Whether you’re intimidated by the weight room or would rather be clocking kilometres than lifting dumbbells, you probably find plenty of reasons to stay away from strength training. But listen up: If you want to become a stronger, faster, and ache-free runner, you need to start picking up some weights.
That said, strength training for runners is different than it is for your standard gym rat. Runners should focus on targeting the key muscles and movement patterns that will keep you balanced, moving forward, and injury-free. That includes core stability moves, unilateral (or one-sided) exercises, and exercises that work the back of the body.
That’s why we asked our experts to come up with 10 essential strength training exercises for runners, which run coach Jess Movold, certified trainer, demonstrates for you in the video above.
The Benefits of Strength Training for Runners
You can gain plenty of advantages from having a regular strength workout on your schedule. For starters, research shows that it can help improve your running economy, which essentially makes running longer and faster feel easier by making you more efficient. Translation: It boosts your performance for the road.
Also, because many runners’ overuse injuries tend to stem from muscle imbalances or weakness, strength training can also help you sidestep injuries that may leave you sidelined. This keeps you healthy during a full training cycle, so you’re ready to crush it come race day.
Finally, strength training preps you for ease of movement outside of your running shoes and gets you moving in other planes of motion, which makes you a more well-rounded athlete.
How Often Runners Should Strength Train
Experts suggest performing these 10 exercises below for the amount of reps listed twice a week. Add them to your easy run days or cross-training days. Each move below is demonstrated by Hollis Tuttle, certified personal trainer and run coach.
Depending on your skill level, you may want to make some moves harder or easier so you’ll also find modifications and progressions listed. That way, you can come back to this list over and over as you get stronger.
10 Strength Training Exercises for Runners
1. Plank
Works: core, lower back, shoulders
- Start on all fours. Lower onto forearms with shoulders directly over elbows.
- Step feet back into a plank position.
- Draw shoulders down and back — not hunched. Engage abdominal muscles tight to keep hips in line with shoulders so body forms a long, straight line.
- Squeeze legs and glutes for support. Hold this position for 45-60 seconds. Gradually add time as your core gets stronger.
- Rest and repeat for 3-5 reps.
Make it easier: Drop to your knees, still maintaining ab engagement.
2. Core Twist
Works: core, obliques
- Start seated with knees bent 90 degrees, heels on floor, and hands clasped in front of chest.
- Engage abs and rotate upper body to the right as if you’re reaching right elbow to floor. Keep back tall and rotate from torso.
- Return to centre.
- Then repeat on left side. That’s 1 repetition.
- Do 10-12 reps.
Make it harder: Keep your legs straight, lift heels off floor, or add a dumbbell as shown above.
3. Scorpion
Works: abs, hips, back
- Start lying facedown with arms out to sides to form a T, thumbs pointing up, and chin rested on floor so the neck is not strained.
- Bend left knee then swing leg to right to try to touch left toes to right shoulder.
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Then return to starting position.
- Repeat on opposite side with right leg. That’s 1 repetition.
- Do 3-5 reps.
Make it easier: Simply reach toe to opposite hip instead of shoulder. As you gain mobility and flexibility, you can progress to reach for shoulder.
4. Back Extension
Works: lower back, glutes, middle back, shoulders
- Lie facedown on a stability ball with feet set wide for balance. Bend elbows and place hands softly behind head.
- Squeeze glutes and lift torso up. Hold for 1-2 seconds.
- Release back down to the starting position.
- Repeat. Do 10-12 reps.
No stability ball? You can do the movement on an exercise mat: Raise your thighs and arms off the ground while your torso stays in contact with the ground.
Make it harder: Hold light dumbbells.
5. Squat to Overhead Press
Works: glutes, quads, hamstrings, lower back, upper back, shoulders
- Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold dumbbells with both hands racked at shoulders.
- Send hips back and down to lower into a squat until thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Drive through feet to stand back up, and as you do, press the dumbbells overhead, biceps by ears.
- Lower weights back to shoulders.
- Repeat. Do 10-12 reps.
Make it easier: Do the squat without the dumbbells, or just hold one dumbbell at chest and perform squats without the press.
6. Overhead Forward Lunge
Works: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, core
- Start standing, holding one dumbbell straight above shoulders with both hands, arms straight overhead, biceps by ears.
- Step forward with right leg, and lower down until both knees bend 90 degrees.
- Press through right heel to stand back up.
- Repeat with left leg. That’s 1 repetition.
- Do 6-8 reps on each leg.
Make it easier: Perform the forward lunge without a dumbbell or hold it at shoulder level.
7. Stability Ball Pike-Up
Works: shoulders, core
- Start in a high plank position with shoulders over wrists, but instead of placing feet on the floor, rest shins on a stability ball.
- Engage core to pull the stability ball toward chest and lift hips up as you roll the ball forward to the feet.
- Lower hips and roll feet back out to plank position.
- Repeat. Do 10-12 reps.
Make it easier: Pull your knees as close as you can to your chest without lifting your hips into the air, then return to plank.
8. Stability Ball Leg Curl
Works: hamstrings, glutes, core
- Lie faceup on the floor, with hands at sides on mat and and feet on a stability ball, legs straight with soft bend in knees. Keep arms to sides for support and balance.
- Lift hips up so the body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
- Without allowing hips to drop, roll the ball as close as possible to hips by bending knees and pulling heels toward you.
- Straighten legs back out.
- Repeat. Do 6-8 reps.
Make it harder: Do the exercise with just one leg, holding the other leg in the air above your hips.
9. Rotational Shoulder Press
Works: shoulders, triceps, core
- Stand holding a pair of dumbbells racked at shoulders, with palms facing each other.
- Press right dumbbell overhead as you rotate from hips to the left.
- Lower the dumbbell as you rotate back to center.
- Then press left dumbbell overhead as you rotate to the right. That’s 1 repetition.
- Continue alternating for 6-8 reps.
Make it easier: Do half of the repetitions without the rotations.
10. Alternating Row
Works: middle back, biceps, core
- Start standing with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.
- With a microbend in the knees, hinge at hips and lower the torso until it’s nearly parallel to the floor.
- Keep arms straight while bending at hips so the dumbbells hang straight down. This is the starting position.
- Bend left elbow to pull the left dumbbell to left hip.
- Lower arm back to starting position.
- Repeat on right side. That’s 1 repetition.
- Continue alternating for 10-12 reps.
Make it easier: Perform the move with both hands at once, which requires less core stability.
