Five Lower Body Exercises for Runners

Strength training is important for runners. It can improve efficiency and reduce injury risk. Adding in two strength training sessions per week can be beneficial for all athletes. I prefer 3-4 days for myself, but I enjoy strength training.

Runners need to focus on strengthing their glutes, quads, and hamstrings. These muscles stabilize the hips and knees. For runners, I like to focus on single-leg exercises, because runners spend most of their time on one leg. To train efficiently for running, we want to focus on exercises that have us on one leg.

Singe Leg Split Squat

The split squat is excellent for runners. It gets them into a similar position as running. It is a great strengthener for the glutes and the quads. Focus on keeping the chest up. Aim for a full range of motion (back knee touching the ground) but don’t force it.

Single-Leg Deadlift

The single-leg deadlift is great for building the glutes and other muscles used in hip extension. The single-leg deadlift is also great for improving balance. Runners spend most of their time running on one leg, good balance is definitely useful. Make sure to keep a neutral spine, and focus on using the glutes when extending the hips (standing up).

Lunge

The lunge is a great exercise for the same reasons as the split squat. The lunge and the split squat are similar movements and stimulate the same muscles. Some find the lunge to be easier than the split-squat, so pick what feels good.

Back Squat

The back squat strengthens the quads, glutes and less noted, the core. This is because the back squat forces the athlete to brace their core when executing the movement.  For runners, I would choose the single-leg split squat or the lunge over the back squat. Still, the back squat is one of the best exercises anyone can do.  The back squat has the perk of training both legs at the same time. This will speed up the workout for those in a rush. For stronger athletes, the back squat will cause more fatigue than one of the single-leg movements.

Back squats should always be done with a full range of motion. That means aiming to squat down until the ass touches the calves. But that depth shouldn’t be forced. If that depth cant be reached, then the squat should be done as low as possible without pain. Over time, the weighted stretch of squatting will help get to a full-depth squat. 

Deadlift

The deadlift is a great lower body exercise. If I had to pick one exercise to do for the rest of my life, it would be the deadlift. The deadlift trains the glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors. It also has carryover to the quads and the core. The deadlift is not a single-leg exercise so it won’t have as much specificity to running. Like the squat, the deadlift can cause a large amount of systematic fatigue. I would not have heavy deadlifts the day of or before a hard running workout. Like the single-leg version, neutral spine, and focus on the glutes. Also, focus on having all the tension on the hamstrings before starting the pull.