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Best strength exercises for runners: 7 moves and a sample week

Running builds the engine. Lifting builds the frame around it. Two short sessions a week, next to your runs.

By Susmit Jalan, coach at Online Fitness Worldwide.

Most runners just run. Then a calf, a knee or a hip starts to complain.

WHO asks adults for muscle-strengthening work on all major muscle groups, 2 or more days a week, on top of aerobic activity.[1] Running covers the aerobic part. Not the rest.

Lifting helps the running too. A review of 24 studies in middle- and long-distance runners found strength training generally improved running economy (how much oxygen a given pace costs) by 2 to 8%. Time trials from 1.5 to 10 km tended to improve. Not in every study.[3]

You need a floor, something heavy, and 30 to 40 minutes, twice a week.

The 7 best strength exercises for runners

  1. Squat, goblet then barbell

    Why
    The base lift. In a small trial, 17 well-trained runners added heavy half-squats, 4 sets of 4, three times a week, for 8 weeks. The squat group got 5% more economical and lasted 21% longer at their maximal aerobic speed. Their maximal oxygen uptake and body weight didn't change.[5] Small study. Heavy didn't hurt their running.
    How
    Feet about shoulder-width. Weight held at the chest, or a bar on the upper back. Sit down between your heels. Knees follow the toes. Stand up with control. Add speed only when it's pain-free and the technique holds.
    Dose
    Learn it with 3 sets of 8 to 12.[2] Once the form holds, go heavier: 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6. Spend at least 4 to 6 weeks at 8 to 12 before going heavier, and only while pain and next-day soreness stay low. Stay with the goblet squat until depth and trunk are steady. The barbell is optional, and best learned with a coach.

  2. Romanian deadlift

    Why
    The hinge. Hamstrings and glutes push you forward and up hills.
    How
    Hold the weight in front of your thighs. Soft knees. Push the hips back and let the weight slide down your thighs. Back long. Stop when the hamstrings pull. Stand by squeezing the glutes.
    Dose
    3 sets of 6 to 10.

  3. Rear-foot-elevated split squat

    Why
    Running happens one leg at a time. So does this. ACSM's advice includes one-sided exercises next to two-sided ones.[2]
    How
    Back foot on a bench or a sturdy chair behind you. Lower straight down until the back knee is near the floor. Push up through the front foot. Hold the wall if you need to. New to it? Start as a split squat with both feet on the floor. Raise the back foot only when the front knee tracks over your foot at a mid-range depth. Go only as deep as stays comfortable: the back knee near the floor is the goal, not the start. Whatever holds your back foot must be sturdy and must not slide.
    Dose
    2 to 3 sets of 6 to 10 each leg. Hold weights once bodyweight is easy.

  4. Single-leg calf raise, straight and bent knee

    Why
    Every stride lands through the calf and the Achilles. Straight knee works the big calf muscle. Bent knee puts more of the work on the deeper one, the soleus.
    How
    Ball of one foot on a step, heel off the edge. A hand on the rail or the wall. Rise as high as you can. Pause. Lower slowly, below the step. Then do the same with the knee bent. Two legs before one. Straight knee before bent. Achilles irritable? Don't lower below the step.
    Dose
    2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 of each, each leg. Easy at 15? Hold a dumbbell or wear a loaded backpack.

  5. Single-leg glute bridge

    Why
    The hips. In 867 runners training for the New York City Marathon, those who said they could hold a single-leg glute bridge for 20 seconds or more on their weaker side had fewer overuse injuries than those who managed under 10 seconds.[9] That study was observational, with self-reported tests. It shows a link, not a cause.
    How
    Lie on your back, one foot flat, the other leg straight. Drive through the heel. Lift the hips until knee, hip and shoulder line up. Keep the hips level. Hold, or do reps.
    Dose
    2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side, or holds of 20 to 30 seconds. Test the weaker side first.

  6. Side plank

    Why
    Your trunk, from the side, and the hip muscles that stop the pelvis dropping when you stand on one leg. Which is every step.
    How
    Lie on your side, elbow under the shoulder. Lift the hips so the body is one straight line. Knees bent to start. Legs straight when that's easy. Breathe.
    Dose
    2 to 3 holds of 20 to 40 seconds each side.

  7. Pogo hops and skips

    Why
    Running is a string of small bounces. Short, springy jumps train that. A meta-analysis of 5 studies in 93 highly trained middle- and long-distance runners looked at programs of 2 to 4 lower-body lifts, plus up to 200 jumps and 5 to 10 short sprints, 2 to 3 times a week for 8 to 12 weeks. The effect on running economy was large.[4]
    How
    Stand tall. Bounce on the balls of your feet. Ankles stiff, knees soft, landings quiet. Small and quick. Then skip, driving one knee up at a time, for 20 metres.
    Dose
    Start with 2 sets of 8 quiet contacts on a soft surface, shoes on. Build over weeks towards 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 20. These are prep contacts, not the 200-jump programmes from the studies. Tired, poorly slept or running in heat? Cut the hops first. Leave them out if you have a shin, foot or Achilles problem right now, or suspect a bone stress injury.

How often, how heavy, and will it slow me down?

Two or three strength sessions a week, next to your running. That's what the review authors suggest.[3] Two is plenty to start.

Make it harder over time. ACSM's starting point is a load you can lift 8 to 12 times. When you beat the target by 1 to 2 reps, add 2 to 10%.[2] The squat trial went heavier: sets of 4.[5] Get there over weeks, not in your first session.

You won't bulk up. In the review, strength training didn't harm body composition.[3] In a 40-week trial in 20 competitive distance runners, the lifting group got stronger and more economical, with no change in body mass or lean mass.[6]

Injuries: promising, not promised. A review of 25 trials across many sports (26,610 people) found strength training cut sports injuries to less than a third. Stretching showed no effect.[7] Those were not all runners.

And one trial in runners found nothing. 720 first-time New York City marathoners did, or didn't, do a self-guided 10-minute strength routine three times a week. Injuries that stopped people finishing were about the same: 7.1% and 7.3%.[8] A short routine done alone was not enough there. Load, progress and doing the work still matter.

A sample running week with strength

Sample only. Not a prescription. Adjust it to your body, your history and your running.

  • Monday: rest, or an easy walk.
  • Tuesday: quality run (intervals or tempo). Strength A later the same day: warm-up, squat, Romanian deadlift, single-leg calf raise, side plank.
  • Wednesday: easy run.
  • Thursday: easy run, or rest.
  • Friday: easy run, then Strength B: warm-up, pogo hops and skips, split squat, single-leg glute bridge, bent-knee calf raise.
  • Saturday: rest.
  • Sunday: long run, easy pace.
  • Lift on hard days, so easy days stay easy. Race week: one short, lighter session, or none. One exception: while you are new to hops, keep them on an easy day, never after intervals or tempo. Don't add a lot of lifting and a lot of running in the same weeks.
  • Pain check: mild discomfort that settles soon is fine. Pain that rises during a set means make it easier: less range or less load. Sharp pain, swelling, pain spreading down a limb, numbness, a joint giving way or locking means stop and get it checked. I'm a coach, not a physio or doctor.

Want it coached live?

Iron Hour is strength and conditioning, coached live. 60 minutes, 1:1. Set-up at minute 0: camera at the side, whole body in frame. Warm-up from minute 4. The primary lift starts at minute 14. Accessories at 28: calves, hips, trunk. Cool-down at 50.

We plan the lifts around your running week. Not the other way round.

Coming back after time off? Return is 45 minutes, 12 alternate-day sessions a month. Lean Reset is 20 sessions a month, 1:1. Open Floor is a small group.

Coached live on Google Meet, Zoom or FaceTime. In Hindi or English. On IST. Not sure yet? Start with a 30-minute consultation. It is a conversation, not training. Booking holds a time. The fee is agreed directly.

See the programsAsk on WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)

Before you start

General information, not medical advice. ACSM's screening model says: if you are inactive, have no symptoms and no known heart, metabolic or kidney disease, you can start light to moderate exercise without medical clearance and build up gradually. If you have one of those conditions, or symptoms such as chest pain, unusual breathlessness or dizziness, get medical clearance first.[10] Don't add a lot of lifting and a lot of running in the same weeks. Build one, then the other. Pain in a shin, foot or hip that gets worse as you run needs checking: in the marathon trial, bone stress injuries were among the most common reasons people didn't finish.[8] Stop if you feel sharp pain, and get advice first if you have a joint problem, are pregnant or have recently given birth. Persistent shin pain, or pain in one spot on a bone, needs a medical check before any jumping.

ASCA Level 1 (strength and conditioning) and ACE (anatomy and biomechanics). These are credentials held by the coach. Neither body endorses this business or this article.

Sources

  1. [1] World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Geneva: WHO; 2020. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128 (opens in a new tab)
  2. [2] American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand: Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687–708. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670 (opens in a new tab)
  3. [3] Blagrove RC, Howatson G, Hayes PR. Effects of strength training on the physiological determinants of middle- and long-distance running performance: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2018;48(5):1117–1149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0835-7 (opens in a new tab)
  4. [4] Balsalobre-Fernández C, Santos-Concejero J, Grivas GV. Effects of strength training on running economy in highly trained runners: a systematic review with meta-analysis of controlled trials. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(8):2361–2368. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001316 (opens in a new tab)
  5. [5] Støren Ø, Helgerud J, Støa EM, Hoff J. Maximal strength training improves running economy in distance runners. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008;40(6):1087–1092. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318168da2f (opens in a new tab)
  6. [6] Beattie K, Carson BP, Lyons M, Rossiter A, Kenny IC. The effect of strength training on performance indicators in distance runners. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(1):9–23. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001464 (opens in a new tab)
  7. [7] Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(11):871–877. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2013-092538 (opens in a new tab)
  8. [8] Toresdahl BG, McElheny K, Metzl J, Ammerman B, Chang B, Kinderknecht J. A randomized study of a strength training program to prevent injuries in runners of the New York City Marathon. Sports Health. 2020;12(1):74–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738119877180 (opens in a new tab)
  9. [9] Toresdahl BG, De Mille P, Egbert J, Geisel P, Metzl JD, Fontana MA. Strength and flexibility self-assessment and subsequent training injuries among runners of the New York City Marathon. Clin J Sport Med. 2025;35(4):471–477. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000001370 (opens in a new tab)
  10. [10] Riebe D, Franklin BA, Thompson PD, et al. Updating ACSM's recommendations for exercise preparticipation health screening. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015;47(11):2473–2479. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000664 (opens in a new tab)