Run Strong: Why Runners Need Strength Training for Resilient Legs (and Faster Times)
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1 / 62 / 63 / 6will not do it
4 / 6strength weeks
5 / 6resilient legs
6 / 6The Short Version
- A 2018 review of 24 studies found strength training generally improved running economy in distance runners by 2–8%, with better time-trial and sprint performance too.
- It also did not harm body composition. Lifting will not make you bulky in a way that slows you down.
- Strength training was linked to far fewer sports injuries in a large review of injury-prevention trials. Two to three sessions a week is a common recommendation.
Plenty of runners still believe that lifting weights will make them heavy and slow. So they run, and only start strength work when a sore knee or a tight hamstring sends them to a physio.
The research points the other way. Here is what strength training does for runners, why the bulk worry is mostly misplaced, and how to start.
Photo: SportPlus.sg / Isis Ang
Strength Training for Runners at a Glance
| Question | What the research says |
|---|---|
| Does it make you more efficient? | Running economy generally improved by 2–8% across the studies reviewed |
| Does it make you faster? | Time-trial (1.5–10km) and sprint performance tended to improve |
| Does it make you bulky? | Body composition was not negatively affected |
| Does it prevent injuries? | In a review of 25 trials, strength training cut sports injuries to less than a third |
| How often? | Two to three sessions a week, mixing types of strength work |
What Strength Training Does for Your Running
Better Running Economy
Running economy is how much energy you use at a given pace. A 2018 systematic review in Sports Medicine looked at 24 studies of middle- and long-distance runners who added heavy resistance, explosive or plyometric training for at least four weeks. Running economy was measured in 20 of them and generally improved by 2–8% compared with runners who only ran, though not in every study.
Faster Times
The same review found time-trial performance over 1.5 to 10km, and sprint speed, also tended to improve. Other measures, including VO2 max, were typically unaffected. In other words, strength work helps you use the fitness you have more efficiently.
Fewer Injuries
A 2014 review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine pooled 25 trials with 26,610 participants. Strength training reduced sports injuries to less than a third, and overuse injuries could be almost halved. Stretching, by contrast, showed no benefit.
Strength training helps you use the fitness you already have.
Will It Make You Bulky?
The 2018 review found that measures of body composition were not negatively affected when runners added strength training. Building a lot of muscle takes a particular kind of training and eating, and two or three focused sessions a week alongside your running is not that.
How to Start
- Two to Three Sessions a Week: The 2018 review suggests adding two to three strength sessions a week, using a variety of types.
- Mix It Up: Combine heavier lifts (squats, deadlifts, split squats), explosive work and some jumping drills.
- Single-Leg Work: Running is a series of one-legged landings, so lunges, step-ups and single-leg calf raises earn their place.
- Time It Around Hard Runs: Avoid heavy leg sessions the day before a key run or race.
- Learn the Form First: If you are new to lifting, get someone to check your technique before you add weight.
Build Stronger Legs with STR Fitness Club on ATHLO+
STR Fitness Club's Run Strong ($150) is a 12-week running-specific strength programme designed to build stronger, more resilient legs. STR sends your plan as a PDF within 3 working days, you train wherever you like, and STR checks in at the end of the 12 weeks to reset your goals.
Ready to know when a niggle needs more than strength work? Read Push Through or See a Physio? next.
Sources
- Blagrove RC, Howatson G, Hayes PR. Effects of Strength Training on the Physiological Determinants of Middle- and Long-Distance Running Performance: A Systematic Review. Sports Medicine, 2018.
- Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014.
- Product details from the STR Fitness Club pages on ATHLO+, 3 November 2026.
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