Strength training is a game-changer for runners looking to enhance their performance and reduce the risk of injury. Whether you're training for your first 5K or gearing up for a marathon, incorporating the right strength exercises can improve your running economy, increase speed, and build resilience. In this article, we'll explore the top strength training exercises every runner should be doing to boost power, improve stability, and keep you injury-free as you hit the pavement or trail. Ready to level up your training? Let’s dive in!

I prescribe strength training for every runner that I train, regardless of distance. And it never ceases to amaze me how few long distance runners do strength training. Once we incorporate strength training, I hear runners say they’re able to run their longer runs with more ease, and they don’t experience the pain they used to feel on their long runs, especially in their knees. It’s seriously the (not so) secret sauce to maximising your performance.

"Strength doesn’t come from what you can do; it comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t." — Rikki Rogers

Your body gets into certain positions when you play any sport. Running is no different. So, while incorporating strength training will improve your performance, incorporating running-specific strength training will maximise your performance. In addition, runners can be prone to certain injuries. The most common are back pain, hip pain, knee pain, Achilles and calf pain, and foot and arch pain. The exercises below are not just designed to improve your performance, they will also bulletproof your body so you don’t succumb to any of these common problems.

This article discusses the three types of muscle contraction: concentric, eccentric, isometric. See the definition of these below.

- Concentric: A concentric contraction occurs when a muscle shortens as it generates force. In other words, it's when the muscle actively works to lift a weight or move a limb. For example, when you stand up from a squat, your quadriceps perform a concentric contraction to extend your legs.

- Eccentric: An eccentric contraction happens when a muscle lengthens while under tension, controlling the movement as it resists a force. An example is when you lower yourself into a squat—your quadriceps lengthen as they control your descent.

- Isometric: An isometric contraction occurs when a muscle generates force without changing its length, meaning there's no movement in the joint. A common example is holding a plank position, where your muscles are engaged but not moving.

Top Strength Training Exercises Every Runner Should Be Doing

Quad Dominant Compound Lifts. Heavy-weighted quad-dominant exercises use multiple muscle groups, including the quadriceps, gluteal muscles, hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors, and even the calves. These exercises allow you to lift a lot of weight and as a result, you can build incredible strength. Examples of these exercises include barbell back squats, belt squats, and leg press.

Hamstring Dominant Compound Lifts. Heavy-weighted hamstring-dominant exercises use multiple muscle groups, including the hamstrings, gluteal muscles, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, abdominals, and trapezius muscles. These exercises allow you to lift a lot of weight and as a result, you can build incredible strength. Examples of these exercises include deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts (RDL’s), and even hip thrusts.

Knees Over Toes Quad Dominant Exercises. A few years ago, I came across the idea of taking your knees past your toes on squats and it was claimed this would better target the Vastus Medialis (VM) muscle. My knees have never felt better and my VM muscle (the muscle just above the inside of the knee) has never been more defined. I include these exercises in all my programs for runners now. Examples of these exercises include heels elevated barbell hack squats, heels elevated goblet squats, and sissy squats.

Quad Dominant Eccentric Exercises. While the quads do an eccentric contraction in all of the exercises mentioned so far, few programs actually specifically target the eccentric contraction. I believe this is important, not just for performance improvement, but also for injury prevention. An example of an eccentric exercise for the quads is reverse nordics.

Quad Dominant Isometric Exercises. While the quads do more a concentric/eccentric contraction when running, and isometrics are more common and important for the hamstrings, it’s valuable to train the quads isometrically too. Examples of quad-dominant isometric exercises include wall sits, leg press holds, and leg extension holds.

Quad Dominant Single Leg Exercises. So far we’ve focussed on double leg exercises, but let’s face it; when you run, you’re only on one leg; so it’s important to focus on single leg quad exercises too. My favourite are pistols, step ups, and single leg leg extensions. You can also target one quad with the other leg supported. Examples of these exercises are Bulgarian split squats, walking lunges, and ATG lunges.

Hamstring Dominant Concentric Exercises. When running, you want the foot to come back through from the ground as quickly as possible, and during this phase of the running gait cycle the hamstring does a very quick concentric contraction. All the hamstring-dominant compound lifts work the hamstring concentrically; however, the best accessory version to specifically target the hamstring concentrically is the leg curl.

Hamstring Dominant Eccentric Exercises. The hamstring contracts eccentrically during the late swing and late stance phase of the running gait cycle, which poses a great risk of injury to the hamstring during these phases. Therefore, it’s super important to train the hamstrings eccentrically. The best exercises for training the hamstrings eccentrically are nordics, harop curls, and razor curls.

Hamstring Dominant Isometric Exercises. When running, most of the contraction of the hamstring is concentric and eccentric, but there is a moment when the hamstring is performing an isometric contraction. In addition, isometric training can help athletes improve speed and power. The best isometric exercise for the hamstrings are short and long-lever iso holds. Start with short-lever and build up to long-lever. You can hold it anywhere from a few seconds to 30 seconds, and progress from double leg to single leg.

Hamstring Dominant Single Leg Exercises. The double leg hamstring exercises are going to allow you to lift more weight, and therefore build more strength. But seeing as you’re only on one leg at a time when you run, it’s imperative you train the hamstrings on each leg individually too. The staples of all my running programs for single-leg hamstring-dominant exercises are single leg RDL’s, single leg hip thrusts, single leg leg curls, and single leg iso holds.

Lower Leg Exercises. All too often are the lower legs forgotten about. In fact, when I was running as a teenager; I was told we didn’t need to train our calves because we were training them all the time when we were running. That couldn’t be further from the truth. When I started training my calves, I found a bounce in my running that I had never felt before. I also started running faster and jumping higher than I ever had before. Include a straight leg calf raise to target your gastrocnemius, a bent knee calf raise for your soleus, and tib raises for your tibialis anterior. With the straight leg calf raises, use a smith machine and go super heavy! Your gastrocnemius can lift much more than you might give it credit for. For the bent knee calf raise, use a seated calf raise machine so you can go heavy. And for your tib raises, place a 5-8kg kettlebell over your toes while sitting on a bench with your leg extended and your heel hanging over the edge.

Focus your strength training on incorporating double leg and single leg exercises, as well as a variety of concentric, eccentric, and isometric exercises to build strength, improve performance, and prevent injury. By integrating these exercises, you can build well-rounded strength to optimise your performance on every run.

Are you relying solely on running to improve your performance, or are you tapping into the power of strength training to become a faster, stronger, and more resilient runner?