The best strength workout for runners, built around your training
Published October 13, 2026
The best strength workout for runners is one or two short lifting sessions a week built on a hip hinge like the trap bar deadlift, lifted heavy once you know the movement, single-leg work like the Bulgarian split squat, and calf raises with both straight and bent knees. Keep sets mostly between 3 and 15 reps, stop 1 to 3 reps short of failure, and lift on your hard-run days so your easy days stay easy.
Runners who have never lifted regularly and have a pair of dumbbells and a bench, at home or in a gym.
Your first job is learning to squat, hinge and split squat with good form, so the main lifts use 6 to 10 reps and stop 3 short of failure, while calves and core stop 2 short. Half the sets are single-leg, which builds balance and makes light dumbbells hard enough. Weekly that's 18 hard sets for your legs and 4 for your core. Spread over squats, hinges and calves, that gives each muscle fewer sets than a leg plan built for size, because the goal is strength that carries over to your running.
Session A
Exercise
Sets × reps
RIR
Rest
Goblet Squat1 warm-up set firstSit between your heels, chest up
Do Session A and Session B once each per week, on the same days as your two hardest runs, a few hours after them if you can. Keep at least two days between the sessions.
How to progress
When every set reaches the top of the rep range at the target RIR, add the smallest weight jump next time. After 6 to 8 weeks, move to the off-season plan for heavier sets, or to the marathon block plan if race training has started.
EquipmentTrap Bar, Dumbbells, Standing Calf Raise, Barbells +2
Runners with some lifting experience who are between race blocks or running easy base mileage, with gym access.
Lower running volume leaves room to get stronger, so this is the heaviest plan on the page. The trap bar deadlift and hip thrust use 3 to 6 reps and the single-leg lifts 5 to 10, all stopped 2 short of failure, because high-load sets are the type linked to better running economy, with larger effects in programs of 10 weeks or more. Calves go 1 rep short of failure. Weekly that's 20 hard sets for your legs and 4 for your core.
Session A: Deadlift
Exercise
Sets × reps
RIR
Rest
Trap Bar Deadlift3 warm-up sets firstPush the floor away; stand tall
Run Session A and Session B once each per week, on your two hardest running days, after the run. Stay on it for at least 10 weeks before your next race build.
How to progress
Add weight whenever every set hits the top of the rep range at the target RIR: about 10 lb on the trap bar and hip thrust, the smallest dumbbell jump on single-leg work. Take an easier week every fourth or fifth week with one set fewer per exercise.
EquipmentTrap Bar, Dumbbells, Standing Calf Raise, Seated Calf Raise
Runners in a race build with high mileage, long runs and weekly workouts, who want to keep their strength without paying for it on the next run.
During a race build your running needs your recovery, so lifting drops to one short session of 9 hard sets. The trap bar deadlift and split squat stay heavy, 3 to 8 reps, but stop 3 reps short of failure, and the calves stop 2 short, so you keep the strength stimulus without the soreness that wrecks a long run.
Lift once a week on the same day as your hardest run, after it and ideally 3 or more hours later. Skip the session in race week.
How to progress
Hold the load steady unless every set feels easier than 3 in reserve, then add the smallest jump. Strength gained in the off-season is the goal to keep here, not new records.
A pair of dumbbells and a bench or sturdy chair cover everything a runner needs. The Bulgarian split squat and single-leg RDL load one leg at a time, so light dumbbells still feel heavy, and single-leg calf raises, done off a step once they get easy, train your calves through their full range. The new-to-lifting plan below runs entirely on that equipment.
Once your long runs and workouts get serious, cut lifting to one session a week and keep it heavy but short: a trap bar deadlift, a split squat and two calf raises, all stopped 2 to 3 reps short of failure. Heavy sets are the kind linked to better running economy, and leaving reps in the tank keeps your legs ready for the next run. Do it after a hard run, not before a long one.
Your calves do most of the work holding you up on each stride, so train them with both straight and bent knees. A standing calf raise loads the gastrocnemius, the upper calf, and a seated calf raise shifts the work to the soleus underneath it. Every plan here has both, done slowly through a full range.
It lets you lift heavy with your back more upright than a barbell deadlift, which makes it the easiest way for a runner to handle the high loads tied to better running economy.
How to do it
Step into the middle of the trap bar with your feet about hip-width apart.
Bend your hips and knees to grip the handles, palms facing in, arms straight.
Brace your stomach, lift your chest, and push the floor away until you stand tall.
Lower the bar under control by bending at the hips and knees together until the plates touch the floor.
Cues
Push the floor away
Chest up, back flat
Stand tall at the top, no leaning back
Common mistakes
Yanking the bar off the floor. Squeeze the slack out of the bar before you push.
Grinding slow final reps. Stop when the bar speed drops; the plans leave 2 to 3 reps in reserve.
Swap for: Romanian Deadlift, Goblet Squat, Barbell Deadlift
Single-leg strength
Bulgarian Split Squat
Quads, Glutes
Running is a series of single-leg landings, and this loads one leg at a time through a long range. It also challenges your hips to keep your pelvis level.
How to do it
Stand a long stride in front of a bench, a dumbbell in each hand, and rest the top of your back foot on the bench.
Lower straight down by bending your front knee until your back knee hovers just above the floor.
Push through your whole front foot to stand back up.
Finish all reps on one leg, then switch.
Cues
Straight down, not forward
Front foot flat
Hips square
Common mistakes
Standing too close to the bench, which pushes your knee far past your toes. Move your front foot out until the bottom feels stable.
Pushing off the back foot. It is there for balance only.
It trains your hamstrings and glutes on one leg while your foot, ankle and hip work to keep you balanced, the same job they do on every stride.
How to do it
Stand on your right leg, holding a dumbbell in your right hand, knee slightly bent.
Hinge forward at the hip as your left leg reaches straight back.
Lower until your torso and back leg are close to parallel with the floor, or until your hamstring stops you.
Drive your hips forward to stand up, finish the set, then switch legs.
Cues
Hips stay square to the floor
Reach back with the heel
Soft standing knee
Common mistakes
Rotating your hips open as you lower. Point the toes of the back leg at the floor.
Rounding your back to reach lower. Stop where your back stays flat.
Swap for: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Heavy glutes
Hip Thrust
Glutes
Your glutes extend your hip on every push-off, and the hip thrust lets you load them heavily without much strain on your back.
How to do it
Sit with your shoulder blades on the edge of a bench and a padded bar resting in the crease of your hips.
Set your feet flat and about hip-width, positioned so your shins end upright at the top.
Push the floor away with your whole foot and raise your hips until your thighs and torso form one flat line.
Hold the top briefly, then lower slowly.
Cues
Chin tucked, ribs down
Shins vertical at the top
Squeeze, don't arch
Common mistakes
Arching your lower back to finish the rep. Stop when your hips are level with your knees and shoulders.
Feet too far out, which shifts work to your hamstrings. Bring them in until your shins are vertical at the top.
Swap for: Smith Machine Hip Thrust, Dumbbell Hip Thrust, Glute Bridge
Squat pattern, beginner
Goblet Squat
Quads, Glutes
Holding the weight in front keeps you upright and makes good squat depth easy to learn, so it's the safest squat to start with.
How to do it
Hold one dumbbell upright against your chest, both hands under the top end.
Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips, toes turned slightly out.
Sit down between your heels until your thighs are at least parallel, keeping your chest up.
Push through your whole foot to stand back up.
Cues
Elbows inside your knees
Chest up
Knees follow your toes
Common mistakes
Heels lifting at the bottom. Widen your stance a little or squat only as deep as your heels stay down.
Knees caving in. Push them out over your toes as you stand.
Swap for: Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat, Dumbbell Squat, Leg Press
Hinge, beginner
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Hamstrings, Glutes
It teaches the hip hinge with weights light enough to learn on, and trains the hamstrings and glutes that drive your stride.
How to do it
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
Unlock your knees and push your hips back, sliding the dumbbells down close to your legs.
Stop when you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, usually just below the knee.
Drive your hips forward to stand up.
Cues
Hips back, not down
Dumbbells brush your legs
Flat back
Common mistakes
Bending your knees more as you lower, turning it into a squat. Keep the same slight bend the whole rep.
Reaching for the floor. Depth ends when your hips stop moving back.
Swap for: Romanian Deadlift, Single-Leg RDL, Kettlebell Deadlift
Calves, straight knee
Standing Calf Raise
Calves
With straight knees the gastrocnemius, the upper calf, does most of the work. Your calves carry most of the support force on every stride, so they need direct, heavy work.
How to do it
Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step or the machine platform, heels hanging off.
Hold on for balance or set the machine pads on your shoulders.
Lower your heels as far as they go and pause for a second.
Rise onto your toes as high as you can, then lower slowly.
Cues
Pause at the bottom
Knees straight, not locked
Up onto the big toe
Common mistakes
Bouncing out of the bottom. Pause so your muscles, not your tendons, start each rep.
Bending your knees to help. Keep them straight so the upper calf works.
Swap for: Leg Press Calf Raise, Smith Machine Calf Raise, Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise
Calves, bent knee (soleus)
Seated Calf Raise
Calves
Bending your knee hands the work to the soleus, the deep calf muscle that does much of the work holding you up while you run.
How to do it
Sit with the balls of your feet on the platform and the pad snug on your lower thighs.
Release the safety and let your heels sink as low as they go.
Press up onto your toes as high as you can and hold for a moment.
Lower slowly back into the full stretch.
Cues
Full stretch every rep
Pause at the top
Only your ankles move
Common mistakes
Short, fast reps at the top. Lighten the load until every rep reaches a full stretch.
It trains your trunk to stay still while your arms and legs move, which is what keeps your torso from collapsing late in a run.
How to do it
Lie on your back with your arms pointing at the ceiling and your knees bent at 90 degrees over your hips.
Press your lower back into the floor.
Slowly reach one arm back and straighten the opposite leg until both hover just above the floor.
Return to the start and switch sides.
Cues
Low back pinned to the floor
Exhale as you reach
Slow and smooth
Common mistakes
Your lower back arches off the floor. Shorten how far you reach.
Rushing through reps. Take about 3 seconds out and back.
Swap for: Pallof Press, Plank, Side Plank
Make it fit you
Put lifting on hard days
Lift on the same day as intervals, tempo or hill runs, after the run, so your easy days and the day before your long run stay easy. Explosive strength gains were smaller when lifting and endurance work shared one session than when they were at least 3 hours apart, so morning run and evening lift is the best split if your day allows it.
Add hops after an easy run
If you want plyometrics, finish two easy runs a week with 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 20 quick pogo hops in place, landing softly on the balls of your feet. Plyometric training improved running economy at slower running speeds in a 2024 meta-analysis, and it costs a few minutes. Start with fewer hops and add more only if your calves and Achilles feel fine the next day.
Sore legs before a key run
If a session leaves your legs heavy for your next workout, drop one set from each exercise and add one rep in reserve, rather than skipping the session. Keep the loads the same so the strength stays.
No trap bar
Use a barbell Romanian deadlift or a goblet squat with a heavy dumbbell in the trap bar slot. Keep the same sets, rep range and RIR.
Log RIR, not just weight
Your running load changes week to week, so the same weight can feel very different. Logging reps in reserve next to each set in RIRLift shows you when a light week of running is the time to add weight and when a heavy week calls for holding steady.
Questions
How often should runners do strength training?
Two sessions a week when your running volume is moderate, one during a heavy race build. Reviews of strength training in distance runners found improvements with 2 to 3 sessions a week of 2 to 4 lower-body exercises, so you don't need much.
What kind of strength training is best for runners?
Heavy lifting. In meta-analyses of distance runners, high-load strength training improved running economy while lighter submaximal sets did not, and heavy lifting produced a larger effect than plyometrics. The off-season and race build plans use heavy sets of 3 to 8 reps on the main lifts, and the first plan builds toward them.
Will lifting weights make me slower or bulkier?
No. In controlled studies of distance runners, strength training did not hurt body composition and tended to improve running economy and time-trial performance. The plans here keep weekly volume low and leave reps in reserve, so the lifting supports your running instead of competing with it.
Should I lift before or after running?
Run first on days you do both, and if you can, put 3 or more hours between them. Doing the two in one session blunted explosive strength gains, while separated sessions did not.
Is lifting once a week enough for runners?
During a race build, yes: one heavy session keeps strength work in your week without taking from your runs. For muscle size, the same weekly sets grow you about as well in one session as split across two, so a single session loses little.
What are good back strength exercises for runners?
Hinges. The trap bar deadlift, Romanian deadlift and single-leg RDL all train the muscles along your spine together with your glutes and hamstrings, and the dead bug teaches your trunk to resist arching. Those cover what a runner's back needs without separate back sessions.
Do runners need to train calves?
Yes. Your calf muscles, the soleus and gastrocnemius, provide most of the support force on each stride at running speeds. Train them with straight knees for the gastrocnemius and bent knees for the soleus, as every plan here does.
