·9 min read
The best strength exercises for runners (and the ones to skip)
The best strength exercises for runners are boring, heavy and few. Here are the ones that earn a spot, the ones to skip, and how to put them in a session.
The best strength exercises for runners are not the ones in the twelve-minute video with the resistance band and the clamshells. They're squats, hinges, split squats, calf raises, a few jumps and some carries. Boring, heavy-ish, and few. That's the whole list, and the rest of this post is about why each one is on it, which popular ones to demote, and how to fit them into a week that also has running in it.
If you'd rather not assemble the session yourself, that's what a running app that adapts to your lifting is for. If you would, read on.
How we picked the best strength exercises for runners
Running is a single-leg sport made of short, stiff ground contacts, repeated thousands of times. So an exercise earns a spot if it does at least one of three things: builds force in the legs and hips, trains one leg at a time, or makes ground contacts quicker and springier. Bonus points if it's easy to load progressively. Minus points if it mostly makes you sweaty.
The evidence points the same way. A 2024 meta-analysis of strength methods in middle- and long-distance runners (Llanos-Lagos et al., 2024) found high-load training and combined methods improved running economy, plyometrics helped at slower speeds, and submaximal and isometric training didn't beat the control groups. Translation: real load, plus some jumping, beats a pile of light reps.
This post owns the what. The case for why runners should lift at all, and how often, lives in the hub. If you want these exercises already arranged into a set week, a runner's strength plan does exactly that.
Leg strength training for runners: the big four
These are the foundation of leg strength training for runners. Pick one from each line, not all of them.
1. A squat
Back squat, front squat, goblet squat, or a leg press if you'd rather not balance a bar. The squat trains the quads, glutes and trunk together with a load you can push up for years. In Støren et al. (2008), well-trained runners added just one exercise, the half squat, for eight weeks and improved running economy and time to exhaustion at maximal aerobic speed, with no change in body weight.
Keep reps low when it's heavy: three to six, with a couple left in the tank.
2. A hinge
Romanian deadlift, trap-bar deadlift or a conventional deadlift. The hinge loads the hamstrings and glutes, the muscles that drive your hip extension on every stride. The Romanian deadlift is the runner's default: easy to learn, hard to ego-lift, and it trains the hamstrings through a long range.
3. A split squat
Rear-foot-elevated split squat (the Bulgarian), a regular split squat, or a reverse lunge. This is the most running-specific lift in the gym: one leg does the work while the hips stay level. It also exposes left-right differences that a barbell squat hides. Same reps on both legs, weaker side first.
4. A step-up
A box around knee height, a dumbbell in each hand, drive through the top foot and don't push off the back one. It's a lunge's less annoying cousin and a good alternative if split squats make your knees grumpy.
Calf raises: the most underrated lift for runners
If you only add one exercise, make it this one. In a musculoskeletal modeling study of running across speeds (Dorn et al., 2012), the soleus and gastrocnemius contributed most to vertical support forces at running speeds up to 7 meters per second, which is about 2:23 per kilometer and faster than almost anyone runs outside a sprint. In plain English: at the speeds most of us run, your calves are doing a huge share of holding you up.
Most runners train them with a few bodyweight raises off a step. That's a warm-up, not a calf session.
- Standing calf raise (straight knee): loads the gastrocnemius. Use a machine, a Smith machine or a heavy dumbbell held in one hand, one leg at a time.
- Seated calf raise (bent knee): biases the soleus. Heavier than you think.
- Tempo: pause at the bottom, rise under control, pause at the top. No bouncing.
Eight to twelve reps, heavy enough that the last two are honest work.
Hip strength exercises for runners
Dorn's model also found that at the very fastest speeds, the hip muscles (iliopsoas, glutes and hamstrings) took over the job of speeding up the legs through the swing. Hip strength exercises for runners don't need to be exotic to train that.
- Hip thrust or glute bridge: heavy, simple, and easy to progress. A good partner to the Romanian deadlift.
- Single-leg Romanian deadlift: hamstrings, glutes and balance in one. Start light; it humbles everyone.
- Lateral step-up or lateral lunge: some frontal-plane work so your hips aren't only strong straight ahead.
- Side plank with top-leg raise: a harder, more useful version of the band walk.
Band walks and clamshells aren't useless. They're just a warm-up, not the program. If your hips get stronger, it'll be because the hip thrust went up, not because the band changed color.
Plyometrics: the cheapest speed you'll ever buy
Plyometrics train the quick, stiff ground contacts that running is made of. In Spurrs, Murphy and Watsford (2003), six weeks of plyometric training on top of normal running improved 3 km time and running economy, without changes in VO2max or lactate threshold.
The runner's shortlist:
- Pogo hops: small, fast bounces off the balls of your feet, knees nearly straight.
- Box jumps: jump up, step down. The landing is where the jumping volume goes wrong, so don't jump down.
- Bounds: exaggerated running strides for distance.
- Single-leg hops: in place or forward, once two-footed work feels easy.
Low reps, full effort, full rest. Plyos go first in a session, while you're fresh. If the contacts get slow and loud, you're done.
Trunk and upper body
Running doesn't need a big bench press. It does need a trunk that holds position when you're tired, and an upper body that isn't completely neglected.
- Farmer's or suitcase carry: heavy, walking, upright. Grip, trunk and posture in one.
- Dead bug and side plank: short and hard beats long and bored.
- Rows and pull-ups, push-ups or presses: one pull, one push, a few sets each.
The ones to skip (or demote)
Not every exercise in a "strength for runners" list deserves your time. These aren't banned. They just shouldn't be the main course.
| Exercise or habit | The problem | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| 20+ rep "endurance" sets | You already train endurance. It's called running. | Heavier sets of 4–8 |
| Long band and clamshell circuits | Fine warm-up, too light to build much strength | Hip thrusts, single-leg RDLs |
| Squats on a wobble board | Balance gets better at balancing on the board, not much else | Split squats with real load |
| Crunch marathons | Lots of reps, little carryover | Carries, side planks, dead bugs |
| Leg extensions and curls as the whole session | Isolation is fine as an extra, not the base | Squat, hinge, split squat first |
| Brutal circuits the day before intervals | A recovery bill, not strength work | Lift on hard days, keep easy days easy |
The same goes for anything you only do because it looks athletic on video. If you can't load it more next month than this month, it's probably not a strength exercise.
Hybrid and Hyrox runners: add a sled if you've got one
If you're a runner who also races Hyrox or does general hybrid work, the list barely changes. You add specificity. The Hyrox sled push is essentially heavy leg drive while your lungs complain, and it trains the same quads and calves as the big four. Count it as a hard session, not a finisher. The bigger picture of fitting this into a week with runs and lifts is in our hybrid training guide.
Putting it together: two sessions a week
Two sessions, alternating emphasis, about 40–50 minutes each:
| Session A | Sets × reps | Session B | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogo hops | 3 × 10–15 | Box jumps or bounds | 3 × 4–6 |
| Back or goblet squat | 3–4 × 4–6 | Romanian deadlift | 3–4 × 5–8 |
| Rear-foot-elevated split squat | 3 × 6–8 each | Step-up | 3 × 6–8 each |
| Standing calf raise | 3 × 8–12 | Seated calf raise | 3 × 10–15 |
| Row or pull-up | 3 × 6–10 | Hip thrust | 3 × 8–10 |
| Farmer's carry | 3 × 30–40 m | Side plank | 2–3 × 30 s each |
Set the load by effort, not by a number you saw online. Training by feel (RPE) works well here: most working sets at RPE 7–8, two or three reps left in the tank. On a heavy running week, the same RPE means a lighter bar, which is exactly right.
Then add a little each week or two: a rep, a bit of load, a cleaner set. That's how to progressively overload without turning every session into a max test.
Placement matters as much as selection. Heavy legs go on a hard run day (run first, lift a few hours later) or the day after, never the day before your key run or long run.
How exrsz handles it
exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, and picks your strength exercises to match what you actually have access to. It balances running and lifting in one plan, adapts each week to how you trained, and reshuffles missed sessions so heavy legs don't end up the day before your long run.
FAQ
What are the best strength exercises for runners?
A squat, a hinge like the Romanian deadlift, a single-leg lift like the split squat or step-up, heavy calf raises, and a few plyometrics such as pogo hops or bounds. Add a carry and a pull for the trunk and upper body.
What is the best leg strength training for runners?
Low-rep, real-load work on squats, hinges and single-leg lifts, plus plyometrics. A 2024 meta-analysis found high-load and combined methods improved running economy, while submaximal and isometric training didn't beat controls.
What are good hip strength exercises for runners?
Hip thrusts, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, lateral step-ups and side planks. Band walks and clamshells are fine as a warm-up, but they're too light to be the main hip work.
Should runners do calf raises?
Yes, and heavier than most do. In a modeling study of running, the calf muscles contributed most to vertical support forces at every speed short of a sprint. Do standing and seated versions, 8–15 reps, with real load.
Are plyometrics good for runners?
Yes, in small doses. In one six-week study, adding plyometrics to normal running improved 3 km time and running economy. Keep reps low, effort high, and do them first in a session.
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