8 Exercises for Leg Strength in Running

Leg strength is pivotal to improving running. While it is often assumed that just running over and over can make you an excellent runner, research shows that strengthening your legs can help prevent injury, improve mobility, and increase explosive power.

It’s now being suggested that adding strength training exercises to your weekly schedule can improve your running and keep you running for longer, helping with hip mobility, balance and core strength.

Lunges 

Lunges are pivotal strengthening exercises for runners. When done correctly, they assist in hip control and strengthen the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core—all muscles we use when we run. This exercise can be a great indicator of identifying weaknesses within your body. 

• Stand with feet together and hands down by side. You can also hold onto dumbbells or, if working out from home, heavy water bottles. 
• Step one foot forward; your knee should hover over the floor with your front knee at a right angle. 
• You should be tensing your core for stability, feeling the muscles in your legs squeeze. 
• Push off from the front leg back to the standing position
• Repeat on the other leg

Squats 

Doing heavy squats, whether with dumbells or a barbell, is where you will see the biggest increase in force production. This is when you load and then dynamically unload tension, giving greater output and muscle contraction when running. 

In the long run, weighted squats will lead to faster runs on flats, powering up hills and lengthening your stride. 

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, engage your core muscles
• Bend your legs as if you are sitting down on a chair, hinging at the hips 
• Sit down in a squat position, keeping your heels and toes on the ground, chest up, and shoulders back. (Strive to eventually reach parallel, meaning knees are bent to a 90-degree angle.)
• Pressing into your heels, engage your glutes and return to standing. 

Wall Sits 

Working the quads, hamstrings, glutes and core muscles, the wall sit isolates your quadriceps muscles on the front of your thighs, gradually building leg strength. 

• Stand with your back against a wall, your feet in front of you, hip-width apart. 
• Lower your hips, sliding your back down the wall until your legs are at a right angle, your thighs parallel to the floor. 
• Keep your core engaged with your back, glutes, and head flat against the wall. Your hands should be straight out in front of you, mirroring your thighs. 
• Hold the position for 30 seconds or more. 
• Slide your back up the wall, straightening your legs and dropping your arms.

Step Ups 

Single-leg exercises (also called unilateral exercises) can benefit all runners. They highlight any muscle imbalances and improve balance and core stability. This exercise focuses on strengthening the hamstrings, glutes and hips and all of these muscles are important for leg stability, control and injury prevention.

• Using a small step at first, place one foot on the step, you can use dumbells or heavy bottles of water
• Push through the foot on the step, engaging your quad and glute muscles. Tap your other foot on the step, then lower down. 
• Repeat on this leg before switching to the other leg

Glute Bridges 

Strengthening the glute (your butt) is critical for mobility, posture and injury prevention. Including cross-training activities that target the glutes, such as cycling and strength training, can further enhance their strength and endurance.