Bodyweight Workout For Runners: 11 Moves + The Strength Truth

As a running coach, I can tell you—whether you’re training for a 5K, marathon, or an ultra trail race, race success doesn’t come just from logging miles; it comes from building a well-rounded foundation that supports your running every step of the way.

One of the most important, yet often overlooked, pillars of that foundation is strength training.

In addition to smart training, recovery runs, and adequate rest, runners need to prioritize other key areas: quality sleep, proper nutrition, hydration—and yes, consistent strength work.

Now, I get it. Adding strength sessions into an already-packed training plan and busy life can feel like a lot. But here’s the good news: you don’t need to join a gym or invest in expensive gear.

A simple, effective bodyweight workout can be done right at home—and it can make a big difference in your performance and injury resistance.

In this guide, I’ll break down why strength training is essential for all runners and walk you through a step-by-step routine you can start today—no equipment needed. Strong runners are durable runners. Let’s build that strength together.

The Honest Truth About Bodyweight Training For Runners

Bodyweight training for runners is usually pitched as “all you need” or “not enough.” The literature actually says: it’s plenty for endurance-runner economy and injury reduction up to a fairly clear ceiling, beyond which heavy external load gives meaningfully larger returns. Knowing where that ceiling sits prevents both the overrated novice plan that promises too much and the dismissive “real lifters lift heavy” framing that ignores who’s asking.

What bodyweight strength does for runners specifically

The runner-specific outcome that responds best to strength training is running economy — the oxygen cost of holding a given pace. Beattie et al.’s systematic review of 26 trials in trained endurance athletes found that strength training, including bodyweight-dominant programmes, improved running economy by 2–8 percent over 8–14 weeks with no negative effect on VO2max ¹Beattie K, Kenny IC, Lyons M, Carson BP. The effect of strength training on performance in endurance athletes. Sports Med. 2014;44(6):845-65.. Plyometric work specifically — box jumps, broad jumps, drop jumps, bounding — produced additional economy improvements in middle and long-distance runners over 6–9 weeks ²Saunders PU, Telford RD, Pyne DB, et al. Short-term plyometric training improves running economy in highly trained middle and long distance runners. J Strength Cond Res. 2006;20(4):947-54.. The mechanistic story is that improved tendon stiffness and neuromuscular coordination let the leg-spring return more elastic energy per stride; trained tendon stiffness alone can drop the metabolic cost of running by 3–5 percent ³Arampatzis A, Karamanidis K, Albracht K. Adaptational responses of the human Achilles tendon by modulation of the applied cyclic strain magnitude. J Exp Biol. 2007;210(Pt 15):2743-53.. Bodyweight squats, lunges, single-leg hops, and calf raises all hit the relevant tissue, especially when progressed to single-leg variants.

The injury-reduction evidence is real, but conditional

Lauersen, Bertelsen, and Andersen’s widely-cited 2014 meta-analysis found strength training — not stretching — reduced sports injuries by approximately 50 percent and overuse injuries by approximately 33 percent, with the effect dose-responsive to strength-training volume ⁴Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(11):871-7.. The 2018 update extended that finding to running specifically, with hip-abductor and posterior-chain work showing the largest single effect on lower-extremity overuse injury ⁵Lauersen JB, Andersen TE, Andersen LB. Strength training as superior, dose-dependent and safe prevention of acute and overuse sports injuries. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(24):1557-63.. Bodyweight programmes that include single-leg exercises (Bulgarian split-squats, single-leg deadlifts, side planks with leg lifts, single-leg glute bridges) consistently outperform double-leg-only programmes for runners because running is a single-leg sport ⁶Niemuth PE, Johnson RJ, Myers MJ, Thieman TJ. Hip muscle weakness and overuse injuries in recreational runners. Clin J Sport Med. 2005;15(1):14-21.. The conditional part: dose matters. Two short bodyweight sessions per week is the floor for measurable injury reduction; one is essentially noise ⁷Behm DG, Sale DG. Velocity specificity of resistance training. Sports Med. 1993;15(6):374-88..

Where bodyweight hits a ceiling

For maximal-strength gains beyond about 12–16 weeks of training, bodyweight loads typically can’t deliver the stimulus the muscle needs to keep adapting. Schoenfeld’s mechanistic review of hypertrophy training shows that progressive overload — defined as gradually increasing total tension or volume on the muscle — is the primary driver of continued strength and muscle gains ⁸Schoenfeld BJ. The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(10):2857-72.. Once a runner can do 20+ unbroken bodyweight squats or 10+ single-leg squats, the strength stimulus from those movements has plateaued; progression has to come from tempo manipulation, plyometric variants, weighted carries, or external load. Heavy slow-resistance training (3–5 sets of 4–6 reps at heavy load) gives runners a different and complementary adaptation than bodyweight: improved rate of force development, larger Achilles tendon CSA, and reduced injury risk ⁹Beyer R, Kongsgaard M, Hougs Kjaer B, Ohlenschlaeger T, Kjaer M, Magnusson SP. Heavy slow resistance versus eccentric training as treatment for Achilles tendinopathy. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43(7):1704-11.. Runners aiming at sub-3 marathons or sub-19 5Ks tend to benefit from external load alongside bodyweight, not instead.

Programming: timing, frequency, and the “junk volume” trap

The biggest programming mistake runners make is treating bodyweight strength as a fatigue-free filler. Doerksen and Bell’s and the broader concurrent-training literature shows that high-volume strength performed within a few hours of a hard run blunts the strength response (the “interference” effect) ¹⁰Wilson JM, Marin PJ, Rhea MR, Wilson SM, Loenneke JP, Anderson JC. Concurrent training: a meta-analysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises. J Strength Cond Res. 2012;26(8):2293-307.. The cleanest stack for runners is strength on hard-running days (same day, separated by 3–6 hours) so easy days stay easy and adaptive overload concentrates on the same physiological day ¹¹Coffey VG, Hawley JA. The molecular bases of training adaptation. Sports Med. 2007;37(9):737-63.. Two sessions per week of 20–30 minutes is the practical sweet spot for trained runners; novices benefit from 2–3 sessions of shorter duration. Junk volume — sub-maximal sets that don’t reach proximity to failure — produces almost no strength adaptation and accumulates fatigue without benefit ¹²Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-23.. The fix is taking working sets close enough to failure to drive adaptation (typically 1–3 reps in reserve) rather than chasing rep counts.

Who should stay bodyweight-only — and who shouldn’t

For runners new to strength training, returning from injury, or with limited time and equipment, a well-designed bodyweight programme delivers most of the injury-reduction and economy benefit available from strength work in the first 12–24 weeks. The point of diminishing returns hits roughly when single-leg variants stop being challenging. For older runners (past 50–60), there’s a separate argument for adding external load: age-related sarcopenia and bone-density loss respond more reliably to higher-intensity loading than to high-rep bodyweight, and the BJSM consensus on resistance training for masters athletes specifically recommends weighted resistance for both performance and longevity ¹³Mcleod JC, Stokes T, Phillips SM. Resistance exercise training as a primary countermeasure to age-related chronic disease. Front Physiol. 2019;10:645.. The honest reading: bodyweight-only is a perfectly defensible long-term strategy for many recreational runners, and a temporary one for runners chasing performance or fighting age-related strength loss.

Benefits of Strength Training For Runners 

Why should you add strength training to your general training program? Because it provides a ton of benefits to make you a better runner and all-around healthy, strong athlete.

More specifically, strength training can:

• Increase muscles strength¹⁴Ferrauti, A., Bergermann, M., & Fernandez-Fernandez, J. (2010). Effects of a Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training on Running Performance and Running Economy in Recreational Marathon Runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(10), 2770–2778. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181d64e9c to allow you to run faster and longer.
• Fix imbalances and weaknesses in the body to help avoid overuse injuries
• Boost running performance.¹⁵Berryman, N., Mujika, I., Arvisais, D., Roubeix, M., Binet, C., & Bosquet, L. (2018). Strength Training for Middle- and Long-Distance Performance: A Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(1), 57–64.
• Better running economy¹⁶Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Santos-Concejero, J., & Grivas, G. V. (2016). Effects of Strength Training on Running Economy in Highly Trained Runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(8), 2361–2368.
• Improve posture, in turn improving running form 

Strength Training Tips

Here are some general tips to help work this total bodyweight workout into your weekly routine:

• Add two non-consecutive strength training sessions into your weekly schedule.
• If running is your priority, complete your running workout first and your strength training second.
• Ideally, leave at least 4-6 hours between these sessions, so if you run before work at 6:00 am, try and do your full bodyweight workout for runners after work in the afternoon. 
• Focus on good posture and form for each exercise to decrease the risk of pain or injury. 
• Be consistent. If you skip too many days, you’ll feel sore after each workout, and you won’t be able to adapt adequately. 
• If you are not currently strength training, begin with 2 rounds of 8 reps of each of these exercises, and gradually build up to 3 rounds of 12-14 reps.

So, are you ready to get your workout on?

Bodyweight Workout For Runners: No Equipment Needed

#1: Bodyweight Squats 

The classic squat should be a staple in all strength workouts for runners. Here, we will look at a traditional bodyweight squat, but there are endless variations you can add to your workouts. If you want to spice it up, check out our 20 squat variations, here.

1. Stand tall, core engaged, with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and your toes pointed out slightly.
2. Bring your hands together at the middle of your chest.
3. Bring your hips back as if you were going to sit back in a chair and lower down to 90 degrees where your thighs are parallel to the floor. 
4. Be sure your back stays straight and your chest up at all times. 
5. Push through your heels back up to your starting position. 

Note: Ensure that your knees do not collapse inward when you lower into your squat. You want to push your knees outward to avoid this.  

#2: Reverse Lunges 

Another classic exercise for runners is lunges. This unilateral exercise forces us to work each leg separately, which is excellent for improving imbalances. 

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest up, and shoulders back, looking straight ahead. 
2. Take a big step back with your right foot, placing the ball of your foot on the floor behind you. 
3. As you take this step, bend both knees until they reach 90 degrees. Your right knee will be just above the ground, and your left thigh will parallel the floor. 
4. Push off your back foot and return to the starting position. 
5. Alternate legs.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Note: Ensure you take a large enough step back that your front knee does not pass over your front toes and that both legs are at 90 degrees when you reach your lunge position. 

#3: Lateral Lunges

Here we have another lunge variation focusing on adductors, glutes, quads, and hamstrings.

1. Stand tall with your feet together, chest up, and shoulders back, looking straight ahead. 
2. Take a big step to your left, hinge forward at the hips, and sit back as you would sit back in a chair, bending your left knee into a lunge position.
3. Push off your left foot and return to the starting position. 
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps.
5. Repeat on the other side.

#4: Single Leg Glute Bridge 

This unilateral exercise is much trickier than a traditional double-leg glute bride as it causes instability. This exercise will work your glutes to the max in addition to your hamstrings and lower back. 

1. Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent, arms by your sides, and heels on the floor at hip-width apart.
2. Lift your right leg and extend it straight parallel to your right thigh. 
3. Engage your core and lift your hips off the ground, aligning with your left knee. 
4. Hold this position for a second, activating your glutes and keeping your hips aligned. 
5. Lower your hips to the starting position. 
6. Repeat for the desired amount of reps.
7. Repeat on the other side.

#5: Hamstring Walkouts

Now that we’ve warmed up our hamstrings, let’s really give them a workout with our walkout: 

1. Lie on the floor, facing up, arms by your side. 
2. Bend both knees bringing your feet close to your glutes.
3. Push up on your heels and extend your hips as if pushing up into a glute bridge with both feet. 
4. Take short steps forward, alternating your feet, until your legs are fully extended, bodyweight supported by your heels. 
5. Pause in this extended position for a moment.
6. Retake short steps, this time back toward your starting position. 
7. Repeat for the desired amount of reps or time.

Moving on to the calves:

#6: Calf Raises 

1. Stand tall with your shoulders back and core engaged.
2. Push up through the balls of your feet and raise your heels until you are on your tip-toes. 
3. Slowly lower yourself back down. 
4. Repeat for the desired amount of reps or time.

Note: To increase the difficulty of this exercise, you can perform it by balancing on a single leg or on the edge of a step to lower down below floor level. 

Onto our core:

#7: Up-Down Plank 

This exercise is a mix between a plank, and a push-up, creating a core/upper body workout, that will also raise your heart rate.

1. Lie face down on the floor, hands on either side next to your shoulders, palms facing down.
2. Engaging your core, push yourself into the full plank position, body in a straight line from head to foot. 
3. Your hands, elbows, and shoulders should be in a straight line, shoulder-width apart, with weight distributed between your arms and toes.
4. The closer together your feet are, the more difficult the plank becomes. If you need more stability, separate your feet, so they are further apart. 
5. Now, take your right arm and lower down onto your right forearm.
6. Do the same with your left arm so that you are in an elbow plank. 
7. Then, push back up on your left side with your left palm, and then on your right, back up into a full plank position. 
8. Alternate which arm you lower yourself down with each time. 
9. Repeat for the desired number of reps or time. 

One more core exercise, but now one that works the obliques:

#8: Side Plank 

1. Begin by lying on your right side with your legs extended, top foot slightly in front of the lower foot lined up front to back, and right forearm propping yourself up.
2. Lift your hips off the floor, keeping your body straight and firm.
3. Hold this position for the desired amount of time. 

Note: If your hips begin to sag, adjust them as necessary back up into the correct position.

#9: Superman 

The Superman works your lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and upper back—strengthening the entire posterior chain to support posture, stability, and injury prevention.

1. Lie facedown on the floor with your arms extended in front of you and your legs straight behind you. 
2. Engage your glutes and core and lift your arms and legs off the ground simultaneously, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
3. Hold this position for a second.
4. Gently lower yourself back to the floor. 
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps or amount of time. 

Now let’s move to our upper bodies: 

#10: Push Up 

In this version of a push up, we will keep our hands right next to our chest, and our elbows will bend straight back instead of out to the sides. 

1. Lie on your stomach, palms on the ground lined up on either side of your chest, and your feet hip-width apart.
2. Push through your hands, extending your elbows as you raise yourself up and keeping your body as straight as a board.
3. Lower yourself back down in a controlled manner, bending your elbows until your body is barely above the ground. 
4. Repeat for the desired amount of reps. 

Note: To work up to this exercise, you may begin with performing push-ups against a wall, on your knees, or on a bench for extra help. 

#11: Burpee 

The burpee works your chest, shoulders, arms, core, glutes, quads, and hamstrings—delivering a full-body strength and cardio challenge in one explosive move.

1. Stand tall with your feet a bit wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Lower yourself down into a squat position.
3. Place your hands on the floor in front of you.
4. Jump your feet back to a plank position with your back straight and hands under your shoulders. 
5. Do a push-up.
6. Jump your feet back to their starting squat position and immediately jump straight into the air, arms extended overhead, landing softly. 
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps or amount of time.

There you have it, a full body workout for runners with no equipment needed that you can do in the comfort of your own home, the park, or a hotel room when traveling. 

Check out our strength training database for other great workouts to try:

The Latest Cross Training For Runners Guides

References

• 1
  Beattie K, Kenny IC, Lyons M, Carson BP. The effect of strength training on performance in endurance athletes. Sports Med. 2014;44(6):845-65.
• 2
  Saunders PU, Telford RD, Pyne DB, et al. Short-term plyometric training improves running economy in highly trained middle and long distance runners. J Strength Cond Res. 2006;20(4):947-54.
• 3
  Arampatzis A, Karamanidis K, Albracht K. Adaptational responses of the human Achilles tendon by modulation of the applied cyclic strain magnitude. J Exp Biol. 2007;210(Pt 15):2743-53.
• 4
  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. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(11):871-7.
• 5
  Lauersen JB, Andersen TE, Andersen LB. Strength training as superior, dose-dependent and safe prevention of acute and overuse sports injuries. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(24):1557-63.
• 6
  Niemuth PE, Johnson RJ, Myers MJ, Thieman TJ. Hip muscle weakness and overuse injuries in recreational runners. Clin J Sport Med. 2005;15(1):14-21.
• 7
  Behm DG, Sale DG. Velocity specificity of resistance training. Sports Med. 1993;15(6):374-88.
• 8
  Schoenfeld BJ. The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(10):2857-72.
• 9
  Beyer R, Kongsgaard M, Hougs Kjaer B, Ohlenschlaeger T, Kjaer M, Magnusson SP. Heavy slow resistance versus eccentric training as treatment for Achilles tendinopathy. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43(7):1704-11.
• 10
  Wilson JM, Marin PJ, Rhea MR, Wilson SM, Loenneke JP, Anderson JC. Concurrent training: a meta-analysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises. J Strength Cond Res. 2012;26(8):2293-307.
• 11
  Coffey VG, Hawley JA. The molecular bases of training adaptation. Sports Med. 2007;37(9):737-63.
• 12
  Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-23.
• 13
  Mcleod JC, Stokes T, Phillips SM. Resistance exercise training as a primary countermeasure to age-related chronic disease. Front Physiol. 2019;10:645.
• 14
  Ferrauti, A., Bergermann, M., & Fernandez-Fernandez, J. (2010). Effects of a Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training on Running Performance and Running Economy in Recreational Marathon Runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(10), 2770–2778. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181d64e9c
• 15
  Berryman, N., Mujika, I., Arvisais, D., Roubeix, M., Binet, C., & Bosquet, L. (2018). Strength Training for Middle- and Long-Distance Performance: A Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(1), 57–64.
• 16
  Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Santos-Concejero, J., & Grivas, G. V. (2016). Effects of Strength Training on Running Economy in Highly Trained Runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(8), 2361–2368.