Improve Your Race Performance

If you’re a runner, starting personal training is a move worth making. Especially if you’re training for an upcoming race or competition like HYROX.  

Working with a Personal Trainer means you’re getting tailored and personalised support for your goals, whatever they may be. Personal Training will help you run faster, have a more efficient stride and become more mentally resilient.  

Here’s how.  

You’ll run faster and more efficiently  

The secret to running faster and more efficiently is adding strength into your training mix. You’ll see a big difference in your run after adding just one session into your workout plan but two or three sessions per week is where most runners find a sweet spot.  

Strength training helps runners because: 

• It makes your muscles and joints more resilient against impact to prevent you from becoming injured 

• It increases your stride power  

• It teaches you to use less energy and maintain your pace  

A Personal Trainer can create a strength training plan for you that takes into account your current pacing, how fast you want to run, any muscular imbalances that could be stopping your peak performance and how to improve your ‘running economy’ - or how much energy you need to run a certain distance or maintain a particular pace.  

You’ll improve your VO2 max to run harder for longer 

Your VO2 max is the number which indicates how efficiently your body uses oxygen. For runners, the higher your VO2 max, the longer you can run before you fatigue. Which means:  

• You can run longer distances 

• You bag faster run times 

• You find it easier to recover between workouts 

A Personal Trainer can help you work on your VO2 max by creating short and sharp circuits that strengthen your cardiovascular system to improve your VO2 max score.  

You’ll become mentally tougher 

Mental resilience is important in running, whether you’re taking on a challenging distance or putting your body through the motions in pacing. Like many sports, strength training helps you understand your power and shows you that you’re capable of more than you thought.  

But working with a Personal Trainer doesn’t just have to mean working with weights. They can also help with rehabilitation exercises or improving your mobility. Whatever you choose to work on with your PT, you’ll: 

• Develop confidence  

• Learn patience and the importance of going at your pace 

• Become consistent 

• Learn how to return from setbacks 

• Become more confident responding to new challenges  

You can take the lessons you learn on the gym floor wherever you go, including your next race. 

You’ll get a specialised plan tailored to your race  

Whether you’re shooting for a race or a distance, a Personal Trainer will help you get there. You’ll always receive a personalised training plan which is designed and created with your unique goals in mind - as well as your physiology and how your body is feeling right now.  

It will last for as long as you need it to and get you as close to achieving your goals as possible. 

You’ll get support with your nutrition 

Many Personal Trainers are also qualified in nutrition. Fueling your body right when you’re training for an event takes you even closer to your goals and boosts your overall performance. Proper nutrition helps you:  

• Have enough energy for training 

• Recover better after workouts 

• Give your body what it needs to repair and grow muscle 

• Improve your mental focus  

Nutrition coaching at Virgin Active gives you an opportunity to set, tailor and monitor a healthy diet adapted to your fitness goals to start seeing results in your training. Many of our Personal Trainers are already nutrition qualified so ask for one when you sign up. (Plus, your taster session is free.) 

How else can Personal Training support my wellness goals? 

Our Personal Trainers give your workouts focus and direction. They help you stay accountable with whatever you’re working on and they’re a champion in your corner on the good days and the tough ones.