We runners are creatures of habit. We are driven by pace charts and weekly mileage, excited by our weekly long runs and speed intervals. We love this and do it to the ‘T’, week after week. But ask about resistance training, and the picture quickly gets hazy. For many, it’s an afterthought, a neglected part of the plan or worse, not planned.
There are many reasons. Some runners simply don’t know where to begin with resistance training. The more experienced worry it will make them sore, mess with their recovery, or sabotage the next day’s workout. Often, “cross-train day” in our training plan turns into a walk or a passive recovery session. It is understandable. We love running and enjoy it to the core, but lifting weights or working on that core isn’t necessarily that enjoyable.
If done thoughtfully and in sync with your running, Resistance Training can be the difference between stagnation and real performance gains.
The science on resistance training for endurance athletes is well proven. It improves muscle strength, which aids in improving posture and this, in turn, prevents injuries. It improves the running economy. Strengthening of major muscle groups helps in reducing fatigue in the final stage of a race and also provides impetus to push in the final stage of the race. Focus on fast twitch muscles by introducing plyometrics help in improving running dynamics and helps become an efficient runner.
Most runners already understand the structure of the running training season (aka Macrocycle). There’s an off-season, a base-building phase, a build-up toward race pace and mileage, and finally a taper before race day. Our resistance training can and should follow this rhythm.
The off-season is often the period following a major race or in the early stages before structured training begins. For most runners in India that would be summer, as there aren’t many races and training for a marathon is almost impossible due to heat.
Pro tip: Reducing mileage and focusing on 2 to 3 days of resistance training including a session of swimming/yoga works well.
The goal here is to build muscle (hypertrophy) and make gains in strength. This is when big, compound movements like squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows come into play. These exercises activate large muscle groups, improve neuromuscular coordination, and create the foundation for more advanced work later on. It’s the time to experiment with heavier loads and more complex movements without worrying about how it will affect your speed session the next day.
Pro tip - Reduce miles and keep it to shorter runs. Also include occasional sprints and fartleks to keep in touch with short bursts of high intensity running.
Off-Season Gains, On-Season Performance
The off-season is your opportunity to rebuild, recharge, and come back stronger. With fewer races and lower mileage, this is the perfect time to focus on resistance training, fix imbalances, and build a solid strength foundation that will carry you through your next training cycle.
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As weekly mileage begins to climb and workouts become more structured, resistance training needs to shift from development to support.
The goal during this phase is to maintain the strength gains from the off-season while ensuring that fatigue from the strength workouts doesn’t spill into your quality runs. This doesn’t mean scaling down to bodyweight-only movements. Instead, keep the lifts such as squats, lunges, and rows, but reduce the volume slightly. Two sessions a week, focused on moderate weights, will suffice.
This is also a good time to introduce entry-level plyometrics, such as skipping, bounding, or small hops, but only if a strength foundation has already been laid.
Pro tip: Focus of resistance training here is to aid running economy and not chasing personal bests in the gym.
Here are the curated workouts for runners: https://www.youtube.com/@geeksonfeet/videos
This phase requires a balancing act between strength retention and yet not causing soreness or fatigue from these workouts which can affect your running training.
A single short session per week can be enough. The exercises can be dialed back to simpler variations. For example, do a goblet squat instead of a barbell back squat. The weight can be reduced, the repetitions fewer, and the overall load managed carefully. Plyometrics can be trimmed down or paused, depending on how you are holding up.
The key during this phase is to do just enough to preserve what you’ve built without compromising your key running workouts.
Pro tip: Don’t try completely new workouts during this phase; reduce the volume and intensity of resistance training.
In the final weeks before a goal race, strength training should taper just like running does. Heavy loads and long sessions are replaced by light activation work such as mobility exercises, band work, and maybe a short bodyweight strength training as needed. Intensity and volume of resistance training are typically reduced (e.g., to around 80 percent from peak).
The goal isn’t to gain strength or maintain hypertrophy. The goal is to continue stimulating the body to maintain flexibility, proper biomechanics, and range of motion without causing fatigue.
Here is the summary of how periodization can be included along with your running training.
| Running Training Phase | Phase Overview | Type of Resistance Training | Key Objectives | Example Sessions | Things to Avoid or Practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-Season | Reduced running volume allows more focus on strength development. | Heavy compound lifts, general strength, neural work. | Build general strength, movement patterns, and muscle mass. | 2–3x/week full-body: squats, deadlifts, presses, pull-ups. | Avoid overdoing volume if you’re new to strength. But experiment. |
| Base & Build | Running intensity and volume increase; strength supports adaptation. | Moderate loads, core work, running-specific movements, intro of plyos. | Maintain strength, improve efficiency, introduce power. | 2x/week: lunges, split squats, rows, light plyometrics. | Avoid heavy lifting before long or hard run days. |
| Peak Mileage | Running demands peak; strength is minimized to preserve performance. | Low-volume, low-intensity maintenance; core work & regressions of earlier lifts. | Retain strength gains, avoid interference with running. | 1-2x/week: goblet squats, resistance bands, short circuits. | Don’t chase PRs in the gym; aim for consistency. |
| Taper | Sharpening phase: reduce fatigue while maintaining mobility. | Bodyweight exercises, core, mobility, & activation drills. | Stay sharp, mobile, and avoid fatigue before race day. | 1 short session: mobility drills, band work, glute activation. | Avoid new movements or intense strength or plyometrics. |
There are a few constants in resistance training that apply no matter the phase.
Core work matters. Planks, anti-rotation exercises, and dynamic stability drills help maintain posture and reduce compensatory movements during long runs.
Lower body strength is crucial, but the upper body shouldn’t be neglected. A strong upper body contributes to efficient arm drive and overall running rhythm, especially when tired.
Specificity matters. Exercises that mimic the forces and patterns of running, such as single-leg/unilateral work, resisted movements in the sagittal plane, and plyometrics, are more beneficial than generic workouts.
Finally, recovery should guide all decisions. If strength training begins to interfere with your ability to execute key running sessions, it needs to be dialed back, not eliminated, but adjusted.
There’s no denying that running comes first. That’s the sport, after all. But resistance training, when periodized properly, doesn’t compete with running; it enhances it.
Prepared by Team GeeksOnFeet for the love of running!