Running · Marathon · Long distance
Strength, conditioning and nutrition for marathon training and long distance running, coached 1 to 1 at our Finchley Road studio, NW3, and planned around the miles you already run.
Marathon training
Marathon fitness comes from the miles, and nothing we do in the studio replaces your long run. What the miles leave behind is the strength to hold your form at mile 20, calves and hips that can take thousands of foot strikes a week, and a fuelling routine that has been tested before race day. That is the part of marathon preparation we coach.
Your sessions at BTX sit around your running week, so a heavy leg session never lands the day before your long run, and the load comes down as the race gets closer so you start fresh.
Running support
Progressive lifting for your legs, hips and trunk: split squats, hinge patterns, calf and single leg work, chosen from your movement assessment. Each session is 60 minutes with your coach, timed so you leave able to run the next day.
We scan you on the InBody 770 every 4 weeks, so you can see muscle kept and body fat lost across a training block. Runners who want to race lighter can do it without giving away the strength they have built.
Nutrition coaching built around your mileage: enough food for the long run, protein for recovery, and a race week plan you have practised in training. Nothing restrictive, and no cutting food in the weeks you run the most.
If an injury has stopped your running, Benjamin, our rehabilitation coach, rebuilds your strength step by step and works alongside your physio or GP, so your training fits your treatment plan.
Your coach
Mariyan Voykov, our Manager and Senior Coach, coaches HYROX, marathon, cycling and CrossFit athletes, and has completed a marathon too, so the last 10km of a long race is something Mariyan knows from experience.
With an MSc in Sports and Exercise Science and a BSc in Biomedical Science, Mariyan brings the physiology behind every session, and works with runners at every level, from people who jog twice a week to those building towards their first 26.2 miles.
Why BTX?
Lasting change needs a programme, not drop in workouts. Everything at BTX is built around your data, your schedule and a coach who is with you for every rep.
We work with you, not against you.
How it works
15 minutes on the phone about your race, your running week and what has held you back.
An InBody 770 scan and a movement assessment show where your strength and body composition start.
1 to 1 sessions placed around your long run, heavier early in the block and lighter in the final weeks, with a rescan every 4 weeks so progress is measured, not guessed.
Client results
George was already running regularly when he came to BTX, and his times had stalled. 5 months of structured strength work, with nutrition and recovery planned around his running week, took his body fat from 23% to 10%, and he broke every one of his running personal bests along the way.
“I am halfway through my 12 week program and have already dropped 5% in body fat and added muscle.”
“I have been training with Justin for over a year and am blown away with the result. Justin and the team really know their science.”
“The team at BTX supported me in getting my fitness and strength back. Justin is incredibly focused and committed.”
Programmes
Free strategy call
FAQ
Still unsure if BTX is right for you? Ask us directly. We reply fast on WhatsApp.
Most runners come to us with a plan from a club, an app or a running coach, and we build the strength, conditioning and nutrition work around it. Bring your plan and race date to your free strategy call, and we will show you how the sessions fit into your week and what we would change on the gym side first.
As early in your marathon training as you can. Strength takes weeks to build, so the heavier work belongs in the first half of the block, while your mileage is still climbing. In the last couple of weeks before the race we reduce the load, keep the movement patterns, and let your legs freshen up for the start line.
Not when it is programmed for a runner. The work is chosen to make you stronger for your body weight, and your InBody scans every 4 weeks show what is happening to muscle and body fat. George broke every one of his running personal bests while deadlifting 140kg and above.
Yes. If you jog a few times a week and want to move up to a 10km, a half marathon or a full marathon, strength work helps your body cope with the extra running. We start from your movement assessment, so the first sessions match where you are now, and build from there.
Yes. BTX Online coaching through our Kaizen Warrior programme gives you the same programming, nutrition guidance and coach check ins wherever you train, so your marathon training plan and your strength work stay joined up.
Training at BTX is priced as a membership, not per session, because lasting results need a programme rather than drop in workouts. We match the plan to your goals on your free strategy call. Most clients train 2 to 4 sessions a week.
Most clients see measurable changes in body composition within 4 to 6 weeks of following their programme consistently. We check it with an InBody 770 rescan every 4 weeks.
No. We don’t prescribe restrictive meal plans. Your nutrition is built around your lifestyle, food preferences and schedule, so it lasts beyond the 12 weeks.
Yes. We work with clients managing type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cardiac conditions and recovery after surgery.
Every clinical case at BTX is reviewed with Dr Matt Milner, A&E consultant and our in-house physician. He oversees blood work, interprets results in the context of your training, and liaises directly with your GP or specialist where appropriate.
This clinical oversight is one of the biggest reasons clients choose BTX over a conventional personal trainer. Most PT studios cannot offer this.
Free strategy call
Pick a time for your free 15 minute strategy call and a BTX coach will ring you then to talk through your race and your running week.
