Many runners think the only way to get better is to run more. But some of the biggest gains in running come from the gym, not the road. Strength training makes you a more powerful, efficient and durable runner, and it is one of the most underused tools in a runner’s kit. If you only ever run, you are leaving performance on the table.
In this guide we explain why strength training makes you a better runner, from running economy and endurance to fewer running injuries, and how to fit it into your week.
Why Runners Need Strength Training
Running is a series of single-leg hops, each one loading your muscles, tendons and bones with several times your body weight. It builds the tissue capacity to handle that load, run after run. Without it, runners are relying on tissues that are never challenged beyond running itself, which limits both performance and resilience. Adding this work is how you build a body that can take the pounding.
1. Better Running Economy
Running economy is how efficiently you use oxygen at a given pace, and it is one of the best predictors of running performance. Lifting, especially heavier loads, improves running economy, meaning you use less energy to run the same speed. Over a long run or race, that efficiency adds up to real time saved. Better running economy is one of the clearest performance benefits of lifting for runners.
2. More Power and Speed
Faster running comes down to how much force you put into the ground and how quickly. Lifting, and power work like jumps, builds exactly that. Stronger, more explosive legs mean a more powerful stride and a stronger finishing kick. Even for distance runners, this power translates into faster, more efficient running without necessarily running more kilometres.
3. Fewer Running Injuries
This is the big one. The majority of running injuries are overuse injuries, where load outpaces what the tissues can handle. By building stronger muscles, tendons and bones, strength training raises that ceiling, so your body copes with training better. Strong hips, glutes and calves in particular help protect the knees, shins and Achilles. It is one of the most evidence-backed ways to reduce running injuries.
4. Durability Late in Runs
Ever notice your form falling apart late in a long run? That is fatigue, and it is when many injuries happen and pace slips. The right gym work builds the endurance and resilience to hold good form for longer, so you stay efficient and controlled deep into runs and races. Better muscular endurance means better performance when it counts and less breakdown when you are tired, which also protects your running economy late on.
5. Long-Term Running Health
Lifting is not just about your next race, it keeps you running for years. Maintaining muscle and bone strength protects against the gradual decline that sidelines many runners over time, and keeps you robust as you age. It also supports lasting endurance and running economy. If you want to still be running well in ten or twenty years, regular strength work is one of the best investments you can make.
Will Strength Training Make Me Slower or Bulky?
This is the myth that keeps runners out of the gym, and it is unfounded. The kind of strength training runners need, heavier loads for low reps, builds strength and power without much added size. You are training your nervous system as much as your muscles. Done properly, it makes you faster and more efficient, not heavy and slow. Runners who lift do not turn into bodybuilders.
How Runners Should Do Strength Training
You do not need to live in the gym. For most runners, two sessions a week is plenty. Focus on compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, lunges and calf work, lifting heavy enough to be challenging for low to moderate reps, and progress over time. Add some explosive work like jumps if appropriate. Keep the hardest lifting away from your key running sessions so the two support rather than sabotage each other, protecting both your running and your endurance gains.
Common Questions About Strength Training for Runners
Will strength training make me slower or bulky?
No. The heavy, low-rep work runners use builds strength and power with little added bulk, and it improves running economy, so it makes you faster, not slower.
How often should runners strength train?
Around two sessions a week works well for most runners, focused on the major muscle groups and progressed over time, without interfering with key running sessions.
What exercises should runners do?
Compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, lunges and calf raises, plus some single-leg and explosive work. A physiotherapist or coach can tailor it to you and your running.
When should I lift in my week?
Ideally keep hard lifting and hard running on separate days, or lift after an easy run, so each session is quality and you recover well and protect your endurance between them.
Does strength training really prevent injuries?
It clearly lowers the risk. It is one of the most evidence-backed ways to reduce running injuries, though it works best alongside sensible training load and recovery.
How BeFit Can Help
At BeFit Training Physiotherapy, we help runners get stronger, faster and more durable. Our strength and conditioning coaching builds a running-specific program, a running assessment fine-tunes your technique and load, and our sports physiotherapy team keeps you healthy and treats any running injuries. Initial consultations run for 45 minutes, one-on-one.
Our team at Edgecliff and Coogee would be glad to help. No referral is required, and HICAPS is available on-site for immediate health fund claiming.
Book an appointment at BeFit Training Physiotherapy — no referral needed.
Edgecliff: (02) 9327 7749 | Coogee: (02) 7205 2805 | befittrainingphysio.com/book-now
Related Services at BeFit
Learn more about how our team can help:
Strength & Conditioning
Running Assessment
Sports Physiotherapy
Further Reading
5 Proven Ways to Lower Your Running Injury Risk
Why a Running Assessment Is the Best Investment a Runner Can Make
References
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 Med. 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. Br J Sports Med. 2014.
Australian Physiotherapy Association. Clinical guidelines. physiotherapy.asn.au.
