Squats for runners: which variation and how often

Squats for runners have a reputation problem. Half of runners think squats will make them slow and bulky. The other half do three sets of 20 bodyweight squats after a run, call it strength training, and wonder why nothing changes. Both camps are missing the same point: squats help runners when they're heavy enough to count and scheduled where they don't wreck the next hard run.

Here's which squat variation to pick, how heavy, how often, and where it goes in your week. Bodyweight squats, goblet squats, single-leg squats and the barbell, all sorted by what they're actually good for. Build it yourself or use a lifting plan that leaves room for running. The principles don't change.

Why squats help runners

Running is force production, repeated thousands of times. Stronger legs can produce that force with less effort, and running economy (how much oxygen a given pace costs you) is where that shows up.

The evidence is reasonably consistent:

• ›In an 8-week study of well-trained runners, adding half-squats, four sets of four-rep max, three times a week, improved running economy by 5.0% and time to exhaustion at maximal aerobic speed by 21.3%, with no change in VO2max or body weight. Seventeen runners, so small, but a clean result.
• ›A 2024 meta-analysis on middle- and long-distance runners found high-load strength training (at least 80% of one-rep max), plyometrics and combined methods may improve running economy, while submaximal-load and isometric training seemed less effective.

The common thread is load. Squats are one of the easiest ways to get heavy work into your legs, which is why they sit at the center of almost every version of a runner's strength program. What squats won't do is make you injury-proof. Lifting builds capacity; if something hurts, see a professional.

Bilateral vs single-leg: you want both

Running happens on one leg at a time, so single-leg squats look like the obvious choice. They're important, but they don't replace two-legged squats. Each does a different job:

• ›Bilateral squats (back, front, goblet) let you lift the most total load. Heavy, simple, easy to progress.
• ›Single-leg squats (split squat, Bulgarian, step-up, pistol) train each leg on its own and expose left-right differences, with much less weight on your spine.

Research mostly says they work similarly for general strength. In a 5-week trial in academy rugby players, training only with rear-elevated split squats or only with back squats produced similar improvements in back squat strength, 40 m sprint time and change-of-direction speed. The best plans use one of each. The single-leg side starts with the Bulgarian split squat, the hub for that whole family.

The best squat variations for runners

Bodyweight squats for runners

Bodyweight squats for runners are a warm-up, not a strength program. They're fine in week one if you've never lifted, and useful before a heavier session. After that, they stop being a strength stimulus quickly. Twenty air squats are conditioning. If your legs can do 30 without complaint, hold something.

Goblet squats for runners

Are goblet squats good for runners? Yes. They're the easiest loaded squat to learn, they're quad-focused, and they're easy to recover from, which makes them a strong first squat and a good in-season option. The front-loaded hold keeps you upright without coaching. A 2021 study comparing the goblet squat and landmine squat found the goblet squat produced more quadriceps activity and vertical force. The setup is in goblet squat with dumbbell form if you don't own a kettlebell.

The limit is load. Once the heaviest weight you can hold at your chest stops being hard, you need a heavier option somewhere in the week.

Front squats and back squats

The barbell is where the heavy work lives. The front squat keeps you upright and leans on the quads; the back squat lets you lift the most. Either works. If you're weighing front squat vs goblet squat, the answer is mostly about how much load you need: goblet to learn, front squat to keep progressing.

Single leg squats for runners

Single leg squats for runners are where the specificity is. Split squats and Bulgarians are the easiest to load. In a study of the rear-foot elevated split squat in 26 trained men, the lead foot produced about 84% of total vertical force, which is why the Bulgarian counts as a true single-leg lift.

Lunges are the dynamic cousins. Whether to favor squats or split squats vs lunges is less of a debate than the internet suggests: squats for heavy load, single-leg work for leg-by-leg control. Between the two single-leg options, the static one is easier to load and the stepping one adds balance and a landing; our guide to split squat vs lunge covers when to use which. The trade-off for step ups vs bulgarian split squats is simpler still: step-ups are easier to recover from, Bulgarians are easier to load heavy.

Pistols and skater squats are good bodyweight options for runners without equipment, but they're hard to load progressively. Use them when you've got nothing else, or as a skill to work toward.

How heavy should runners squat?

Heavy for you, with good technique and a couple of reps left in the tank. For the main squat, that usually means 3–5 sets of 3–6 reps at RPE 7–8, about two to three reps in reserve. The Støren study above used four-rep-max sets; you don't need to grind to failure to get the benefit, but you do need to leave the pink dumbbells behind eventually.

If you've never lifted, "heavy" starts as "learning the movement". Spend a few weeks on goblet squats and split squats, then add load each week.

How often should runners squat?

Twice a week for most runners, once a week in a heavy running block or race build. That matches the two-sessions-a-week standard in most runner strength plans.

How it changes through a season:

Where squats go in a running week

This is where most runners go wrong. They squat on whatever day is free, which turns out to be the day before intervals.

• ›Never heavy squats the day before intervals or the long run.
• ›Stack or split. Squat on the same day as a quality run (run in the morning, lift later) to keep easy days easy, or squat on an easy-run day with no hard running the day after.
• ›On a shared day, the priority goes first. In a race block, that's the run.
• ›Expect soreness when you start. Especially from Bulgarians. Introduce new squats in a base phase, not two weeks out from a race.

A runner's week with two squat sessions:

The heavy squat shares a day with intervals, so Wednesday stays genuinely easy. The single-leg session goes the day after the long run, which is usually fine, and two days before the next intervals. Nothing heavy lands the day before a key run.

How exrsz handles squats for runners

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, so the squat you get matches your kit and your phase. It balances squat days against your runs in one plan, keeps heavy legs away from key runs, adapts the load each week to what you actually lifted, and reshuffles sessions you miss.

FAQ

Are squats good for runners?

Yes, when they're heavy enough. An 8-week study of well-trained runners found heavy half-squats improved running economy without changing VO2max or body weight.

Are bodyweight squats for runners enough?

Not for long. They're a good warm-up and a fine first week, but they stop being a strength stimulus quickly. Add a goblet squat, then heavier squats.

Are goblet squats good for runners?

Yes. They're easy to learn, quad-focused and easy to recover from, which makes them a good first squat and in-season option. Over time, add heavier work too.

How many times a week should runners squat?

Twice a week for most runners, dropping to once a week in a race build. Keep heavy squats away from the day before intervals or the long run.

Should runners do single leg squats or regular squats?

Both. Regular squats load the legs heaviest; single-leg squats train each leg on its own. A 5-week trial found rear-elevated split squats and back squats improved strength and sprint times similarly.