30 Rest, then repeat on other leg
Use this list to kick off your strength-training journey, so you can injury-proof your body.
There are plenty of reasons why you’d want to add bodyweight exercises to your weekly routine. For starters, they’re a great way to slowly introduce strength training to your weekly workout routine without disrupting your run schedule. Also, they don’t require any equipment, so you can squeeze in a strength workout anywhere and anytime, like at your desk or after a quick run. Plus, these moves also help improve your range motion, build strength, boost cardio, Push through right forefoot to come up to toes common running-related injuries.
“Bodyweight workouts are good because it gives you a moment to use your own body, get acquainted, have body awareness, and work on your mechanics before you actually load yourself up with weight,” Natalie Johnston, owner of Run F.I.T Land softly with bent knees Runner’s World. Johnston says if you don’t have much time to work out or lack equipment, then bodyweight exercises can rival the effectiveness of dumbbells or other equipment. You just need the right moves and a few solid strategies for Repeat on left side.
This list of the 30 best bodyweight exercises will help you strengthen your stride and maintain good posture through each run. The mix of moves target your legs, core, and upper body so you can create one total-body program. What’s more? Running coach and certified personal trainer, Danielle Hirt, also puts some of these moves together into one 15-minute bodyweight workout in the video above. All you have to do is press play and follow along to get a total-body workout sans equipment.
For those using the list below, try incorporating five or more of the exercises into your workout at least three times a week. Do 10 to 15 reps of each exercise for three or more sets. The list is ordered according to body part: lower body, core, and upper body. You can opt for five exercises per muscle group (for example: one week might include a leg-day workout, a core-focused routine, and an upper body session) or opt for a mix of moves to target your entire body in one workout.
Mallory Creveling, an ACE-certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified run coach, joined the Runner's World and Bicycling team in August 2021. She has more than a decade of experience covering fitness, health, and nutrition. As a freelance writer, her work appeared in Women's Health, Self, Men's Journal, Reader's Digest, and more. She has also held staff editorial positions at Family Circle and Shape magazines, as well as DailyBurn.com. A former New Yorker/Brooklynite, she's now based in Easton, PA.
Monique LeBrun joined the editorial staff in October 2021 as the associate health and fitness editor. She has a master’s degree in journalism and has previously worked for ABC news and Scholastic. She is an avid runner who loves spending time outside.