Training Advice please

[CL]

It's not just about strengthening the muscles though. What about everything between your muscles.

Although I tend to agree with you in part... If you are a regular runner then you are probably doing enough during the runs themselves to strengthen your joints and ligaments, and some supplemental machine work is only going to benefit you.

Think you'll find if you go "arse to the ground" on your squats, you'll be bringing your hamstrings into play quite enough.

I can completely understand the need to target specific muscles, hence the need to use machines, and not everybody has the knees/mobility/balance to perform a correct squat.... But to a newcomer to strength work, I would always point them in the direction of working on light squats before pointing them towards the machines.

For the record my leg specific strength workout includes only squats and standing calf raises, although admittedly I do sometimes hit the machines for a quick blast. Although I come from a kickboxing background so I do already have a decent 'base' of strength in my legs.

But in the low part of the squat you're not working the hamstrings in any meaningful way. If the squat is an exercise for the quads and lower back it won't being doing much for the hamstrings except a little towards the top of the movement.

That's the problem. If you do only squats you've created a weak link in the hamstring area and for a runner that is a bad thing because running makes good use of the hamstring area. The only way you can strengthen the hamstrings effectively is with machines. Not even straight leg deadlifts contract the hamstrings fully.

Leg extensions and leg curls are superb exercises which should complement a free weight workout on the legs.