{"id":2181,"date":"2026-07-17T10:19:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/?p=2181"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:32:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:32:42","slug":"functional-training-meets-running-why-the-combination-builds-a-better-athlete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/functional-training-meets-running-why-the-combination-builds-a-better-athlete\/","title":{"rendered":"Functional Training trifft Laufen: Warum die Kombination dich zum besseren Athleten macht"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most people are told to pick a lane. You\u2019re either a \u201clifting person\u201d or a \u201crunning person.\u201d At ARC, we think that\u2019s the wrong question \u2014 and the science agrees. The athletes who move best, stay healthiest and perform longest are the ones who train strength and<\/em> endurance together, with intensity that actually challenges them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s why functional training and running belong in the same programme<\/a> \u2014 and why high intensity is the thread that ties them together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What functional training actually does<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Functional training is movement that mirrors how your body works in real life: pushing, pulling, hinging, squatting, carrying and rotating \u2014 usually across multiple joints at once. Instead of isolating a single muscle on a machine, you train patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evidence here is strong. A systematic review of functional training in athletes found clear improvements in strength, power, speed, balance and agility [4]. And it isn\u2019t only for competitors: in older adults, functional training reliably improves muscle strength, everyday mobility and the ability to carry out daily tasks \u2014 the things that keep you independent as you age [5].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the quiet superpower of functional training. It doesn\u2019t just make you look trained. It makes you capable<\/em> \u2014 on the trail above the Rheinfall, on the stairs, lifting your kids, or standing on the start line of the Schaffhauser Stadtlauf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why running is one of the best things you can do for your body<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Running has one of the strongest evidence bases in all of health science. In a landmark study of more than 55,000 adults, runners had roughly a 30% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 45% lower risk of cardiovascular death than non-runners \u2014 and lived, on average, about three years longer [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t need to be fast, and you don\u2019t need to run far. A large meta-analysis pooling over 230,000 people confirmed that any amount of running is linked to meaningfully lower all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality [2]. Researchers have gone as far as calling running one of the most cost-effective \u201clifestyle medicines\u201d available [7].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anyone in Schaffhausen, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Feuerthalen or the surrounding towns, that\u2019s a remarkable return on a pair of shoes and a bit of consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why intensity is the multiplier<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s where it gets interesting. Volume matters \u2014 but intensity<\/em> is often the multiplier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) \u2014 short, hard efforts with recovery in between \u2014 is one of the most efficient ways to raise your VO\u2082max, the single best marker of cardiorespiratory fitness. A meta-analysis of controlled trials found HIIT produced greater VO\u2082max improvements than steady, continuous training of the same type [3]. In plain terms: you get a bigger engine in less time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why every ARC session<\/a> is built around intent. Not random exhaustion \u2014 structured, progressive intensity, coached properly, scaled to you. Intensity is a tool, not a personality. Used well, it\u2019s the fastest route to a fitter heart, a stronger body and better performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The magic is in the combination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the part most gyms miss. Strength and endurance aren\u2019t rivals \u2014 they make each other better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When runners add strength work, their running economy<\/strong> improves \u2014 meaning they use less oxygen to hold the same pace. One study of master endurance runners found that adding maximal strength training improved running economy by roughly 6% at marathon pace, without adding bulk [6]. A more efficient runner is a faster, more durable, more injury-resistant runner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is exactly why we built ARC as a premium boutique athletic club<\/strong>, not a single-modality studio. Our Head of Programming, Marco Kern  designs training that treats running performance as a skill to be built through strength, power and smart conditioning. It\u2019s also our answer to the HYROX era: the athletes who win aren\u2019t just strong or just fast. They\u2019re both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to put it together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to overhaul your life. A simple, effective week might look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. 2 functional strength sessions <\/strong>\u2014 full-body, multi-joint, progressively loaded.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. 2 running sessions <\/strong>\u2014 one easy aerobic run, one higher-intensity interval session.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. 1 mixed high-intensity session <\/strong>\u2014 where strength and running meet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Rest, recover, repeat. Consistency beats heroics every single time. That\u2019s the framework behind our current ARC Summer Programme<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 a nine-week running-focused block coached by Marco, building toward the Schaffhauser Stadtlauf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \n
    \n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    1.  <\/strong>Lee DC, Pate RR, Lavie CJ, Sui X, Church TS, Blair SN. Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. <\/strong>Journal of the American College of Cardiology. <\/em>2014;64(5):472\u2013481. doi:10.1016\/j.jacc.2014.04.058<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2.  <\/strong>Pedisic Z, Shrestha N, Kovalchik S, et al. Is running associated with a lower risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, and is the more the better? A systematic review and meta-analysis. <\/strong>British Journal of Sports Medicine. <\/em>2020;54(15):898\u2013905. doi:10.1136\/bjsports-2018-100493<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3.  <\/strong>Milanovi\u0107 Z, Spori\u0161 G, Weston M. Effectiveness of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIT) and Continuous Endurance Training for VO\u2082max Improvements: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials. <\/strong>Sports Medicine. <\/em>2015;45(10):1469\u20131481. doi:10.1007\/s40279-015-0365-0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4.  <\/strong>Xiao W, Soh KG, Wazir MRWN, et al. Effect of Functional Training on Physical Fitness Among Athletes: A Systematic Review. <\/strong>Frontiers in Physiology. <\/em>2021;12:738878. doi:10.3389\/fphys.2021.738878<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5.  <\/strong>Liu CJ, Shiroy DM, Jones LY, Clark DO. Systematic review of functional training on muscle strength, physical functioning, and activities of daily living in older adults. <\/strong>European Review of Aging and Physical Activity. <\/em>2014;11:95\u2013106. doi:10.1007\/s11556-014-0144-1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    6.  <\/strong>Piacentini MF, De Ioannon G, Comotto S, Spedicato A, Vernillo G, La Torre A. Concurrent strength and endurance training effects on running economy in master endurance runners. <\/strong>Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. <\/em>2013;27(8):2295\u20132303. doi:10.1519\/JSC.0b013e3182794485<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    7.  <\/strong>Lee DC, Brellenthin AG, Thompson PD, Sui X, Lee IM, Lavie CJ. Running as a key lifestyle medicine for longevity. <\/strong>Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. <\/em>2017;60(1):45\u201355. doi:10.1016\/j.pcad.2017.03.005<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Most people are told to pick a lane. You\u2019re either a \u201clifting person\u201d or a \u201crunning person.\u201d At ARC, we think that\u2019s the wrong question \u2014 and the science agrees. The athletes who move best, stay healthiest and perform longest are the ones who train strength and endurance together, with intensity that actually challenges them. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2181"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2184,"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181\/revisions\/2184"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcswitzerland.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}