Should runners do strength training?
Yes, two sessions a week. In trials, runners who added lifts and jumps usually ran more efficiently and faster. But lift on the wrong day and you may spoil your next hard run.
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Does strength training help runners?
Usually, yes. A review of 24 studies in middle and long distance runners found that strength work generally made running 2 to 8% more economical. That wasn’t true in every study.
Economy is like a car’s miles per gallon. Same speed, less fuel. It doesn’t give you a bigger engine, but it lets you hold a pace for less effort.
| What was measured | What happened | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| Running economy | Usually 2 to 8% better | Less energy at the same pace. |
| Time trials, 1.5 to 10 km | Tended to get faster | Quicker race-style runs. |
| Top speed in a sprint | Tended to improve | A faster finish. |
| Body fat and weight | Not made worse | No extra bulk in the trials. |
Source: Blagrove 2018, Sports Med
The review says this held for runners of all abilities, not just elite ones. It found 2 to 3 sessions a week likely to help.
Pick two days for strength this week and put them in your diary.
What are the best strength exercises for runners?
Use the moves the trials used. Studies in the review chose squats, Romanian deadlifts, lunges, calf raises and step-ups, plus small jumps like skipping and hopping.
| Move | What you do | No gym? |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | Bend your knees as if to sit, then stand. | Squat or wall squat. |
| Romanian deadlift | Hold a weight, bend forward from your hips, then stand tall. | Needs a weight. |
| Lunge | Step one leg back, lower, then push up. | Lunge. |
| Calf raise | Lift both heels, slow and controlled. | Hold a chair. |
| Step-up | Step up onto a box or step, one leg at a time. | Climb stairs. |
| Hops and skips | Short, quick jumps. | Skip or hop on the spot. |
Sources: Blagrove 2018; NHS: knee exercises for runners; NHS: strength exercises; NHS: strength and flexibility
No gym? The NHS gives squats, wall squats and lunges as knee exercises for runners.
They aren’t for an existing knee injury. If they hurt, stop and get advice.
Heavy lifts and jumps both look useful. A 2024 review found heavy loads (80% of your max or more), jumps and a mix may improve running economy. Lighter loads and static holds, where you push without moving, seemed less useful.
Across many sports, not just running, trials found strength training cut sports injuries to less than a third.
For form tips, see our leg exercises and glute exercises guides.
How many sets and reps should runners do?
Do 8 to 12 reps (lifts) of each move. That’s one set. Do at least 2 sets, or 3 for more benefit.
Each set should end when another rep would be hard without help.
How the runner trials built up
- 1
Start
1 to 2 sets of each move.
- 2
Build
Add sets over the weeks, up to 3 to 6.
- 3
Go heavier
Heavy lifts: 3 to 10 reps a set.
- 4
Give it time
6 to 9 weeks helped in trials.
Sources: Blagrove 2018; NHS
You don’t need to lift your max. Loads close to it did no better than moderate weights for 5 to 15 reps. The two reviews differ on lighter loads, so lean towards weights you can only lift 5 to 15 times.
Add a little when the last rep feels easy. Our progressive overload guide shows how.
When should runners lift around their runs?
This is the wrong-day trap. A hard lift may leave you tired enough to slow your next run.
So the review advises at least 24 hours between a strength session and a hard run. Lifting the same day? Leave more than 3 hours after hard running.
| Day | Run | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Hard run (intervals or tempo) | None |
| Tuesday | Easy run or rest | Session 1 |
| Wednesday | Easy run | None |
| Thursday | Hard run | None |
| Friday | Easy run or rest | Session 2 |
| Saturday | Rest | None |
| Sunday | Long run | None |
Sources: Blagrove 2018; NHS
This is one example, so move the days to suit you. The NHS says strength work can go on the same or different days as your other exercise.
Cycling or swimming on other days counts as aerobic activity. Strength work isn’t always aerobic, so do it as well as your 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week.
Sore legs on a run day? Read soreness vs progress to decide whether to run.
Strength training for marathon runners and race season
Keep lifting in race season, just less. In one 40-week study, dropping from 2 sessions to 1 a week while racing kept the gains.
Stopping is the risk. In one study, when runners quit strength work, the gains went back to where they started within 6 weeks.
The time trials in these studies were 1.5 to 10 km. The review gives no marathon rules, so use the same plan and keep 1 session through your race weeks.
Your runner’s strength checklist
- Do strength work on 2 days a week, as well as your running.
- Pick squats, Romanian deadlifts, lunges, calf raises, step-ups and hops.
- Start with 2 sets of 8 to 12 reps of each move.
- Leave at least 24 hours between a strength session and a hard run.
- Drop to 1 session a week in race season, but don’t stop.
- Stop the exercise if you feel any pain or become unwell.
Sources: NHS; Blagrove 2018
Short on kit? Our home strength guide builds a session with no gym.
When to speak to a GP
The NHS says do not run if you’re in pain. Speak to a GP if:
- You haven’t exercised for some time, or you have medical conditions or concerns. Speak to them before you start.
- Your knee pain is severe or your knee is swollen: see a GP straight away. Milder knee pain that lasts over a week needs a GP or physio.
- You get a sudden, sharp pain at the back of your ankle. Your Achilles tendon (the cord above the heel) may have torn, so see a GP straight away. Achilles pain that hasn’t gone after 2 to 3 weeks needs a GP or physio.
- Your shin is swollen, the pain is severe, or it doesn’t improve in a few weeks. See a GP or physio.
- Your heel or the sole of your foot is very swollen. Stop running and see a GP straight away. See a GP too if heel pain doesn’t go away.
Call 999 for sudden chest pain or discomfort that doesn’t go away. Call 999 too for pain spreading to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back. Or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headed or short of breath.
Injured, pregnant, recently given birth, or had a recent heart attack or operation? Get advice first. If symptoms worry you or don’t go away, use 111.