Strength programs designed for runners should have two goals: 1. Reduce risk of injury 2. Improve performance through increased running economy and power Adding thoughtful, intentionally selected strength exercises to your training regime WILL improve performance!

Unstoppable is a traditional strength training program where multiple exercise sections are completed in circuits, or supersets. This is not HITT or CrossFit-style training. Instead, the focus is on activating, strengthening, and mobilizing through run-specific exercises. Each workout contains mobility, stability, strength, and core work, plus occasional specific areas of focus such as breath work.

Faye and Jess have created custom strength and run programs and provided coaching mentorship to hundreds of runners and OCR athletes. This is the bread and butter of Grit Coaching (our sister company) and we love working one-on-one to help our clients reach their athletic goals. However, we've noticed that there is a substantial group of runners who want some type of strength training to help their running and round out their athleticism, but they don't necessarily need or want a full-on custom program at this time. Unstoppable: Strength for Runners is designed to bridge that gap. We've put our coaching expertise into a self-directed app, making strength training accessible and affordable. If you are looking for a custom training plan created just for YOU, check out our one-on-one services!

No! Many runners fear strength training because they are worried about "putting on muscle". Endurance training mutes your ability to build muscle bulk, so it is very unlikely that you will gain unneeded muscle as runner. Instead, strength gains are achieved primarily through neural adaptations which improve your strength without building "excess" muscle bulk.

Jess O'Connell combines her athletic and educational experiences to create Unstoppable programming. Jess is a 15-time Canadian national team member in Track, Cross Country, and Road Running, and is a 2016 Olympian in the 5000m. She also holds a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist with High Performance Specialization, the highest level of certification available in Canada. Combining her knowledge and lived experience working with some of the world's best coaches and rehab specialists, Jess has created a program that is simple, challenging, accessible, and effective.

Not specifically. Because so much of an OCR race is running, OCR athletes would benefit from these exercises, but this is a program made specificially for runners so upper body and grip work are not a focus. If you'd like an OCR strength program created for YOU based on your equipment, goals, injuries, and needs created by OCR Star Faye Stenning, check out our coaching options here!

You're right, there is A LOT of information out there - and not all of it is great. Unstoppable is a structured program which provides easy delivery, structure, and accountability. You can trust that content is evidence-based and intentionally curated for runners such as yourself. The app makes training simple and accessible, and a weekly schedule holds you accountable.

Don't let the price of Unstoppable make you question its quality! Unstoppable is designed to be extremely accessible, both in feasibility and affordability. Custom strength programs are expensive because it is time-consuming to create programs tailored to individual needs.

You have two strength workouts per week. Space them at least a day apart, and don't do strength before a hard interval workout (on the same day). For example, you could do Strength A every Monday and Strength B every Thursday (assuming you don't have hard run workouts on those days).

Your strength can be accessed through "schedule" or "program" in the app. In "schedule" mode, sets and reps of exercises progress through the month to make the program more challenging as you get stronger. Do the two workouts on whatever days you'd like- the "schedule" is arbitrary. In the app, be sure to hit "start workout" to view your strength workout in full detail - there is important information not shown on the initial overview page. Once started, you can toggle with different workout views in the app by hitting the rectangles in the top corner. Each strength workout has several groups of exercises, called "supersets" or "circuits". Within each circuit/superset, complete one round (one set) of each different exercise, then another round of each of the exercises, repeating until all rounds and reps are completed . For example, perform one set of exercises C1 to C2 to C3,, then go back to C1 etc , repeating for the prescribed number of sets (see image below). Important: To read written exercise descriptions, hit "i" in the app. Strength Tracking: Within the app, you can record weights lifted, max reps, and general notes. This is a tool to help you remember what you lifted in previous sessions so you know your next starting point. Challenge yourself as you do the exercises by moving slowly through a full range of motion, adding volume (reps), or adding weight. ALWAYS prioritize perfect form over doing more reps or lifting more weight.

Each workout takes approximately 30-40 minutes. The first time you do a new program will likely take a bit longer as you become comfortable with new exercises.

The program is delivered through our app. Each month includes an intro video with an overview of the purpose of the exercises that month. The app has videos and written descriptions of every single exercise. You are able to track sets, reps, and notes about your workouts in the app. You are also able to film yourself and assess your form directly in the app!

Research shows that the best way to get conditioning adaptations is progressive overload: hit your body with something new, progress, and then switch things up to challenge your body in a new way. Each monthly program contains two different workouts to be done during the week, repeated weekly for four weeks. Though the exercises remain the same for four weeks, the VOLUME changes weekly - you'll add sets, reps, or weight to keep yourself challenged as you get stronger. It takes time to get comfortable with new exercises and get the most out of each movement. You don't want to get toooo comfortable though - that's why it's important to switch things up regularly, but not every day.

No. Some progressions and regressions are offered along with suggestions on how to make the training work best for you, but this is not a custom program and personal coaching is not included. UNSTOPPABLE is a collection of diverse exercises that I believe all runners would benefit from. If you would like a custom program, check out our offerings at www.gritcoaching.net/coaching