The 8 Most Efficient Lifts for Runners (Backed by Science)

0:00 After going through the research, I found eight movements that are consistently used in studies to boost running economy and reduce injury risk. My name is Nicholas. I'm a sport scientist, physiotherapist, and former professional triathlete. First, we need to find out what types of strength training we should even do. Should we do heavier load and then lower reps, or should we do lighter load and more reps? Well, according to this review from 2024, the most effective methods for runners is what's known as high load heavy strength training. and plyometrics. So now you're probably wondering, so what is high load heavy strength training and what is plyometrics? High load heavy strength training is lifting something that is 80% or heavier than your one rep max for a given exercise. Your one rep max being

0:45 the maximum amount of weight that you can move for one repetition. And plyometrics is exercises where you lift less than 40% of your one rep max, but with the goal of improving what's known as your stretch shortening cycle, or put in plain English, jump exercises. The review also found that combining the two produced the best results. So, with that in mind, I wanted to include exercises that were both high load heavy strength training and plyometrics. Let's start with the king of all exercises, the back squat. So, why squats? Squats targets your glutes, your hamstrings, and your quads. These muscle groups helps you generate force with each stride, but more importantly, heavy squats are great for improving what's known as neuromuscular function. This basically

1:33 means that you can generate more force with each stride. But the key is the load. We're not talking about bodyweight squats here. The study is showing the greatest improvements in running economy. Use about 80 to 90% of your one rep max and between one and seven repetitions. This creates the neural adaptations that help you improve your running economy and actually run faster. For a practical way to do this, you can do three to five sets of 80 to 90% of one rep max between one and seven repetitions and then two to three times per week. Next up is the Romanian deadlift, also known as the RDL. This one's great for runners because it specifically targets the posterior chain, meaning your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. These muscles are your body's natural power generators when you

2:19 run. What makes RDL special is the eccentric part of the exercise. Every time your foot hits the ground, your hamstrings and your glutes have to control that impact and then explosively contract to help you propel forward. The ADL mimics this pattern. The IDL also increases hamstring stiffness. And before you think that's bad, optimal muscle stiffness is actually crucial to running faster. It helps with efficient energy transfer between each stride. To maximize the benefits, try three to five sets of four to six reps. Really focusing on a controlled eccentric effort when you lower the weight and then going explosively back up. Exercise number three is the single leg stepup. Running is essentially a series of single leg hops. So it makes sense that

3:06 single leg exercises are crucial for performance. The step up is great because it trains what's known as unilateral strength. So in simple terms, an exercise can be bilateral or unilateral. Bilateral means that we use both side of our body at the same time and unilateral means that we only use one side of our body at a time. So squats are a bilateral exercise and single leg step-ups are a unilateral exercise. And here's the thing, most runners have some strength imbalance between the legs, sometimes as much as 15 to 20%. These imbalances forces your body to compensate. In the short term, this can lead to inefficient movement patterns, but in the long term, it can lead to injuries. Single leg step-ups can help improve these imbalances. And

3:52 it gets even better. Unilateral training does not only improve your strength, but it also improves what's known as propriioception. This is basically your body's ability to sense its position in space. So the better your propriception is, the more stability you have when you run. To use the single leg step up most effectively, you can do three to five sets of four to six reps on each leg. Use a box height that creates around a 90° angle in your knees. And watch out for knee alignment. In my experience, a ton of people have their knees wobble like this, and you want to try to keep them as straight as possible. Exercise number four is heavy calf raises. Now, here's an exercise that most runners completely ignore, but science says they really shouldn't. Heavy calf raises

4:38 targets both your calos and your gastronmos muscles. Both attach to the Achilles tendon, and the Achilles tendon is one of the most crucial structures for running efficiency. You see, the Achilles tendon acts sort of like a spring, storing and releasing energy with each stride. The idea is that runners with stiffer Achilles tendons tend to store more energy and are able to release more when they run, therefore becoming more efficient runners. Heavy calf raises increase this tendon stiffness in a good way. The key is the load and the tempo. We want slow controlled eccentric motions to really maximize the adaptations to the tendon. Think 3 seconds down in the eccentric phase, then 1 second pause at the bottom, and then explosively up as fast

5:23 as possible. Sort of mimicking how we run. For maximum benefits, we can do four sets of six reps on each leg. Really focusing on that 3C or maybe even four or 5second eccentric phase. Both seated and standing variations are great. You can also stand up and then bend your knees. Just be mindful of your technique because both of these exercises sort of target the muscles a bit differently because the gastromas well they insert above the knee. So when you have straight legs or straight knees then they work a bit better or they have better conditions to work and if you sit down then they have worse conditions but these are layers that inserts below the knee so it has better working conditions when you sit down or with bent knees. Exercise number five is the Bulgarian

6:10 split squat. The Bulgarian split squat might be the most challenging exercise on the list, but it's probably also the most effective. What makes this exercise special for runners is that it trains us in that split stance position, which closely mimics the mechanics of running. It also places a significant demand on your hip stabilizers, and those muscles are crucial for maintaining proper form when you get tired. To use it most effectively, we can do three to five sets of four to six reps on each leg. Really focus on control and full range of motion. Now, we're moving into plyometric territory with drop jumps. This is where we start to train what's known as the stretch shortening cycle. You see, every stride we take when we're running involves this stretch shortening cycle. Your muscles stretch as you land

6:57 and then immediately contracts when you push off. The better your muscles can improve this rapid transition, the more efficiently you move and the more efficient running becomes. This meta analysis from 2024 found that pometric training improved running economy, especially at speeds below 12 km/h. Drop jumps, where you drop from some elevation and then as soon as you hit the ground, you jump, is a great way to train this. And for this reason, it's often used in studies. But because of the high load that it has on your tendons, it also comes with a huge injury risk. So, we need to use them with caution. The key is quality over quantity. We want maximum effort on each jump with a long recovery in between. To do it most effectively, you can try

7:44 three to five sets of four to five reps with at least two to three minutes of recovery between sets. Exercise number seven is single leg bounce. Single leg bounds are the closest thing we come to running in the gym, besides the treadmill, of course. What's unique about single leg bounds is that they are performed horizontally and not vertically. This makes them incredibly specific to running biomechanics. You're basically training your body to generate force in the same plane of movement as you're running. And the thing is, exercises with a high specificity to the sport usually produce the greatest energy transfer, which makes sense. We get good at what we train. Single leg bounce checks all the boxes. They're horizontal, they're unilateral, and they train the stretch shortening cycle. Try

8:29 to do four sets of four to five bounds per leg. Really focus on distance and short ground contact time. Last, but definitely not least, is the power clean. While this exercise might not look exactly like running, it's incredibly efficient at making you more explosive. You see, the power clean specifically targets explosive strength and strength transfer, meaning the ability to transfer energy from one body part to another for runners who want a strong finishing kick or to surge up hills. These are essential. Even if you can't do a full power clean straight out of the gate, just focusing on the first part of the movement and doing some energy transfer to the barbell can have great effects. Try to do two to five sets of three to five reps. focus on

9:17 perfect technique and controlled powerful movements. But now that we've covered all eight exercises, how do we put it all together? Based on the research, here's what works best. The frequency should be two to three times per week. Ideally, you want to separate your strength sessions and your running sessions by at least 6 hours, but if you can by 24 or 48 hours, it's even better. And the study suggests that even though you can see some initial improvements, you need at least 10 weeks of consistent training to see any meaningful impact on running economy. Be patient and be consistent. And if you want a full training plan that has all of this built in, including paradization, and just fits straight in with your running, then check out your nextpb.com. But no matter

10:03 how much strength training you do, if you're not running the right way, you're still wasting your efforts. So, to learn how to train to become the best possible runner you can be, you should check out this video