Strength Workouts to Manage Injuries benefits of strength training for your run performance (more power, better balance, improved efficiency, and potentially lower risk of injury, to name a few). But actually putting strength training on your schedule and making it a consistent part of your routine—the key to results—is a different story.

The best way to make strength workouts for runners actually happen is to keep it simple. Don’t worry about overly complicated moves or fitting it in at the exact right day or time. Put it on your training plan for at least two days of the week that work for you—potentially pairing it with a hard run workout day so you still have true rest days on your weekly calendar—and stick with it, just like you do your runs.

Then save this page and click back whenever you’re ready to lift some weights (or just do some strength moves with your bodyweight if you’re Minute Arm Workout). You can also turn to one of our strength plans to really keep it consistent, whether you’re building a base or training for a race.


Beginner Strength Workouts

a man doing bodyweight strength training
DAA Industry Opt Out
Trevor Raab
danielle hirt doing a bodyweight exercise called the push up
30 Bodyweight Exercises
Thomas Hengge
coach jess movold doing a dumbbell workout for beginners in august 2022
Beginner Workout for Marathoners
Trevor Raab
coach jess movold doing a dumbbell workout for beginners in august 2022
Core Workout With Weights
Trevor Raab
woman practicing bear plank on a mat
Deputy Editor, Health & Fitness
Lindsey Clayton

Strength Workouts to Get Faster

strength workout to run faster
Weight Training to Increase Speed
Thomas Hengge
chris lee goblet squat
Strength & Stability to Run Faster
Philip Friedman
trainer ian finestein performing a series of squat exercises in may 2022
Leg Day Workout
Adam Hoff

Strength Plans for Race Training

woman doing a rep of a step up with dumbbells, running injury
16-Week Marathon Strength Plan
Trevor Raab
monique lebrun performing an exercise part of the 5x5 series
Strength Training for a Half Marathon
Trevor Raab
man practicing a lunge exercise
How to Strength Train for a 5K
Yusuf Jeffers

Strength Training Plans

free weight exercises, forward lunge to hammer curl
4-Week Plan to Invent a Strength Base
Lindsey Clayton
core workout with weights
8-Week Progressive Strength Plan
Trevor Raab
coach jess movold doing a dumbbell workout for beginners in august 2022
3-Day-a-Week Strength Plan
Trevor Raab

Total-Body Strength Workouts

natascha grief performing a series of plank exercises
10 Essential Strength Exercises
Adam Hoff
functional exercise
Weight Training for Runners
Trevor Raab
natalie niemczyk doing a barbell workout at the sheffield in october 2021
5The Benefits of Pilates for Runners
Joshua Simpson
fullbody circuit, fullbody workout
Full-Body Circuit Workout
Dane Miklaus
strength vs endurance training in october 2021 at the sheffield with yusuf jeffers
20-Minute Full-Body Workout
Joshua Simpson

Strength Plans for Race Training

leg day workout, bulgarian split squat
Leg Day Workout
Dane Miklaus
knee strengthening exercises
Knee-Strengthening Exercises
Simone Tchouke
ankle strengthening exercise
Ankle-Strengthening Exercises
Noam Tamir
single leg exercises
Glute-Strengthening Workout
Trevor Raab
push pull legs workout single leg elevated glute bridge
Week Marathon Strength Plan
Dane Miklaus
hip abductor exercises
The Best Ankle Strengthening Exercises for Runners
Adam Hoff
hip adductor exercises
How to Treat Tight Calves
Adam Hoff
hip extension exercises
Hip Extension Exercises
Samantha Rothberg
jess movold doing a series of single leg exercises
Single-Leg Exercises
Trevor Raab
lower leg workouts
GET THE WORKOUT
David Monk

Upper-Body Strength Workouts

stress exercises push up
Shoulder-Strengthening Exercises
Thomas Hengge
upperbody dumbbell workout, chest press to situp to shoulder press
Upper-Body Dumbbell Workout
Yusuf Jeffers
upper body kettlebell workout, half kneeling overhead press
Upper-Body Kettlebell Workout
Noam Tamir
back and biceps workout, bentover reverse fly
Strength Workouts to Manage Injuries
Amber Rees
chest and triceps workout, alternating triceps kickback
Chest & Triceps Workout
Lindsey Clayton
back workout at home, balancing singlearm scaption
At-Home Back Workout
Yusuf Jeffers
pull workouts, side plank row
Pull Workout
Yusuf Jeffers
dumbbell push workout, bear crawl to dumbbell push
Push Workout
Noam Tamir
shoulder and arm workout, yusuf jeffers practicing iyt raises
Shoulders & Arms Workout
Yusuf Jeffers
clayton practicing a 10 minute arm workout
10-Nutrition - Weight Loss
Lindsey Clayton

Core Workouts

deep core exercises
Deep Core Exercises
Noam Tamir
core stability exercises for runners
Core-Stability Workout
Trevor Raab
natascha grief performing a series of plank exercises
Best Core-Strengthening Exercises
Adam Hoff
coach jess doing a core workout
Core Workout With Weights
Trevor Raab
pelvic stability
Give A Gift
David Monk
anti rotation exercises, bird dog with yoga block
4 Top Pelvic-Floor Exercises
Trevor Raab
wall pilates workout a woman stretching on a mat
Should You Run Before or After a Strength Workout
Trevor Raab
intense ab workout
Intense Abs Workout
Raj Hathiramani
lower abs exercise
The Best Moves to Prevent Injuries
Runner's World
20 minute functional core
20-Minute Functional Core Workout
Pelvic Stability Workout

Strength Workouts to Manage Injuries

achillies routines
The Best Strength Workouts for Runners, Whether Youre New or Experienced
Trevor Raab
dr rena eleazar doing a lower back workout at the sheffield in october 2021
Exercises to Address Lower Back Pain
Joshua Simpson
single leg glute bridge for hip flexor relief
Exercises for Shin Splints
Thomas Hengge
plantar fasciitis exercises, clamshell
Plantar Fasciitis Exercises
Thomas Hengge
coach jess movold performing antirotation exercises
The Best Moves to Prevent Injuries
Trevor Raab

Headshot of Mallory Creveling
Mallory Creveling
Deputy Editor, Health & Fitness

Mallory Creveling is an ACE-certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified run coach, who also holds multiple other fitness certifications and regularly stays on top of her continuing education in the field. She has more than a decade of experience covering fitness, health, and nutrition for a wide range of publications, and she has nearly 10 years of experience as a trainer and fitness instructor. Mallory stays on top of the latest science in wellness, has worked with some of the best experts in their medical fields, and regularly interviews researchers, trainers, athletes, and more to find the best advice for readers looking to improve their performance and well-being.

As a freelance writer, Mallory's work appeared in Women's Health, Self, Men's Journal, Reader's Digest, and more. She has also held staff editorial positions at Family Circle and Shape magazines, as well as DailyBurn.com. A former New Yorker/Brooklynite, she's now based in Easton, Pennsylvania.