guidance, starting with a simple form of the movement, such as squats, and at low intensity, like bodyweight exercises. Focus on developing coordination and smoothness before introducing complexity and load. This includes being able to move through a good range of motion.
2. Establish a strong foundation of strength: To perform effectively as a runner and safely manage training demands, ensure you develop adequate strength. While there are no specific minimums in the research, being able to back squat and deadlift your body weight on a bar for 3 sets of 5-8 reps, along with completing 12-15 reps of 100% bodyweight calf raises, serves as a good benchmark.
3. Develop your reactive strength: Our running economy is positively influenced by our strength (muscle fibre pool size and efficiency) and our reactive strength (utilising the stretch-shortening cycles at the hips and ankles). Increasing our reactive strength through plyometrics allows energy to be transferred into the ground more efficiently, thus requiring less energy (oxygen and ATP) to maintain a given speed.
4. Have a strong core: When it comes to power transfer and durability, resisting breakdown due to fatigue and ensuring we have a strong and dynamic core is crucial—especially in trail running. Build capacity through holds like planks and side planks, followed by more dynamic movements, including rotations and carries.

Let’s break down how you can tailor strength training to better reflect the demands of trail running.

Considerations for Trail Runners

Despite the similarities in strength training for road running, as we have discussed, there are clearly different demands that trail runners face:

• Uneven Terrain - testing the lower leg and foot mechanics, whilst demanding a higher degree of agility
• Long downhills - increasing the eccentric loading on the quads.
• Long Uphills - which challenge the hip flexors and posterior chain (back, glutes, hamstrings, calves, etc)
• Multiple planes of motion - road running is very linear, with most moving forward and back. Trails are quite the opposite.

Therefore, when it comes to replicating the movement patterns in our strength training and ensuring you are training to meet the challenges of trails, there are a few inclusions I've found to be beneficial.

1. Single Leg Stability

Running, whether on the road or trail, relies on one leg. That is how race walkers and runners differentiate: two feet in contact at all times, or not. It's important to develop our single-leg stability, therefore, but more so for trail running. Once you are able to stand on one leg for 60 seconds without falling, try and include some of these exercises:

1. Standing on a soft surface
2. Standing on a Bosu Ball
3. Moving weight around you, like the exercise "around the world" on one leg
4. Include lateral and diagonal bounding (left to right) and hopping (left to left, or right to right)
5. Increase the strength of your ankle with the banded inversion and eversion exercises

As you can see, it's not complicated, and I've intentionally left room for interpretation. As long as you follow a suitable progression of exercise complexity and intensity, feel free to get creative and see how you can mimic the challenge of trail running.

2. Mimic Trail Demands

Trails go uphill and they go downhill. Cheers, Captain obvious... What I mean is that a higher degree of knee flexion, hip drive, and eccentric control is required compared to road running. Your strength training should reflect that by including:

• Step-ups and Step-downs - to mimic uphill/downhill mechanics (especially loaded).
• Reverse Lunges or Bulgarian Split Squats - train the glutes, quads, and hamstrings through a longer range of motion.
• Eccentric-focused work - to prepare for the demands of long descents (like slow lowering in split squats or Nordic hamstring curls).
• Hiking simulations – weighted step-ups or treadmill incline walking with a weighted vest are low-impact ways to build climbing-specific strength.

3. Embrace Multi-Planar Movements

Trail running isn’t just forward—it’s sideways, rotational, and reactive. Include movements like:

• Lateral lunges.
• Cossack squats.
• Rotational medicine ball throws.
• Diagonal bounds.

These help build hip and core control in all directions, which is essential for rocky, rooty, twisty trails. Controlled instability, like a single-leg RDL with light load or band resistance from the side, is also considered.

For advanced athletes, I prefer using movements like drop lunges, as they mimic multi-plane movements and increase eccentric loading.

4. Choose Exercises That Fit You

There’s no single “must-do” list. Your strength training should be personal:

• If your ankles are wobbly, do more banded eversion/inversion work and single-leg balancing.
• If you fatigue on climbs, strengthen your core & lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
• If your form breaks down late in races, work on trunk stability and core endurance.

Closing Thoughts

Strength training doesn’t need to be flashy, complicated, or perfect to make you a better trail runner—it just needs to be consistent, purposeful, and built around your needs.

The terrain will always test you, but the work you do in the gym (or living room, or garage) builds the resilience, control, and power to handle those challenges with confidence.

Strength doesn’t just help you run trails better—it helps you enjoy them more.

If you've enjoyed this edition, consider sharing this newsletter with a friend or training partner who’s chasing their fastest, strongest, happiest running self. Have a fantastic day! James Sieber Run & Strength Coach ​Website | Email​ Looking for run nutrition? Head over to Bix and use code JSC for 20% off. Head over to 2XU and use code JAMESSIEBER20 for 20% off. Save 20% at forRunners. Unleash your running potential with personalised, physio-designed pilates workouts AND yoga. ​​​

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