If you want to run faster, if you want to run with better form (running economy), if you want to prevent injuries, you have to do strength training. But where to start? The answer is simple: with this Basic Strength Training for Runners class. It will give you the foundation you need.

How do I do this class?

If it’s your first time doing strength training, go easy. Start with five repetitions per exercise, per set. Don’t worry about the minute we do in this class yet. That will come. Just rest when you’re done.

Stick with these five repetitions for four weeks; doing this strength class once or twice a week. After four weeks, you go to seven repetitions for the next four weeks. Then 10, 15, and so on. But never more than fits in the minute in the video.

Muscle growth takes time

Becoming stronger takes time. Building stamina goes quicker than building muscles. So give your body that time.  Even if it feels easy, after two weeks, stick with the same amount of repetitions for four weeks.

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Are you a seasoned athlete who is used to strength training? Then you can start with the full minute. Go slow in the beginning. Never overdo it. Give your body the time to get used to the exercises. Better safe than sorry.

How to do the exercises

It’s important to do all these exercises with correct form. So, before you start, have a look at how to do them and why you actually should do them. 

Forward lunges

Lunges help you to strengthen your back, hips and legs. At the same time, they will improve your mobility and stability. You will feel them especially in your glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings.

As lunges are unilateral exercises (a movement that uses only one limb), they activate your stabilising muscles and help you develop balance, coordination and stability. So they don’t only train your legs, but also your core.

How do you do a forward lunge?

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips. Distribute your weight evenly over your feet.
2. Hands can be either on your hips, or loose hanging next to your sides.
3. While maintaining a neutral spine, and an upright chest position, take a big step forward with one leg, bending both knees, until your back knee softly touches the ground. Keep your front knee above your ankle.
4. Push back up, using the power in your glutes and quads. Finish with both legs next to each other.

Reverse lunges

Reverse lunges helps you to train a lot of muscles in one go as well. Your core helps to keep your hips aligned. Your glutes help to prevent your pelvis from dropping. Your hamstrings help to bring your foot back and your quads to slowly lower your body down. And when you push back up, you need the muscles in your calves.

On top of that, you’ll be challenging your range of motion in your ankles and your hips. So you get a nice stretch in your hip flexors. And all that core work you do, without noticing, helps you to prevent injuries. 

How do you do a reverse lunge?

1. Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Step back with one foot and bring your knee softly to the floor. Both knees should be at a 90-degree angle. Make sure your hips are still parallel to the floor and your front knee is above your ankle.
3. Push off with your back foot to bring yourself back up to standing, with both feet hip-width apart again.

Lateral lunges

Like forward and reverse lunges, lateral lunges are targeting our core and leg muscles: glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. The great thing about lateral lunges is that they also strengthen our gluteus medius when we step out to the side and our adductors when we step back in. The gluteus medius is your balancing muscle. It helps you to run straight forward.

On top of that, when we step to the side, we are stretching our adductors.

How do you do a lateral lunge?

1. Start standing with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Take a large step out to the side, keeping your body as straight up as possible. As you do so, shift your body weight into the side that you are stepping towards. Try to keep your knee in line with your big toe. Keep your other leg straight.
3. Push off the same leg that stepped out, return to your starting position, and switch sides.

Squats

Squats are one of the most basic strength exercises there are and one of the most used, because they are they are super powerful. When you do squats, you train your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core.

How do you do a squat?

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, and your toes turned out a bit.
2. Ground down through all corners of your feet.
3. Engage your core. Bend your knees and sit your hips back, lowering your body as if you were about to sit in a chair. Try to keep your upper body as upright as possible. Don’t worry; it will hinge a bit forward. That’s normal. Try to go so deep that your thighs are about parallel to the floor. Keep your neck long and in a neutral position, with your gaze forwards.
4. Press evenly into both feet to straighten your knees, push your hips forward, squeeze your glutes, and come back to standing.

Calf raises

If you run in the mountains, you  know you need strong calves. But also if you’re a road runner, strong calves are helpful. Every time you push off the ground, it’s your calves doing the work.

Calf raises can help you to get those calves stronger. It’s a super simple exercise. You just lift your heels, which will put your gastrocnemius and soleus to work.

How do you do calf raises?

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your arms by your sides. If you do not have a lot of balance, you can also hold on to a chair or to the wall.
2. Engage your core as you press through the balls of your feet, lifting your heels as high off the ground as possible. Focus on squeezing your calf muscles at the top of the movement.
3. Hold the top position for a count of one and lower your heels down again in a count of two.

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Health and Safety Disclaimer

Please consult with a healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise programme. The exercises and information in this video are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

By participating in this exercise programme, you acknowledge that you are doing so at your own risk. You are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge The Running Dutchman from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of your use of this video.

If you feel any discomfort, pain, or dizziness, stop the exercise immediately and seek medical attention. The creator and provider of this video assume no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by following the provided exercises.