The Strength Running Podcast · Jason Fitzgerald

5 Ways to Level Up in 2026 (My Top Ideas for Dramatic Improvement!)

·28 min·1 clip

Jason Fitzgerald says heavier weightlifting can improve running economy without turning runners into bodybuilders.

1. The Strength Running Podcast episode 439 focuses on five training strategies for 2026 and frames them as ways to get faster next year. 2. Coach Jason Fitzgerald hosts the episode, and he says his goal is to help runners improve through strengthrunning.com, YouTube, and Instagram at jasonfitz1. 3. The episode asks what runners should actually do in training to make 2026 their best year. 4. The first strategy is hill sprints, which Fitzgerald defines as 8 to 10 seconds of max-intensity sprinting up the steepest runnable hill. 5. He says hill sprints develop speed, power, neuromuscular coordination, and injury resilience. 6. Fitzgerald recommends starting with 8 seconds and not going all-out on the first rep. 7. He says hill sprints should replace strides after an easy run once a week. 8. He also emphasizes 90 seconds to 2 minutes of walking recovery rather than a jogging recovery. 9. The second strategy is chasing a new monthly mileage personal best instead of a weekly mileage PR. 10. Fitzgerald cites exercise scientist Steven Seiler and says training volume is the number one training need for endurance runners. 11. He names 40 miles per week and 60 miles per week as milestones to keep in mind. 12. He says two to three monthly mileage records per year can support long-term progress. 13. The third strategy is formal heat training, which Fitzgerald compares with altitude and describes as "poor man's altitude." 14. He says passive methods like a sauna, hot tub, or jacuzzi can raise plasma volume, stroke volume, sweat rate, and sweating efficiency. 15. Fitzgerald also says heat training can lower resting heart rate and can even increase VO2 max. 16. He warns that heat gains fade quickly, so runners need a continued stimulus of one to two sessions per week after the initial adjustment. 17. The fourth strategy is high volume cross training, especially cycling and pool running, to add easy aerobic work with low injury risk. 18. Fitzgerald says he used that approach in college when he was injury prone and trying to earn a varsity spot at a competitive team. 19. The fifth strategy is regular gym strength training with heavier weights, and Fitzgerald says runners should use periodized lifting rather than bodybuilder-style or endurance-style sets. 20. Runners who want more mileage, better running economy, and lower-risk improvements will get the most from this episode, while listeners looking for a race story or narrative arc may skip it.

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