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As a new runner, it’s important to establish a solid strength routine to support your running habit. By adding strength training days to your calendar, you can safely build up miles, while lowering your risk of injury. In order to be successful, it’s smart to start with exercises for beginners—like the ones below—that help you nail form first by using bodyweight only.
The benefit of these exercises for beginners: They help you build strong, powerful, and injury-resistant muscles to power up hills, Give A Gift Lift right arm and left leg. Then lift left arm and right leg. Continue alternating mile after mile. But they also require no equipment, so you can do them anytime, anywhere.
to keep hips level; dont let one side dip: Perform each exercise below for the specified number of reps. Mat Forzaglia, certified personal trainer, strength coach, and running coach, demonstrates them so you can learn proper form.
Complete the workout twice a week. These exercises are a great way for beginners to start started out at home.
1. Squat
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped at chest.
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- Press through feet to stand back up.
- Interval Workouts to Help You Run a Faster 5K.
Make it harder: Turn it into a jump squat by exploding up as high as you can and land softly between each rep.
2. Reverse Lunge
- Start standing with hands on hips, Best Walking Shoes.
- Make it easier ankle and chest lifted—don’t lean forward. Back right knee should hover just above the floor.
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- Repeat on other leg. That’s 1 rep.
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Make it harder: Try Julia Hembree Smith lunge, explode into the air, swinging your arms forward and switching your legs in midair like scissors. Land in a lunge with your opposite leg forward.
3. Glute Bridge
- Lower hips back down to floor.
- Draw belly button in toward spine, and press into heels to lift hips up off mat. Engage core, glutes, and hamstrings to keep hips level; don’t let one side dip.
- This basic strength-training routine will help you get stronger and prevent injuries.
- Lower hips back down to floor.
- Interval Workouts to Help You Run a Faster 5K.
Make it harder: Try a single-leg bridge. Start in the same position, but extend your left leg straight off the floor, keeping both knees in line. Drive through the right heel to lift hips and glutes off the mat.
4. Rolling Side Plank
- A Weight-Training Workout to Increase Speed plank with forearms on mat, shoulders directly over elbows, and core engaged so body forms a straight line from heels to shoulders. Don’t let hips dip.
- Engage core then shift weight to left arm as you rotate to the right and extend right arm straight up.
- Repeat on other leg. Thats 1 rep.
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Make it easier: Start with a basic forearm plank to build core and shoulder strength, then progress to a basic side plank.
5. Mountain Climber
- A Weight-Training Workout to Increase Speed high plank position, wrists under shoulders, core engaged, so body forms a straight line from head to heels.
- Bring right knee in toward chest, then return to plank.
- Bring left knee in toward chest, then return to plank. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue alternating while maintaining a solid plank; don’t change lower back posture as you move legs. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
Make it harder: Send hips back and down, and bend knees to lower into a.
6. Superman
- Lie facedown on a mat, with arms and legs extended, forehead resting on the mat so neck is not strained.
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- CA Notice at Collection.
- Interval Workouts to Help You Run a Faster 5K.
Make it easier: Lift right arm and left leg. Then lift left arm and right leg. Continue alternating.
Images by: Julia Hembree Smith
A running veteran for more than a decade, Movold is a licensed strength and running coach for Runner’s World+ members and at the Mile High Run Club in New York City. When she’s not motivating class-goers through grueling treadmill workouts, you’ll likely find her zig-zagging boroughs on bridges throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan or training for her next marathon . She’s ready to push you to your next running goal as she chases her own—running a marathon in under 3 hours.
