The Best Strength Workout For Runners

Strength training for runners come with many benefits. The ideal workouts will deliver the best results in the shortest amount of time. This means a steady dose of compound lifts with other movements that target weak points and injured areas.

Introduction

Runners get vast benefits from strength training. A relatively small time investment improves everything from running economy to neuromuscular function while reducing injury risk.

Runners at all levels benefit from a program that develops top-end strength and reactive strength. Whether your goal is working up to a local 5k or setting a marathon PR, weight training prepares your body for the demands of endurance sports.

Finally, adding strength and power improves your mental state. Heavy lifting requires a unique grit that carries over to race day.

In this article, I’ll cover a few principles to follow with your strength and conditioning plan. From there, I’ll provide my go-to movements and a sample program.

Applying Sport Science the Training Plans

While the best workout will depend on the individual, you can progress by following a few basic tenets:

• Focus on functional movement types. These will best develop your musculoskeletal system for the rigors of the sport. Functional patterns like squatting, hip hinging, and vertical pressing will cover most of your bases.

• Personalize training based on performance gaps or injuries. The best training programs are highly efficient. They should adapt to your specific needs. If you struggle most with your start and finish to races, replace 1-2 lower body sets with 2-3 extra plyometrics sets. If you frequently suffer hamstring tweaks, slow the tempo of your hip hinge movements before adding a movement.

• Write down your schedule and plan. Designing an optimal program you will never perform is counterproductive. Instead, focus on a realistic frequency and duration. Strength training 2-3 times weekly for 20 minutes greatly enhances running performance. Make sure you actually document your plan, and block off time in your calendar.

• Start with multijoint, compound movements: Exercises like the barbell squat stress many muscle groups simultaneously. The result is an excellent return on your training time.

• Include heavy sets to the barbell lifts. The primary goal of strength training for runners is to develop complementary skills such as skill and power. Leave the endurance work to your actual running.

• Meet yourself where you are. Most injuries occur as a result of going too hard early on. This is a bigger issue with masters athletes (those over 40). To minimize this risk, focus on form while your body adapts to a new stressor. But also make sure you’re not just going through the motions so you can check strength training off your list. Below are some rules of thumb:

  • Focus on movement quality and repetition. If you’re struggling with barbell squat technique, start with Goblet squats for four weeks. Once the weight is in the 30-40 lb range, try using the Olympic barbell again. Likewise, if you’re targeting pushups of 10 reps but fail at 5, do the remaining 5 from your knees. Each week, try to do one more unassisted until you’re at 10.

  • With each set, you should feel like you could only complete 2-3 more repetitions with perfect form. If you could do more or less, adjust the weight accordingly.

  • Each set should feel very hard, but the sessions overall should not drain you. Your goal when lifting is to target musculoskeletal improvements, not raise your heart rate to zone 5 or sweat as much as possible

  • You should fully recover within 24-48 hours. If you struggle to walk up the stairs by day 3, reduce weight by 10% or sets by 1. If you can complete your workouts while posting to TikTok, add two sets more to your main movements or increase the weight. 

Specific Exercises for Runners

The following exercises belong in any running program. In my experience, these generally work best. But I've listed several substitutes if you need to personalize for your specific needs.

My approach is usually to target muscle groups with complementary movements. For example, a trap bar deadlift and a single leg thrust both develop the hamstrings and glutes, but with different effects. One uses both legs (bilateral), allowing for better force production. The second is unilateral (single leg), which balances out weaknesses with less back fatigue.

Below are examples of sample movements organized by body part

Movement	Benefit	Substitutions
Lower Body
Barbell back squat	Builds muscle and power in the quads and hips. Creates greater force production through the feet.	Goblet squats, leg press machine
Jab lunge	Mimics running stride while challenging balance and coordination.	Split squats, Bulgarian split squats
Trap bar deadlifts	Builds muscle and power through the entire posterior chain, including hamstrings and glutes.	Single leg Romanian Deadlifts, barbell hip thrusts
Single leg hip thrust	Build powerful hip extensors, which generate forward propulsion in the running stride.	Hamstring curl machine, banded hamstring curls
Standing calf raises	Builds the soleus and gastroc muscles, improving calf strength and foot strike.	Seated calf raises, walking calf raises
Core
Bear planks	Challenges balance and coordination through the core and back while emphasizing knee flexion.	Dynamic planks
Copenhagen planks	Strengthens the adductor muscles in a different plane while challenging balance and control.	Side planks
Russian twists	Allows easy loading of the obliques in rotation, creating a more stable spine.	Wood choppers
Cossack squat	Building the adductors diminishes the likelihood of annoying strains in these under-used muscles.	Hip adduction machine
Banded side steps	Using resistance bands overloads the abductors with lateral movement.	Hip abduction machine, side lying leg raises
Upper Body
Bench press	Horizontal pressing strengthens your chest, front deltoids, and triceps, improving your arm swing .	Pushups, dumbbell presses
Barbell rows	Pulling movements balance out your upper-body work, improving running posture.	Dumbbell rows, pullups, lat pulls
Plyometrics
Box jump	Develops lower body power and improves neuromuscular efficiency.	Pogo jumps, box jumps
Speed skaters	Lateral reactive strength balances power throughout the core.	Hip sliders, speed skaters
Landmine press rotation	Targets the shoulders and core simultaneously while developing coordination during rotation.	Split squat with rotation

Sample Strength Training Routine for Runners

With the foundation laid, below is my standard runner strength training plan. A few key assumptions:

1. You have an existing warmup or mobility routine

2. You have access to a decent gym

3. You’re in a good position to add training - you’re not in a peaking phase or dealing with an acute injury

4. You’re comfortable teaching yourself the barbell lifts or have a background in them

Day 1

• Barbell Back Squats 3x8 (tempo)
  90-second rest between each set

• Barbell Bench Press 5x5 (tempo)
  90-second rest between each set

• Single Leg Hip Thrusts 5x8 per leg
  60-second rest between each set

• Side Steps 5x15
  Bear Planks 5x15
  Perform these two movements in a cycle, repeating them back-to-back without rest

Day 2

• Box Jumps 10x1

  10-second rest between each jump

• Landmine Press with Rotation 3x5

  20-second rest between each set

• Cossack Squats 3x8

  60-second rest between each set

Day 3

• Trap Bar Deadlifts 5x5
  90-second rest between each set

• Barbell Rows: 5x10
  90-second rest between each set

• Jab Lunge 3x6 per leg

  30-second rest between each set

• Gastroc and Soleus Raises: 3x8

• Copenhagen Planks 4x30 seconds

  Perform these two movements in a cycle, repeating them back-to-back without rest

Conclusion

Strength training for runners can provide a host of advantages. I've seen firsthand with my endurance clients the performance improvements that come with a relatively small commitment.

While many of these are physical, some are mental. Even if you just picked up running shoes, you're more likely to stick with running long-term if you see yourself getting better quickly.

Meanwhile, more established runners benefit from learning a new skill. The dedication and intention to master the barbell squat, for example, enhances your confidence as an athlete. And the toughness required to finish a heavy deadlift set builds resiliency. When you're facing mile 20 of a hard training run, you will have further proof from your lifting that you can do hard things.

If you want to personalize your running strength training plan, please message me using this link. You can learn more about my standalone coaching packages by clicking here.