5 KEY STRENGTH TRAINING MOVES FOR RUNNERS
Oli Hillyer-Riley
By Grace Cook
4 Minute Read
Whether your aim is to run fast, to run far, or simply to run forever, don’t neglect your strength.
It’s no secret that runners prefer miles over muscle-ups. As a marathoner, I can confirm that most runners meticulously track their weekly training volume like bodybuilders track their macros; we are obsessed with data and performance but ironically, hobby athletes often do very little to support the physical impact of our chosen sport. Sure, we eat carbs and track sleep and take a rest day once a week. But going to the gym? Generally, forget about it.
Runners say they lack the time—that our schedule of high mileage and post-run stretching doesn’t accommodate anything else. After all, we don’t have to go anywhere to do our sport. We simply lace up our shoes and head out the door. Runners don't commute to a workout because the commute is the workout.
Runners’ attitudes soon change once they have suffered injury—as we all have, at some point or other. From runner's knee to iliotibial band issues and stress fractures, the pain is real, and the recovery is long. It’s with this realization, faced with weeks, if not months, on the Watt bike or elliptical to maintain cardio, that runners reluctantly pick up a kettlebell and start doing calf raises. We realize if we don’t do our pre-hab, we wind up needing to do rehab. It doesn’t have to be this way.
“When I ran in my thirties, I experienced a lot of pain in my calves and knees,” says Anna Hoberman, a runner based in Brooklyn. When training for her first marathon in 2025, she found a dedicated trainer. Jess Movold, the founder of Fort Squad, offers an online running programme that punctuates weekly speed work and endurance runs with gym routines. “I was surprised to find so much weightlifting was involved in my training plan. I’m now in my forties, and, thanks to strength training, I don’t experience pain.”
Hoberman suggests not forgetting to train your core and your arms. “You really need to use your stomach muscles when running uphill.” Arm strength also helps with speed, and can prevent your form collapsing as you get fatigued—especially relevant for marathon runners.
According to David Lewis, the founder of private gym RGND, strength training is a way to “futureproof” your running. Here, he shares a 40-minute circuit to support your training.
THE WORKOUT
By David Lewis
40 Minute Workout
THE PREP
Ensure you always commence any workout with a proper warm-up. The Danimás go-to routine has you covered.
Once your body is activated, start with a machine all runners are familiar with: the treadmill. If your gym has one, opt for the curved treadmill.
Set the speed on low, and walk backwards for 10 minutes. This supports the kneecap by forcing full knee extension and strengthening muscles around the joint.
THE ACTIVITY
1. Split Squats. 3x12 reps. Begin using bodyweight; add resistance each week, once you have mastered form.
The technique: position your front foot on a platform, stair or surface, rotating outwards slightly. The height should be determined by how deep you can lunge; the aim is to get your calf muscle to touch your hamstring. Extend your back leg straight behind you, so you are almost in a split position. Lean into your squat lunge, maintaining knee stability, and drive back up using your front leg.
“Ignore the known advice to not let your knee go over your toe," says Lewis. "The idea here is to drive your knee as far forward as possible. This move targets the VMO muscle (vastus medialis oblique), which is responsible for stabilizing the joint and which pulls the kneecap into alignment during a run."
2. Nordic Hamstring Curls. 3x 12 reps. Begin using bodyweight; add depth gradually, and reduce reps accordingly.
The technique: Use a hamstring curl machine, and get into position with your feet secure. Controlled by the hamstrings, gradually lean your body forward by 10 degrees, resisting gravity for as long as possible. Maintain a straight bodily form from your shoulders to your knees. The aim is to build enough strength to get towards the floor.
“Think of this move like a bicep curl but for your hamstrings,” says Lewis.
3. Peterson Step Ups. Per leg: 3x 12 reps, for 3x weeks. 3x8 reps with weight, for 3x weeks. 3x12 reps for 3x weeks using the same weight. 3x8 reps with increased weight, for 3x weeks. And repeat.
The technique: Position one foot on a step, facing outwards so your second leg can touch the floor. Raise the heel of the foot on the step, and bend your knee, dropping the floating heel down to touch the floor, keeping all weight into the standing leg. Return to the starting position, dropping the heel. And repeat.
4. Calf Raises. 3x 12 reps, per leg. This exercise is best performed without shoes.
The technique: Stand facing the wall, around an arm’s length away, with both forearms fully resting on the wall. Lift one knee upright and angle your body towards the wall in a forward slant, adopting a ‘running stance’, which better replicates the forward motion of running. Lift and lower your calf slowly, maintaining stability. Switch legs, and repeat. As strength builds, add a kettlebell, balancing on the wall with just one hand.
5. Toe Raises. 3x 12 reps, per leg. This exercise is best performed without shoes.
The technique: Stand facing away from the wall, adopting a similar leaning position to the calf raises, in reverse. With your hands balancing on the wall, lift your toes to put weight through your heels.
“The tibialis anterior muscle goes along the shin bone, and its job is to pull the foot and ankle into flexion. It’s an important muscle in running, but it’s quite tricky to train, and it absorbs a lot of the force from running, which can result in shin splints. This exercise strengthens this muscle, making it robust to the impact and ensuring better form.”
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