12-Week Strength Training Plan for Trail & Ultra Runners (Gym)
Periodised strength and conditioning for trail runners with something to do every day: three gym sessions, foot & ankle and plyometric work, core, mobility and a recovery & breathwork day each week, across Foundation, Trail-Specific Strength and Power blocks with planned deloads and a before/after benchmark test. Built in the TrainingPeaks Strength Builder: every exercise has a demonstration video, sets, reps and a target RPE, and you log your loads in the app.
Who Is This For
Trail and ultra runners who train in a gym and want a structured, progressive strength programme to run alongside their usual running: stronger climbs, more durable descents and fewer niggles.
Plan at a Glance
- Distance: Any: supports 10K to 100-mile trail training
- Duration: 12 weeks
- Level: All levels (loads scale to you)
- Training days/week: 7: three gym sessions (35-45 min), one foot & ankle, drills or plyometric session (15-25 min), one core session (20 min), one mobility session (25 min) and one recovery & breathwork day; about 3-3.5 h a week, and your running stays as it is
- Peak training: weeks 9-11: heavy lifts at RPE 8, plyometrics and pull-up strength
- Terrain: Supports all trail and mountain terrain: climbing, descending and technical footing
- Elevation profile: Not prescribed: the eccentric quad, calf and single-leg work is aimed at big-vert courses, from 1,000 m (3,300 ft) to 10,000 m (33,000 ft) of climbing.
How the Workouts Work
- Format: TrainingPeaks Strength Builder sessions, not heart-rate, pace or power workouts.
- Each exercise: a demonstration video, sets, reps (or time or distance) and a target effort on the RPE 1-10 scale. RPE 7 means about 3 good reps left in the tank.
- Loads: you choose the weight that matches the target RPE; no max-strength test is needed. Log your weights in the TrainingPeaks app to track progress.
- Mobility: four rotating structured routines (hips & hamstrings, feet & ankles, spine & shoulders, full-body roll & flow) with holds that lengthen each block, plus the follow-along rolling video.
- With your running: no runs are prescribed, so it fits alongside any running plan, whether heart-rate, pace or RPE based.
Prerequisites
Running regularly and free of injury. No lifting experience needed: weeks 1-4 teach the movements. Equipment: a gym with dumbbells, a barbell or trap bar, a bench, a box, a band, a Swiss ball, a pull-up bar (or assistance band), a skipping rope and a foam roller.
What Is Included
- Weeks 1-4, Foundation: baseline tests, movement quality at RPE 6-7, deload in week 4.
- Weeks 5-8, Trail-Specific Strength: single-leg, posterior chain, calves and anti-rotation core at RPE 7-8, pogos and tendon work, deload in week 8.
- Weeks 9-11, Strength & Power: heavier lifts and low-volume plyometrics.
- Week 12, Taper & Retest: light sessions, a retest of your week-1 benchmarks, and how to continue into your race plan.
- 72 structured sessions with demonstration videos: Gym A, B and C (upper body & pole power, downhill eccentric durability), foot & ankle labs, running drills, pogo and plyometric progressions, four core themes and four mobility routines.
- 12 recovery & breathwork days with a race-day breathing skill, a weekly coaching lesson and a check-in, plus a Start Here guide and race-week rules (no strength in the last 10 days).
Your Coach: Adrien Thévenet
UESCA-certified Ultrarunning Coach. Endurance coach since 2011, working with elite athletes, professional endurance athletes, major race winners, and a Spartan National Champion across road, trail, and mountain running.
Certifications:
-25 Years of Endurance Sports Experience
-TrainingPeaks Level 2
-UESCA Ultrarunning
-RRCA Certified
-STRYD Power Coach
-ACE Certified
With 25 years in endurance sports, I offer tailored coaching for diverse runners - from beginners to sub 3-hour marathoners. Emphasizing well-being, we collaborate on a program that fits your life keeping you motivated.