- Irish Marathon Olympian
- 2:09:48 marathon
Strength & plyos,
built for runners.
Twelve weeks. Two sessions a week, at home or in the gym. Every exercise drawn step by step and filmed, so you know what to do, how heavy and why.
- 31 strength exercises and 9 plyometric drills, each one drawn and filmed
- A home version and a gym version of every main lift
- A hip and core circuit, plus a med-ball lunge warm-up
- Every set, rep and rest written out, week by week
● Every exercise filmed
Watch it, then do it.
Each exercise is drawn in steps with the coaching cues on the picture, and has a short clip you can open on your phone mid-session.
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● What it does for your running
Every exercise has a job.
The programme tells you what each one builds, so you know why it is there.
Economy
Less energy at the same pace. Heavy lifting and plyometrics are the strength training with the best evidence for it.
Fatigue resistance
Economy and form that hold up late in a long run or a race, when the legs are tired.
Power
Force produced fast: hills, surges and the last kilometre.
Durability
Calves, Achilles, hamstrings and hips that cope with the mileage, so the training stays consistent.
Stability
Control on one leg: hip, pelvis and knee lined up over the foot, every stride.
● The week
Two sessions. Two short circuits.
The same template all twelve weeks, so you learn it once. Week 1 is shown; the doses climb from there.
Session A
Squat, calf and hip
Session B
Hinge, calf and trunk
Before each session
The med-ball lunge series, then the plyometric drills for your stage: pogos first, hops and bounds later, counted in ground contacts.
On two other days
A 10–12 minute hip and core circuit after an easy run: hip abduction, monster walk, single-leg bridge, runner’s touch, short-foot hold, hip-flexor march.
● Twelve weeks
Three phases, then a fork.
Weeks 1–4
Foundation
Learn the lifts and find your loads. Plyos start with pogos. Week 4 is lighter.
Weeks 5–8
Maximal strength
Fewer reps, heavier loads. Single-leg plyos once you pass the gate. Week 8 is lighter.
Weeks 9–12
Strength and power
Same loads, moved faster. Hops and bounds. Week 12 is race week or the next block.
● The coach
Built by an Olympic marathoner.
Stephen Scullion: Irish Marathon Olympian, 2:09:48 for the marathon. This is the gym work he does around the running: heavy, short and specific, written out so you can follow it at home or in the gym.
No guesswork about what to lift, how heavy or when. Just the work that makes you a better runner.
● Fit check
Who this is for.
This is for you if
- You run three to six days a week and want strength work that fits around it.
- You have two dumbbells and a band at home, or a gym you do not use well.
- You have been told to “do strength” and never been shown what, how heavy or when.
- You want every exercise shown, not just described.
This is not for you if
- You want a bodybuilding split or two hours in the gym.
- You are injured and need rehab rather than a training programme.
- You want fully personalised one-to-one coaching.
● Questions
Before you start.
What kit do I need?
At home: two dumbbells (8–16 kg to start), a mini band and a long band, a light medicine ball, a step, a bench or sofa, and sliders or a towel. In the gym, every main lift has a barbell or machine version.
How long are the sessions?
About an hour, rests included, twice a week. The two hip and core circuits take 10–12 minutes after an easy run. In a heavy running block there is a 30-minute maintenance version.
I have never lifted heavy. Is that a problem?
No. Weeks 1–4 teach the lifts and find your loads. Every set stops with reps left in the tank, and a simple rule tells you when to add weight.
Will it make me bulky or tired for my runs?
No. The sets are short and heavy and never taken to failure, which builds strength without the volume that adds size. The running stays the main thing.
Can I follow it during a marathon build?
Yes. Week 12 forks into a race-week version or a continuation block, and there is a maintenance plan for the heaviest weeks of running.
Where are the videos?
Every exercise links straight to its clip, which opens on your phone, so you can watch the rep before you do it.
262 Running School
Lift heavy.
Run better.
Twelve weeks, two sessions a week, every exercise drawn and filmed.
