30-Day Strength Training Plan for Runners: A Complete Guide

Strength Training Plan for Runners – Introduction

Looking for an effective strength training plan for runners? You’re in the right place.

Tailoring exercises to meet your running goals is crucial to building strength, speed, and endurance. For any workout to be successful, it must be specific to the person doing it. Specificity is one of the most essential characteristics of a good workout plan.

But what does that mean?

In simple terms, specificity is necessary because your body adapts to the type of workout you do. So, to get stronger, you must train with heavy weights. Similarly, your workouts must include plenty of fast swimming if you want to swim faster.

You become fit based on the training you do!

That said, it can be very beneficial to do exercises and workouts that do not precisely match your training goals and, instead, complement them. Take MMA, for example. MMA fighters don’t run when they’re in the ring, but most “fighters” do a fair amount of running “road work” to build fitness and control their weight.

Early morning road work has long been a part of combat athletes’ training.

Similarly, more and more runners are using strength training to improve their running performance. From marathon runners to elite Olympic sprinters, lifting weights is one way athletes train to run faster, further, and with fewer injuries.

This article discusses the importance of strength training for runners and provides a complete 30-day training plan.

Why Runners Need to Strength Train

Running is a great way to get fit, lose or maintain weight, tone your legs, and improve your health. Furthermore, running is hard to beat if you seek a convenient exercise to transform your body.

It’s also a very accessible sport. Some people even run for a living!

The term running covers various activities, from 60-meter sprints on an indoor track to ultra-marathons of 50 miles or more across barren deserts. However, this article focuses on recreational long-distance running, as most people tend to do.

While running by itself is an excellent workout, it isn’t perfect. But before any runners reading this get offended, that sentiment is true about any workout!

Running is a high-impact activity that strengthens some muscles while shortening and tightening others. It does little for your upper body or core and can even lead to loss of muscle mass.

Left unchecked, any of these issues could affect your running performance and even lead to chronic injuries. It’s no coincidence that there are several running-related injuries with the word runner as a prefix, such as runner’s knee and hip.

The Benefits of Weight Training for Runners

Adding strength training to your running workouts will:

1. Make you more resilient, so you are less likely to suffer injuries
2. Fix any muscle imbalances
3. Make you stronger on the hills
4. Increase your running speed
5. Build even greater endurance so you can run for longer
6. Speed up recovery between runs
7. Enhance mobility, flexibility, and balance

So, while running is the best exercise for runners, some targeted strength training will help, too. It’s no coincidence that the best runners in the world also lift weights regularly.

And don’t worry – you won’t build bodybuilder-sized muscles by lifting weights.

Bodybuilders train in a specific way (that word again!), and runners should train very differently. So, while you may gain some extra muscle mass, it won’t impede your running performance.

Strength Training Plan for Runners – Exercise Descriptions

While this article outlines the exercises in your strength training plan, detailed instructions for each movement are beyond its scope. For a deeper dive, including step-by-step guides and video demonstrations, check out the articles linked below each exercise to help you perfect your form and get the most out of your training.

Workout A

#1. Goblet squats

Muscles worked: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core

Goblet squats are excellent for building lower body strength, targeting the major muscle groups like quads, glutes, and hamstrings. This strengthens your running performance by improving power and endurance during long runs.

Fortifying the connective tissues in your lower body helps prevent muscle imbalances, reducing the risk of injury to your knees and hips from repetitive strain.

How to do it:

1. Hold your dumbbell in front of your chest and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your knees and squat down, taking care not to round your lower back.
3. Descend until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.
4. Stand back up and repeat.

See the Air Squat How-To Guide with Goblet Squat Technique Tips for more details.

#2. Push-ups

Muscles worked: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps

Push-ups are a simple but highly effective way to work your upper body and core, helping you stay stable and strong throughout your runs. Strengthening your upper body helps maintain good form, reducing the risk of lower back and shoulder injuries from poor posture during long runs.

How to do it:

1. Squat down and place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart and fingers pointing forward.
2. Walk your feet back so your body is straight.
3. Brace your abs.
4. Bend your arms and lower your chest down to within an inch of the floor.
5. Straighten your arms and repeat.

Watch The Perfect Push-Up | Learn How to Do It Right.

#3. Pull-ups

Muscles worked: Latissimus dorsi, biceps

Pull-ups enhance upper body strength and contribute to a strong back and shoulders, which are necessary for maintaining proper running posture. By strengthening your upper body, pull-ups help prevent muscle imbalances that can lead to shoulder and neck strain during extended periods of running.

How to do it:

1. Hang from an overhead bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
2. Bend your arms and pull your chin up and over the bar without swinging or kicking your legs.
3. Descend under control and repeat.

Struggling with pull-ups? Check out our guide on the benefits of pull-ups and how to get started even if you can’t do one yet.

#4. Split squat jumps

Muscles worked: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus

This plyometric exercise adds explosive strength and power to your lower body, which can be especially helpful for improving running performance in activities like hill runs or sprints.

Split squat jumps help increase muscle mass and strength while reinforcing stability in the knees and ankles, areas commonly prone to injury in runners. They can also help prevent muscle imbalances.

How to do it:

1. Take a large step forward and adopt a split stance.
2. Bend your legs and lower your rear knee down to within an inch of the floor.
3. Jump up, switch legs, and land with your feet reversed.
4. Immediately descend into another rep and repeat.

Watch this Jumping lunges, aka split squat jump demonstration, to get the hang of this dynamic exercise.

#5. Planks

Muscles worked: Core

Planks are one of the best exercises for building core strength. By stabilizing the body during movement, planks improve running performance. A strong core reduces the risk of lower back injuries and helps maintain good form during long-distance runs.

How to do it:

1. Lie on the floor on your stomach.
2. Support your upper body on your elbows, with your forearms pointing forward.
3. Lift your hips and keep your body completely straight. Maintain this position for the specified time.
4. Do not hold your breath.

For a full breakdown of planks, their benefits, and the most common mistakes, check out this detailed guide with a video: How to Do Planks + 10 Most Common Mistakes 

#6. Dead bugs

Muscles worked: Core

The dead bug is an excellent core stabilization exercise that engages the core muscles and helps improve movement patterns. By working both sides of the body equally, this exercise prevents muscle imbalances, reducing the risk of lower back strain and injury.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back with your knees and hips bent to 90 degrees.
2. Extend your arms toward the ceiling.
3. Brace your abs.
4. Straighten your left leg and lower it to one inch above the floor.
5. Simultaneously, extend your right arm overhead and down to the floor.
6. Return to the start position and then switch sides.
7. Alternate for the duration of your set.

See How to Do the Dead Bug Exercise for a full tutorial and video guide. 

#7. Face pulls

Muscles worked: Trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids, biceps

How to do it:

1. Attach the middle of your resistance band to a shoulder-high anchor.
2. Hold one end in each hand.
3. With your arms straight, step back to tension the band.
4. Bend your arms and pull your hands into either side of your head.
5. Extend your arms and repeat.

Why it’s good: Face pulls strengthen the shoulders and upper back, improving upper body posture and reducing fatigue during long runs.

Injury prevention: Strengthening the shoulders helps prevent injuries from muscle imbalances and improves the alignment of the neck and spine, reducing the risk of upper body strain.

#8. Skydivers

Muscles worked: Erector spinae, gluteus maximus

How to do it:

1. Lie on your front with your arms bent, elbows level with your shoulders, and your hands flat on the floor.
2. Lift your feet, legs, head, shoulders, chest, arms, and hands a few inches so that only your stomach, hips, and upper thighs touch the floor.
3. Lower back down and repeat.

Why it’s good: Skydivers strengthen the lower back and glutes, which improves running efficiency and posture.

Injury prevention: This exercise targets the posterior chain, helping prevent lower back injuries, which are common for distance runners.

Workout B

#1. Reverse lunges

Muscles worked: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet together and arms by your sides.
2. Take a large step backward, bend your legs, and lower your rear knee to within an inch of the floor.
3. Push off your back leg and bring your feet back together.
4. Repeat with the opposite leg and then alternate sides for the duration of your set.

Why it’s good: Reverse lunges are great for building lower body strength, targeting the glutes, quads, and hamstrings, which are key for strong running.

Injury prevention: This unilateral exercise helps correct muscle imbalances between the legs, reducing the risk of injury in the knees and hips.

#2. Dumbbell overhead press

Muscles worked: Deltoids, triceps

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, core braced.
2. Raise your weights to shoulder height.
3. Press the dumbbells up and overhead so your arms are straight but not locked.
4. Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders and repeat.

Why it’s good: This exercise strengthens the upper body, including the shoulders and arms, helping improve running posture and overall strength.

Injury prevention: Strengthening the shoulders helps prevent muscle imbalances leading to neck and upper back injuries.

#3. Dumbbell bent-over rows

Muscles worked: Latissimus dorsi, biceps, erector spinae

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, core braced.
2. Bend your knees slightly and lean forward so your upper body is angled to around 45 degrees.
3. Do not round your lower back.
4. Let your arms hang down from your shoulders.
5. Bend your elbows and row the weights up into your ribs.
6. Extend your arms and repeat.

Why it’s good: This exercise builds upper body strength, particularly in the back and shoulders, which is crucial for maintaining posture during runs.

Injury prevention: Strengthening the back helps avoid muscle imbalances and lower back injuries from poor posture during long runs.

#4. Squat jumps

How to do it:

Muscles worked: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, core

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Squat down and touch the floor between your feet.
3. Leap up as high as possible into the air.
4. Land on slightly bent knees and repeat.

Why it’s good: Squat jumps build explosive lower body power, improving running speed and efficiency. This plyometric exercise helps enhance overall strength and muscle fibers, which are essential for hard runs and better running performance.

Injury prevention: Squat jumps target major muscle groups and enhance muscular endurance, reducing the risk of lower body injuries and supporting lower body strength. Proper form during this exercise helps protect connective tissues and reduce the risk of injury.

#5. Side planks

Muscles worked: Core

How to do it:

1. Lie on your side so your legs and body are straight.
2. Rest your weight on your bent elbow and forearm.
3. Lift your hips so your body forms a straight line.
4. Hold this position, but not your breath, for the specified time.
5. Repeat on the opposite side.

Why it’s good: Side planks enhance core strength, crucial for maintaining proper running posture and supporting running economy. This exercise improves stability and aids in practical strength training by targeting core workouts.

Injury prevention: Strengthening the core through side planks helps prevent lower back pain and address muscle imbalances, which is crucial for avoiding injuries. This exercise also supports proper form and reduces the risk of developing overuse injuries.

#6. Mountain climbers

Muscles worked: Core

How to do it:

1. Adopt the push-up position with your arms and legs straight.
2. Brace your abs, bend one leg, and pull your knee into your chest.
3. Extend your leg and swap sides.
4. Continue alternating sides for the duration of your set.

Why it’s good: Mountain climbers strengthen your core and improve running speed by enhancing coordination and overall strength. This dynamic exercise contributes to better running performance and effectively incorporates bodyweight exercises.

Injury prevention: By addressing unilateral exercises and movement patterns, mountain climbers help in balancing muscle imbalances and reducing the risk of lower back and hip injuries. This exercise supports muscular endurance and helps in injury prevention.

#7. Band pull-aparts

Muscles worked: Trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids

How to do it:

1. Hold a resistance band with an overhand, slightly narrower than shoulder-width grip.
2. Raise your arms out in front of you.
3. Open your arms and stretch the band out across your chest.
4. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Why it’s good: Band pull-aparts improve upper body strength and contribute to better running posture. This exercise is great for incorporating resistance training into your routine and addressing upper body muscle growth.

Injury prevention: Strengthening the upper back muscles through band pull-aparts helps maintain good form and prevents neck and shoulder strain. It also aids injury prevention by supporting overall strength and addressing upper body muscle imbalances.

#8. Bird dog

Muscles worked: Core, gluteus maximus, erector spinae

How to do it:

1. Kneel on all fours so your hips are directly above your knees, and your shoulders are over your hands.
2. Brace your abs. Extend your left leg back and your right arm forward so they’re parallel to the floor.
3. Lower your arm and leg back down and swap sides.
4. Alternate sides for the required number of reps.

Why it’s good: The bird dog focuses on core strength and stability, essential for maintaining good posture during long runs. It also works your lower back and glutes, helping with overall balance.

Injury prevention: This exercise helps prevent muscle imbalances and lower back pain, which can often arise due to weak supporting muscles, by targeting the core muscles and improving balance.

30-Day Strength Training Plan for Runners

While you could tack a few leg strength training exercises onto the end of a run, you’ll get better results if you follow a more structured program. Design your own or, better yet, take this 30-day strength training for runners program for a spin.

This program is designed to be done alongside your running training.

All you need is two hours a week, a couple of light dumbbells, some resistance bands, somewhere to do pull-ups and an exercise mat. As such, it’s ideal for home exercisers, although you could do it in a gym, too.

Each workout is a full-body program built around straightforward, super-productive compound exercises that maximize time and energy. It also includes exercises specifically designed to boost running performance.

But before you lay even one finger on your dumbbells, you must ensure your muscles, joints, and mind are ready for what you’re about to do. Therefore, you need to warm up. Because if you don’t have the time to warm up, you don’t have time to work out!

Warm-up

Start with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio, for example,

• a light jog,
• treadmill,
• easy ride on the assault bike,
• jump rope,
• rowing,

followed by mobility and dynamic flexibility exercises for your major muscles and joints. Examples include leg swings, waist twists, shoulder circles, and shallow lunges, progressing to deeper lunges and squats.

All warmed up and ready to go? Then let’s begin!

Do each of the following workouts once per week, e.g., Monday and Thursday. Avoid strength training on consecutive days, as your muscles need 48-72 hours to recover.

Strength training exercises for runners plan A

*AMRAP means As Many Reps As Possible, so simply continue until fatigue forces you to stop.

Strength training exercises for runners – Plan B

Strength Training for Runners – FAQs

Got a question about strength training for runners?

We’ve got the answers you seek!

#1. What are the best weight training exercises for runners?

While we’ve mainly used easily accessible bodyweight, resistance band, and dumbbell exercises for this workout, barbell and machine exercises can also be beneficial.

Some of the best include:

• Deadlifts
• Front and back squats
• Leg presses
• Bulgarian split squats
• Power cleans
• Kettlebell swings
• Bench presses
• Overhead presses
• Lat pulldowns
• Seated rows

#2. How often should runners lift weights?

Running is the most important type of training for runners, so most of your time and energy should be directed at it. All you need is 2-3 weekly strength workouts to complement all those miles you’re running.

Even 30 minutes twice a week will be beneficial.

#3. When is the best time/day to do strength training?

To avoid detracting from your running, you should lift weights on the days between your running (running rest days) or before or after days when you have planned for an easy run.

You may need to experiment to find the best time for strength training, as everyone responds differently.

#4. How long should I follow this workout?

While this is a 30-day plan, you can continue it for 60 or even 90 days. As long as it’s working, there is no reason to change it.

That said, if you are no longer seeing improvements in your strength or endurance, it’s time for a change, and you should look for a new program to follow.

#5. How do I progress from week to week?

Try to do 1-2 more reps of each exercise as the weeks pass. So, if you do ten reps during the first week, shoot for 11-12 the next.

But never sacrifice good form for more reps. It’s always better to do ten reps correctly than 12 reps sloppily.

Incorrect form can cause injuries.

#6. Why are my muscles aching? I thought I was pretty fit!

New exercises and workouts can sometimes cause delayed-onset muscle soreness or DOMS for short. This is your body’s response to working harder than usual and is perfectly normal.

You should find that DOMS becomes less severe as the weeks pass. To minimize DOMS, always warm up before each workout and then do a few more minutes of easy cardio and stretching afterward.

DOMS should also dissipate as you warm up.

#7. Do I HAVE to do strength training for running?

No, but it can be hugely beneficial. Run further and faster and with fewer injuries?

Who doesn’t want that?!

Strength Training Plan for Runners – Wrapping Up

While running is undoubtedly the most crucial exercise for runners, strength training can also help. For example, lifting weights can prevent muscle imbalances that often lead to injuries and can also help you run faster and further.

Strength training is a runner’s secret weapon!

So, do your best to find an extra 1-2 hours a week for strength training, even if it means doing one less run a week. You don’t even have to join a gym; there are loads of great strength training exercises for runners you can do at home.

After 30 days on our strength training for runners program, you will feel the benefits of adding goblet squats, push-ups, and planks to your training regimen.

These exercises are “big medicine,” and every runner should do them.

Related Posts

• 12 Best Leg Strengthening Exercises for Runners + Workout
• Reverse Lunges Muscles Worked, Benefits + How-To Exercise Guide
• 12 Incredible Ways How Running Changes Your Body and Life
• Push Workout with Dumbbells at Home for Beginners