Strength vs. Power: How to Lift So You Race Faster with Professor Andy Galpin (repost)

18 snips

Jun 26, 2025

Andy Galpin, an assistant professor at California State University Fullerton and a high-performance coach, delves into the vital role of strength training for runners. He discusses how to optimize workouts to improve speed and efficiency while addressing common mistakes and injury risks. Galpin emphasizes the importance of balancing strength and power, effective recovery strategies, and shares his favorite at-home equipment. This engaging conversation encourages a playful approach to building strength, ensuring accessibility for all runners.

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INSIGHT

Weight Room Goals for Runners

Runners should use weight training to develop strength and range of motion not endurance typically gained from running.
Strength training corrects imbalances, improves force production, and enhances endurance efficiency.

INSIGHT

Force Production's Role in Running

Producing and absorbing force efficiently allows runners to move faster or expend less energy at a given speed.
Improving strength for force absorption prevents injury by stabilizing the body during repeated impact.

ANECDOTE

Strength First, Then Endurance

A runner trying to do many assisted pull-ups failed without building maximal strength first.
Maximal strength enables endurance; strength endurance won't help without enough initial strength.

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Strength training is such a valuable tool for building speed, power, efficiency, strength, and injury resilience, that this episode needed to be republished! It originally aired in March 2022.

Andy Galpin, PhD has been an assistant professor at California State University Fullerton for more than a decade. He formerly won a Division 3 national football championship while earning his exercise science degree at Linfield College. He then got his Master’s in Human Movement Sciences and his PhD in human bioenergetics. He serves on many advisory boards in the area of human performance, wrote the 2017 book Unplugged, and is a sought after speaker and high performance coach.

In this conversation, we’re focusing on

the principles that influence the strength workouts of endurance runners
how we can train power during our strength sessions
common mistakes in this area
how to lessen the risk of injuries during power-oriented training
his favorite at-home pieces of equipment

Learn more about lifting for speed and power here.

Thank you 2XU!

If you haven’t tried 2XU technical compression gear, you’re missing out. 2XU has been the world leader in performance compression for 20 years, helping runners feel better and recover faster with compression gear that’s backed by scientific evidence. Their graduated compression gear is engineered to improve blood flow and performance while speeding recovery.

My personal favorites include the Light Speed React half-tights (with tons of pockets for your phone and fuel!) as well as their Ignition Shield tights (for colder weather).

Knowing that their gear is engineered for runners by runners and backed by research makes me absolutely love 2XU. Go to 2xu.com and use code “JASON” in all caps to get 20% off sitewide, except clearance items or wetsuits.

Thank you MOBO Board!

Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!

Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.

I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.

Thanks to The Performance Training Journal!

The Performance Training Journal is now available on Amazon and debuted as the #4 new release in the running category. Since I started running in 1998, I’ve kept a hardcopy training journal. Holding a tangible log, writing in it daily, and reflecting on the ups and downs of running is a surefire way to improve.

This hardcopy training journal helps you focus on the training metrics that matter, prioritizes a long-term outlook so you don’t take any shortcuts, and maintains your motivation with strategic self-praise. With a no-frills, functional design, the Performance Training Journal includes coaching advice on racing, injury prevention, strength training, and more. It will guide you through race scheduling, how to plan your race morning, the best workouts for endurance runners, and encourage you to track your personal bests over time.

You have the space to make this journal your own whether you’re a new runner or a professional, a trail or road runner, or a mid-distance specialist or ultra marathoner.⁣ So don’t just track your running, learn from it with the Performance Training Journal! Check it out today on Amazon.