To be very clear, if you want to get better at running, you NEED to run.
However…
While running definitely offers some benefits, running is not a suitable substitute for strength training. It is fairly common for people to say ‘’I don’t need to strength train. I run.’’ This can be a big mistake. Running is a very technically demanding activity, is high impact, and is extremely repetitive in nature. Strength training will help prepare your body to run.
Having the requisite levels of full body strength and controlled mobility (and stability in certain areas) will help improve your overall efficiency and performance, and will help keep your body feeling good.
It’s a well known fact the incidence of injuries in runners is fairly high, and that an abundance of runners do not strength train. Many will be the first to admit this. I’m not saying that strength training will make you immune to injury, because it won’t. However, following a fundamentally sound strength training program on a consistent basis certainly won’t be detrimental. You’ll likely be happy with the results.
To be painfully clear, this is meant to be a very basic post. Obviously other factors are important, including running technique, running volume (per session, weekly, increasing volume), etc.
Here are 6 strengthening exercises that can be beneficial to runners.
#1) Hip Hinge + Band Resisted Knee Drive
This exercise strengthens the posterior chain muscles, hip flexors, and the muscles in the foot and lower leg. You can also incorporate running specific arm movements. I intentionally didn’t as I wanted to keep this as basic as possible.
Coaching Tips:
- Place a resistance band just above your knees.
- Stand on one foot and have a slight bend in your knee. Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- Keep your other knee bent at about a 90 degree angle. Contract your hamstring and glute on this side. Initiate the movement with your hips and push them backwards. You can pretend a rope is around your hips and is pulling them backwards.
- When you reach your full range, pause for a count.
- Now engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the starting position. As you are returning to the starting position, perform a knee drive on the opposite side.
- Reset, and repeat.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your spine to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- Do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.
- For the duration of the exercise, be mindful of your breathing, bracing, and rib positioning.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#2) Walking Lunges
This exercise strengthens the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and the muscles in the foot and lower leg, and improves lumbo-pelvic stability. While I’m using a barbell, you may use dumbbells, kettlebells, household items, or bodyweight.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a square stance, and adopt your preferred foot width and positioning. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- On the foot that is going to remain planted, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the rep (or full set if you are not alternating sides). Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection).
- Now step forward and perform a lunge. Once you hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), press up and forward, and perform the lunge using the opposite leg.
- You may stop in the middle position, “reset,” and then perform the lunge using the other side, or you may go from lunge to lunge without touching the floor in the middle position. This will be more challenging.
- Aim to do most of the work with your front leg, versus pushing off with your back leg.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the floor.
- In terms of stride width, I like to use a train track vs tightrope analogy. Avoid placing one foot so it is directly in front of the other, like if you were balancing on a tightrope. This will render your base less stable. Generally, hip to shoulder width apart, or slightly closer together, tends to work and feel best for many people.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate. Your hips should remain in a level position.
- Maintain control at all times.
- Do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot. Also, in many instances it is perfectly all right if your knee is above, or even slightly in front of your toes. The key is that you do not allow your weight to shift to the front of your foot, and your heel must not leave the floor.
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#3) Eccentric-Only Straight Knee Heel Drops
This exercise strengthens the calf muscle eccentrically (especially the gastrocnemius), and muscles in the foot, and improves ankle mobility, particularly dorsiflexion.
Coaching Tips:
- Stand on one foot on the edge of a stair or other elevated object. Your knee should be close to fully extended (but not hyperextended).
- Your weight should be on your forefoot, and the back half of your foot should not be in contact with the surface.
- You may lightly support yourself using your upper body/fingertips.
- Press up onto your tiptoes using both legs. Go to your full range.
- Now remove one foot, and lower your heel down to your full range using a single leg. Do so in 3-5 seconds. To be clear, the range you use should not hurt. Do not allow your weight to fall to the inside or outside of your feet. This is especially true during the lowering component as this is the most important part of the exercise.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles lightly braced (360 brace around your spine). In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
- Make this exercise easier by using more support from your upper body during the lowering/eccentric component, by using some support from your other leg during the lowering/eccentric component.
- Make this exercise more challenging by adding weight resistance, or by performing both the lowering/eccentric and lifting/concentric components using a single leg.
#4) Negative Staggered Stance Deadlifts
This exercise strengthens the posterior chain muscles, improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and balance.
Coaching Tips:
- Hold onto a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells. You may also use band resistance, or a barbell (landmine or regular set-up). Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are trying to crush something in your armpits. This will help keep your arms and the weights from swinging. For the duration of the exercise, the weights should not travel ahead of your body.
- Place your feet so one is ahead, and the other is slightly behind. Adopt your preferred foot width and positioning.
- Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor. You should be on the forefoot of your back foot.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection).
- Now take 3-5 seconds and hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall. Do not perform the movement by squatting, rounding or arching your back, dropping your chest towards the floor, or a combination of the above.
- When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the starting position. Lower does not mean better if your form deteriorates. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.
- Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.
- To be clear, in this variation your front leg should be performing most of the work. Your back leg should just be providing some support, and a slight amount of assistance.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the floor and are approaching the top position.
- While both weights should remain in line with the sides of your front/working leg, do not reach in towards your front/working leg with the weight that is on the opposite side of your body. This can cause your torso and hips to rotate. Both weights should remain in line with your armpits for the duration of the exercise.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or weight to shift from foot to foot.
- Do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
#5) Tripod Stance Single Arm Bent-Over Rows + Band Resistance
This exercise strengthens the mid and upper back, improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility (and stability on the planted side), and lumbo-pelvic stability. You might wonder why I am including an upper body exercise? Having a strong mid and upper back will help keep your body feeling good while you run, and will help you maintain a better running posture.
Coaching Tips:
- Attach a resistance band around a secure surface, and so it’s about a foot above the floor. Figure out what height works and feels best for you. Loop the band around your wrist on the side that will be performing the rows.
- Place your other hand on a bench. Make sure your shoulder is roughly above your hand.
- Hinge your hips back, and have a slight bend in your knees. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position. Tuck your chin, and keep your neck in a neutral position. Make sure your torso and hips are square to the floor. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- Perform a single arm row. Initiate the movement by using the muscles in your mid and upper back and draw your shoulder blade in towards your spine (retract). Do not initiate the movement with your arm, and do not use momentum.
- In the top position, do not allow your elbow to flare out.
- Lower the weight to the starting position with control. Do not keep your shoulder blade pinned.
- In the bottom position, your elbow should be close to fully extended, but not hyperextended.
- Pay attention to your non-working/supporting side. Push away from the bench and protract your shoulder blade (move it away from your spine and around your ribcage).
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or round, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate. Your torso and hips should remain square to the floor.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#6) Single Leg Hip Thrusts + Band Resistance
This exercise strengthens the glutes and improves lumbo-pelvic stability.
Coaching Tips:
- Set yourself up so your shoulder blade/upper back area is positioned on a bench.
- Place a resistance band under your midfoot and over your knee. There should be tension in the band for 100% of the exercise.
- Place your shin in a relatively vertical position or else your hamstrings might take over.
- Before you go, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection).
- Now lower your hips to a range where you can maintain proper form, and return to the top position by driving through the mid to back of your foot (you can pick up your forefoot if this works best), and squeezing your glutes, NOT by arching your lower back and flaring your ribcage. In the top position, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to knees.
- When you get to the top position, hold for a count or more and really squeeze your glutes.
- For the duration of the movement, your non-working leg should remain in a fixed position, and should not provide ANY assistance.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or round, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- Be sure to engage both the core muscles and glutes on the non-working side. This will help keep your body square, and moving as a single unit.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
- Do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.
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