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How Much Strength Training Do Runners Actually Need?

Training Basics

For runners, strength training can sometimes feel like an optional extra.

There is always another run to fit in. Another long run to complete. Another interval session that needs to happen.

So where does the gym fit?

The answer is that runners do not need to train like bodybuilders or powerlifters. But there is good evidence that appropriately designed strength training can improve running performance, particularly running economy.

The challenge is finding the right amount.

Too little may provide little stimulus. Too much can create soreness and fatigue that interferes with the running that matters most.

The goal is not to become as strong as possible.

It is to become strong enough to run well.

Why Should Runners Strength Train?

Running is repetitive.

Every kilometre involves thousands of ground contacts. Your muscles and connective tissues repeatedly absorb and produce force while maintaining your body position and propelling you forward.

Strength training gives you a way to develop force-producing capacity outside of running itself.

This can matter for running performance.

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis examining strength training in middle- and long-distance runners found that high-load strength training and combined strength methods improved running performance. High-load training also produced small improvements in running economy.

Running economy is particularly important.

It describes how much oxygen or energy you need to run at a given submaximal speed. If two runners have similar aerobic capacity but one uses less energy at the same pace, that runner has better running economy.

Strength training appears capable of improving this quality without necessarily increasing VO₂max.

That distinction is important.

You do not need strength training to make your heart and lungs better at taking in oxygen. You can improve the efficiency with which your body produces running movement.

A systematic review of highly trained runners found beneficial effects of strength training on running economy, with several studies using two to three sessions per week over 8 to 12 weeks.

Strength training may also improve the force-producing capacity of muscles involved in running.

Research in distance runners has found increases in strength of the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal muscles and ankle plantarflexors following combined strength and endurance training.

That does not mean stronger muscles automatically make someone a faster runner.

It means strength is one physical quality that can support running performance.

How Many Strength Sessions Do Runners Need?

There is no universal number.

The research on runners has used anything from one to four strength sessions per week, depending on the study and training program. A 2024 meta-analysis examining running economy included interventions lasting 6 to 24 weeks with one to four sessions per week.

But that does not mean four sessions are necessary.

For most recreational runners, two strength sessions per week is a practical target.

One session can also be useful when time is limited.

The important consideration is the relationship between strength training and running volume.

If you run three times per week, adding two strength sessions may be manageable.

If you run six times per week and have two quality workouts plus a long run, two demanding gym sessions may require more careful scheduling.

The question should therefore be:

How much strength training can I recover from while still completing my important running sessions well?

That is a better question than simply asking how many gym sessions you can fit into your calendar.

What Movements Matter?

A runner's strength program does not need dozens of exercises.

The most useful approach is to cover the major movement and muscle groups involved in running.

That generally means including movements that train:

• Knee extension
• Hip extension
• Hip abduction and stabilization
• Knee flexion
• Calf and ankle plantarflexion
• Single-leg control
• Trunk stability

In practice, this can be achieved with a relatively small exercise selection.

A basic program might include:

Squat or split squat

Trains the quadriceps, glutes and other lower-body muscles.

Deadlift or Romanian deadlift

Targets the posterior chain, including the hamstrings and glutes.

Step-up or lunge

Provides a unilateral movement that requires one leg to produce and control force.

Calf raise

Targets the calf complex and ankle plantarflexors.

Hamstring curl

Provides direct knee-flexion work for the hamstrings.

Core exercise

Develops trunk strength and control.

You do not need all of these in every session.

The objective is to expose the relevant tissues to sufficient resistance over time.

Lower Body vs Core

Running is a whole-body movement, but the lower limbs obviously perform much of the mechanical work.

That is why lower-body strength should generally receive more attention than an extensive collection of isolated abdominal exercises.

The quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calf muscles all contribute to producing and absorbing forces during running.

Research supports improvements in lower-body strength following combined strength and endurance training in runners.

That does not mean core training is irrelevant.

Your trunk provides a stable platform for movement and transfers forces between the upper and lower body.

But runners do not necessarily need a separate 30-minute "core workout" every time they visit the gym.

Squats, split squats, deadlifts and other compound movements already require substantial trunk control.

Additional exercises such as planks, side planks or anti-rotation movements can be useful, particularly when they address a specific weakness or are part of a broader strength program.

Think of core training as part of your strength program rather than a completely separate category.

Strength Is Not the Same as Hypertrophy

This distinction is particularly important for runners.

Strength training and hypertrophy training overlap, but they are not identical goals.

Hypertrophy training aims to increase muscle size.

Strength training aims to increase the amount of force you can produce.

A runner generally does not need to maximize muscle size.

That does not mean gaining muscle is inherently bad for runners. Muscle mass can contribute to force production and overall physical capacity.

But adding large amounts of muscle is not the primary objective of most distance runners.

This is one reason strength programs for runners often emphasize relatively heavy loads, controlled repetitions and appropriate volume rather than very high-volume bodybuilding-style sessions.

Recent evidence supports this distinction.

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis found that high-load strength training improved running performance and running economy, while strength training methods did not meaningfully improve VO₂max.

The benefit appears to be related more to neuromuscular and mechanical qualities than to simply adding muscle mass.

You are not trying to build the biggest legs possible.

You are trying to make your existing running system more capable.

How Should You Combine Strength With Running?

This is where scheduling matters.

Strength training creates its own fatigue.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of acute strength training in runners found increases in muscle soreness, creatine kinase and perceived exertion after resistance training, with some evidence of reduced subsequent running performance.

So putting a hard leg workout immediately before your most important running session is not ideal.

A simple weekly structure might look like:

Monday: Rest or easy run Tuesday: Quality run Wednesday: Easy run + strength Thursday: Easy run Friday: Strength Saturday: Rest or easy run Sunday: Long run

Another option is to combine strength and running on the same day, particularly when doing so creates clearer hard and easy days.

For example:

Tuesday: Quality run + strength Wednesday: Easy run Thursday: Easy run Friday: Strength Saturday: Rest Sunday: Long run

The best arrangement depends on your schedule and recovery.

But one principle is useful:

Protect the quality of your key running sessions.

If Tuesday's interval workout is important, you do not want Monday's strength session to leave your legs too sore to execute it.

What About Doing Strength Before Running?

When strength and endurance are performed in the same session, the order can matter.

A systematic review and meta-analysis found that performing resistance exercise before endurance exercise produced greater improvements in lower-body dynamic strength than performing endurance exercise first, while aerobic capacity was not meaningfully affected by exercise order.

This suggests that if your primary goal for the session is strength development, strength may deserve priority.

But runners often have a different priority.

If the key session is a quality run, you generally want to perform that run with fresh legs.

That means strength can be placed after the run, rather than before it.

You are unlikely to gain much from turning your interval workout into a fatigued compromise just so you can complete your squats first.

What About the "Interference Effect"?

You may have heard that endurance training and strength training interfere with each other.

There is some evidence for this phenomenon, but it is more complicated than the idea that runners should never lift weights.

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis involving 59 studies found a small attenuation of lower-body strength adaptations in males performing concurrent strength and endurance training, while no significant difference was found in females. The researchers also found that training status influenced some outcomes.

Another meta-analysis found that the potential interference effect is influenced by factors including endurance-training frequency and duration.

For runners, this means the concern is less about whether you can combine strength and running.

You clearly can.

The bigger issue is managing the total training load.

If you are running high mileage, completing multiple quality sessions and adding several hard gym workouts, fatigue can accumulate.

The answer is not necessarily to remove strength training.

It may be to reduce its volume and keep the most important sessions high quality.

Strength Training During Marathon Training

Marathon training creates a particular challenge.

As mileage increases, your recovery capacity becomes increasingly valuable.

That does not mean you should automatically stop strength training.

In fact, maintaining strength work during a marathon build can help preserve a quality that you have developed during earlier training.

But the strength program should evolve with the running program.

During a base phase, you may have more room for strength volume.

As marathon-specific mileage increases, you may reduce the number of exercises, sets or total gym volume while maintaining the intensity of the important movements.

This is different from abandoning strength training completely.

The objective becomes maintenance rather than continual progression.

A marathoner might therefore use two shorter strength sessions per week early in a training block and move toward one or two lower-volume sessions as race-specific running becomes more demanding.

The exact approach depends on the athlete.

There is no evidence that every marathon runner needs a particular number of strength sessions during every phase.

What matters is that strength training supports rather than compromises the running plan.

What If You Only Have 20 Minutes?

This is where strength training becomes much easier.

You do not need an hour in the gym.

A short session can cover the most important movements.

For example:

Squat or split squat 2 to 3 sets

Romanian deadlift 2 to 3 sets

Calf raise 2 to 3 sets

Core exercise 2 to 3 sets

That is enough to train a large proportion of the relevant lower-body and trunk musculature.

You can also use supersets to reduce the amount of time spent resting.

For example:

Squat + calf raise

Romanian deadlift + side plank

The goal is not to make the workout exhausting.

It is to provide a consistent strength stimulus.

If you only have time for one session each week, do one.

A small amount of well-designed strength training is more realistic than an elaborate program that you cannot maintain.

What About Injury Prevention?

This is one area where it is important to be careful.

Strength training is often marketed to runners as an injury-prevention guarantee.

The evidence is not that simple.

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise-based injury-prevention programs in endurance runners found no significant overall reduction in running-related injury risk or injury rate. A post hoc analysis found lower injury risk in supervised interventions, but the authors noted that most included studies had low methodological quality.

So strength training should not be presented as a guarantee against injury.

It can improve strength and physical capacity.

It can improve running economy.

It can help address specific physical limitations.

But injuries are multifactorial.

Training load, previous injury, recovery, biomechanics, sleep, health and many other factors can all matter.

Strength training is one part of the system.

Not an insurance policy.

The Minimum Effective Dose

For a runner with limited time, the goal should be simple.

Do enough strength training to create a useful stimulus without taking away from running.

For many runners, that means one or two sessions per week.

Prioritize:

1. A squat or single-leg squat pattern
2. A hip hinge pattern
3. Calf strengthening
4. Some trunk work
5. Additional exercises where there is a specific need

Use enough resistance that the exercises are meaningfully challenging.

Progress the load or difficulty over time.

Avoid unnecessary volume.

And protect your key running sessions.

You do not need to spend five days in the gym to become a stronger runner.

Strength Training Should Make Running Easier, Not Harder

The best strength program for a runner is not the one with the most exercises.

It is the one that improves useful physical qualities while fitting into the rest of the training week.

Strength training can improve running economy and performance. Research supports high-load strength training and some combined strength approaches for this purpose.

But more is not automatically better.

If your strength sessions leave you unable to complete your next important run, the program needs adjusting.

If you have only 20 minutes, use the 20 minutes.

If you are in the middle of marathon training, reduce the volume when necessary while maintaining the important movements.

If you are new to strength training, start simply and build gradually.

And if you are already running consistently, think of strength training as another training stimulus that needs to fit into the same recovery budget as everything else.

Your goal is not to become a lifter who happens to run.

It is to become a stronger runner.

That means the gym should ultimately serve the run.

References

1. Beattie, K., Kenny, I. C., Lyons, M., & Carson, B. P. (2017). The Effect of Strength Training on Performance in Endurance Athletes. Sports Medicine.
2. Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Santos-Concejero, J., & Grivas, G. V. (2016). Effects of Strength Training on Running Economy in Highly Trained Runners: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
3. Llanos-Lagos, C., et al. (2024). Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners' Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine.
4. Llanos-Lagos, C., et al. (2024). The Effect of Strength Training Methods on Middle-Distance and Long-Distance Runners' Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine.
5. Bonacci, J., et al. (2019). Effect of Strength Training on Biomechanical and Neuromuscular Variables in Distance Runners: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine.
6. Wilson, J. M., et al. (2012). Concurrent Training: A Meta-analysis Examining Interference of Aerobic and Resistance Exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
7. Huiberts, R. O., Wüst, R. C. I., & van der Zwaard, S. (2024). Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Impact of Sex and Training Status. Sports Medicine.
8. Murlasits, Z., Kneffel, Z., & Thalib, L. (2018). The Physiological Effects of Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training Sequence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences.
9. Eddens, L., van Someren, K., & Howatson, G. (2018). The Role of Intra-Session Exercise Sequence in the Interference Effect: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine.
10. Carvalho e Silva, G. I., et al. (2022). Acute Neuromuscular, Physiological and Performance Responses After Strength Training in Runners: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine.
11. Wu, H., et al. (2024). Do Exercise-Based Prevention Programs Reduce Injury in Endurance Runners? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine.