The Best Strength Training Exercises for Runners
When most people think of running, they picture long roads, sweat-drenched shirts, and the rhythm of pounding feet—not barbells and dumbbells.
However, if you're a runner who wants to get faster, stronger, and stay injury-free, strength training is one of the smartest additions you can make to your routine. Whether you're training for your first 5K or gunning for a marathon PR, building strength is essential.
In this article, we’ll dive into why strength training matters for runners, the top exercises to include, and how to structure your workouts for maximum benefit. Get ready to take your running performance to the next level.
Why Runners Need Strength Training
Before diving into exercises, it’s important to understand why strength training is so beneficial for runners:
1. Injury Prevention
Running is a high-impact, repetitive activity. Weakness or imbalances in muscles and joints—especially in the hips, glutes, and core—can lead to common running injuries like IT band syndrome, shin splints, runner's knee, and plantar fasciitis. Strength training helps stabilize your body and reduce injury risk.
2. Improved Running Economy
Studies show that strength training enhances running economy, which means your body uses less energy to run at a given pace. This makes you more efficient and helps conserve energy on race day.
3. Enhanced Power and Speed
Explosive strength, particularly in the lower body, allows for stronger push-offs, quicker strides, and better acceleration. This is especially useful for trail runners and sprinters.
4. Better Form and Posture
A strong core and upper body can help maintain posture during long runs, preventing fatigue-induced form breakdown and inefficiency.
5. Boosted Endurance
While endurance training builds aerobic capacity, strength training fortifies muscles and joints, allowing you to sustain effort over longer distances with less fatigue.
Guidelines for Strength Training as a Runner
Before jumping into exercises, follow these principles:
Frequency: 2–3 strength sessions per week are ideal.
Timing: Place your strength workouts after easy runs or on cross-training days.
Reps and Sets: For general strength, use 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps. For power or performance, 3–5 sets of 4–6 reps with heavier loads are ideal.
Form First: Good form is more important than heavy weight.
Progress Gradually: Increase intensity over time to avoid overtraining or injury.
The Best Strength Training Exercises for Runners
Here are the most effective, runner-friendly strength exercises categorized by muscle groups. These moves target areas crucial to running mechanics.
Lower Body Strength
1. Squats
Why It’s Great: Squats build power in your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves—all vital for running strength and form.
How to Do It: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your body as if sitting in a chair. Keep knees behind toes and back straight. Push through your heels to return to standing.
Progression: Bodyweight → Goblet squat → Barbell back squat.
2. Lunges
Why It’s Great: Lunges improve single-leg stability, balance, and target running-specific muscles.
How to Do It: Step forward with one leg and lower until both knees are at 90 degrees. Keep torso upright. Push back to start and repeat on the other side.
Variations: Forward lunges, reverse lunges, walking lunges.
3. Deadlifts
Why It’s Great: Deadlifts strengthen the posterior chain—glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. These muscles power your stride.
How to Do It: Stand with feet hip-width apart, barbell in front. Bend at the hips and knees to lower and grip the bar. Engage your core, then lift by straightening your hips and knees. Keep the bar close to your body.
Tip: Start light to master technique.
4. Step-Ups
Why It’s Great: Mimics the running motion and strengthens the glutes and quads.
How to Do It: Stand in front of a bench or sturdy box. Step up with one leg, pressing through the heel. Bring the opposite knee up as if mimicking a stride. Step down and repeat.
Core Strength
A strong core helps with posture, balance, and energy transfer during running.
5. Plank
Why It’s Great: Builds endurance in the core muscles, which helps maintain running form.
How to Do It: Lie face down, then lift your body on forearms and toes. Keep your body in a straight line, core tight, and hold.
Variations: Side planks, shoulder taps, plank with leg lifts.
6. Russian Twists
Why It’s Great: Builds rotational core strength, helping with stability and coordination.
How to Do It: Sit on the floor, knees bent, heels off the ground. Lean back slightly and twist your torso from side to side, tapping the floor beside your hips.
Tip: Add a medicine ball for more resistance.
7. Bird Dog
Why It’s Great: Improves coordination, core stability, and lower back strength.
How to Do It: On hands and knees, extend your right arm and left leg simultaneously. Hold briefly, then return and switch sides.
Hip and Glute Strength
Strong hips and glutes prevent common injuries and improve stride efficiency.
8. Glute Bridges
Why It’s Great: Activates and strengthens the glutes, often underutilized in runners.
How to Do It: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Lift your hips by squeezing your glutes, forming a straight line from shoulders to knees. Lower and repeat.
Progression: Single-leg glute bridges, barbell hip thrusts.
9. Clamshells
Why It’s Great: Targets the gluteus medius, crucial for hip stability.
How to Do It: Lie on your side, knees bent, feet together. Open the top knee like a clamshell while keeping feet touching. Pause and return.
Add Resistance: Use a mini resistance band above the knees.
10. Lateral Band Walks
Why It’s Great: Strengthens abductors and glutes, improves knee tracking.
How to Do It: Place a resistance band above ankles or knees. Get into a partial squat and step sideways. Keep tension on the band.
Upper Body Strength
Upper body strength enhances posture, breathing efficiency, and arm swing.
11. Push-Ups
Why It’s Great: Builds chest, shoulder, and core strength.
How to Do It: From a plank position, lower your body until elbows reach 90 degrees, then push back up. Keep your body straight throughout.
Modify: Drop to knees or do incline push-ups on a bench if needed.
12. Dumbbell Rows
Why It’s Great: Strengthens the upper back, which helps prevent slouching during runs.
How to Do It: With one hand and knee on a bench, row a dumbbell with the opposite hand toward your torso, keeping your elbow close.
Sample Weekly Strength Plan for Runners
Here’s how you could structure strength training into a running-heavy schedule:
Day 1: Full-Body Strength (Focus: Lower Body + Core)
Squats – 3x10
Lunges – 3x8 each leg
Glute bridges – 3x15
Plank – 3x30–60 seconds
Russian twists – 3x20
Day 2: Running Intervals or Tempo Run
Day 3: Strength (Focus: Posterior Chain + Upper Body)
Deadlifts – 3x6
Step-ups – 3x10 each leg
Dumbbell rows – 3x10 each side
Push-ups – 3x12
Side planks – 3x30 sec each side
Day 4: Easy Run or Cross-Training
Day 5: Hip and Core Stability
Lateral band walks – 3x10 each direction
Clamshells – 3x15 each side
Bird dog – 3x10 each side
Glute bridges (single leg) – 3x10 each side
Day 6: Long Run
Day 7: Rest or Active Recovery
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Neglecting Rest: Don’t strength train on the same day as a tough interval or long run. Muscles need recovery to rebuild stronger.
Overtraining: Running and strength training both stress the body. Start light and listen to your body.
Skipping Legs: Many runners overdo core and neglect legs. Leg strength is critical for performance.
Poor Form: Always prioritize good form over heavier weights. Bad form leads to injury and negates benefits.
Strength Training for Different Running Goals
For Distance Runners: Focus on endurance-based strength (higher reps, lower weight), core stability, and joint integrity.
For Sprinters: Emphasize explosive lifts like jump squats, heavier weights, and plyometrics.
For Trail Runners: Add lateral movement drills and balance work (e.g., single-leg exercises, BOSU ball).
Conclusion
Strength training is no longer optional for runners who want to perform their best and remain injury-free. Whether you're a beginner looking to complete your first race or a seasoned runner aiming to crush a PR, integrating targeted strength exercises into your weekly routine can significantly boost your performance.
By building a stronger foundation—legs, core, hips, and even upper body—you improve not just how you run, but how long you can run pain-free and strong. Don’t wait until injury strikes. Start with these exercises and watch your stride, strength, and confidence take off.