Does heavy lifting help the run after a long effort?
In 19 well-trained women over 11 weeks, a 5-min run after 90 min of running rose 4.7% vs −0.6% (P = 0.05); economy did not change. Run after running, not after a ride or station.
Main caveat: Small, with heavy, uneven attrition. 28 to 19 (3 of 14 vs 6 of 14), completers only; the control arm ended with 8. No intention-to-treat.
Vikmoen et al. tested adding heavy leg strength to the normal endurance training of well-trained female duathletes during their competition period. Twenty-eight were matched on VO2max and randomised; 19 finished (endurance plus strength, E+S, n = 11; endurance only, E, n = 8).
E+S lifted twice a week for 11 weeks: half squat, one-leg press, one-leg hip flexion and ankle plantar flexion, 3 sets at 10RM progressing to 4RM. Half-squat 1RM rose 45 ± 22% and leg lean mass 3.1 ± 4.0%, with no increase in E. In two separate tests, athletes ran a 5-min all-out effort 3 min after 90 min of running and rode one 3 min after 3 h of cycling.
Running distance rose 4.7 ± 6.0% in E+S against −0.6 ± 5.0% in E, and the difference between groups reached P = 0.05. Cycling power rose 7.0 ± 4.5% against 3.3 ± 7.1%, with no significant difference between groups. VO2 fell during the last two hours of the ride in E+S; during the long run VO2 did not change in either group.
Our reading: a small trial pointing the same way as the men's data, with the running gain not explained by economy; the authors' explanations for it are not measured.
Protocol
Who: 28 recruited, n = 19 analysed for running (E+S 11, E 8), n = 18 for cycling (one E+S athlete withdrew with hip pain). Dropouts: 3 of 14 in E+S (injury, illness, medical) and 6 of 14 in E (crash injuries, pregnancy, lack of time), all called unrelated to the protocol by the authors. Completers only.
Same trial as [REF-073]: this paper is part of a larger study already reported as Vikmoen 2016a,b; the same athletes, so not independent evidence.
Strength: 2 sessions a week, April to July, 3 sets of 4 exercises; alternating 10RM/6RM (weeks 1-3), 8RM/5RM (weeks 4-6), 6RM/4RM (weeks 7-11), assistance allowed on the last rep. Adherence 21.4 ± 1.0 of 22. Supervised at all workouts for 2 weeks, then at least one a week.
Endurance: normal training continued, with no significant difference in duration or intensity distribution between groups.
Long run: 90 min at 60% of peak running speed on a 5.3% treadmill, same absolute speed before and after. Long ride: 180 min at 44% of peak power, same absolute power. Sports drink with 60 g/L carbohydrates ad libitum in both.
5-min test: 3-min rest after the long effort, the first minute set at 85% of peak speed or power, then self-adjusted. Score: distance (running), mean power (cycling, reported as W/kg).
Other measures: 1RM half squat, DXA leg lean mass, VO2max, muscle biopsies (fibre type, gene expression).
Analysis: t-tests for pre and post and changes, repeated-measures ANOVA during the long efforts, Cohen's d. No sample-size calculation, blinding of testers or intention-to-treat reported.
Funding and interests: grant 203961, Regional Science Fund Innlandet of Norway; no conflict of interests.
Key Results
| Outcome | E+S | E | Between groups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1RM half squat | +45 ± 22% (P < 0.01) | +3 ± 10% (P = 0.52) | P < 0.01, ES = 2.4 |
| Leg lean mass | +3.1 ± 4.0% (P < 0.05) | −2.2 ± 2.1% (P < 0.05) | P < 0.01, ES = 1.69 |
| 5-min run after 90 min running | +4.7 ± 6.0% (P < 0.05) | −0.6 ± 5.0% | P = 0.05, ES = 0.95 |
| 5-min ride after 3 h cycling | +7.0 ± 4.5% (P < 0.05) | +3.3 ± 7.1% (P = 0.27) | not significant, ES = 0.62 |
| VO2 last section of the ride (mL/kg/min) | 31.9 ± 2.9 → 30.9 ± 3.2 | 31.0 ± 3.1 → 31.5 ± 3.0 | change differs, P < 0.05 |
| VO2 last section of the run (mL/kg/min) | 37.7 ± 1.8 → 37.6 ± 1.9 | 37.3 ± 1.8 → 37.4 ± 1.4 | no change in either |
| HR last section of the run (beats/min) | 165 ± 13 → 159 ± 11 | 158 ± 11 → 153 ± 11 | both fell, no group difference |
| Type IIAX-IIX fibres | 9 ± 7% → 0% (P < 0.01) | ||
| VO2max, peak speed and power | unchanged | unchanged |
Spread of change: the SD in the running test was 6.0 in E+S and 5.0 in E, so the spread does not exceed the control's by much and does not show non-responders.
Correlations (both groups pooled): change in all-out running with change in peak running speed r = 0.53; with the fall in IIAX-IIX r = −0.50, which disappeared within E+S (r = −0.28, P = 0.547). Change in running and cycling performance r = 0.40, P = 0.10.
Mechanisms
Measured: stronger, slightly bigger legs and a fibre-type shift; lower VO2 and heart rate late in the ride; no change in VO2 during the run; no change in VO2max or peak speed and power.
Authors' interpretation: the cycling gain came from less strain before the final test, with type I fibres doing more and glycogen conserved. The running gain "has to be through other mechanisms", likely anaerobic capacity and neuromuscular change. Anaerobic capacity is inferred here (they cite Wingate gains from Vikmoen 2016a), and patellar tendon stiffness did not change (Vikmoen 2016b).
Authors' interpretation: the run at low speed on an incline, half as long and at a higher relative load than the ride, may explain why running economy did not change, although earlier studies found gains of 3 to 8%.
Inference: the fibre and correlation findings are associations across few women; they cannot show how lifting produced the running gain.
Practical Application
Does heavy lifting help the run after a long effort? In 19 well-trained women over 11 weeks, a 5-min run after 90 min of running rose 4.7% vs −0.6% (P = 0.05); economy did not change. Run after running, not after a ride or station.
Good for: the case for heavy strength in women who run late in a long effort (B, small, borderline P). It adds women to the men's data in REF-1144, where durability improved; here the run improved without a shift in economy.
Not good for: a claim about economy, or about running off a bike or a station. The 5-min test followed 3 min of rest, so "immediately" in the abstract means that.
Dose used: 2 sessions a week, 4 lower-body exercises, 3 sets, 10RM to 4RM over 11 weeks. It is a trial dose, not a tested optimum.
Limitations
Small, with heavy, uneven attrition. 28 to 19 (3 of 14 vs 6 of 14), completers only; the control arm ended with 8. No intention-to-treat.
Borderline. The between-group running result is P = 0.05 without correction across several outcomes; the cycling difference was not significant although the abstract's main message pairs them.
Not recently strength-trained. No systematic strength for 12 months (earlier history not given), so the 45% strength gain is probably a steep early part; experienced lifters may gain less (inference).
Test. 5.3% treadmill incline, a slow long run, an imposed first minute. Not a race, and distance values are shown in a figure, not in the text.
Blinding. Lifters know they lift, and testers' blinding is not reported. The test is self-paced and effort-based.
Same trial reported across papers, so counting it apart from REF-073 would double-count these women.
Funding: a regional science fund; none from industry reported.
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
parallel RCT analysed with n = 19 (11 + 8; rubric B: <20; 28 were enrolled and 32% left, unevenly). Read from the full text (open access)
Full text (checked 2026-10-30)
Twenty-eight female duathletes recruited; three athletes in E + S and six in E left; final numbers 11 and 8 (full text)
E + S increased running distance in the 5-min all-out running test by 4.7 ± 6.0% (P < 0.05) with no change in E (-0.6 ± 5.0%); the increase was larger in E + S than in E (P = 0.05), ES = 0.95 (full text)
Mean power output during the 5-min all-out cycling test increased by 7.0 ± 4.5% (P < 0.05) in E+S with no change in E (3.3 ± 7.1%, P = 0.27); between-group difference not statistically significant, ES = 0.62 (full text)
The prolonged running lasted for 90 min at a speed corresponding to 60% of Vmax; the prolonged cycling lasted for 180 min at 44% of Wmax; athletes were allowed a 3-min rest before the 5-min all-out test (full text)
There were no changes in VO2 for neither E + S nor E during the prolonged running (full text)
E + S completed 21.4 ± 1.0 (range 19-22) of the planned 22 strength training sessions; treadmill inclination 5.3% (full text)