By Marnie Kunz

Learn how to get stronger using bodyweight exercises that you can do anywhere. If you want to get faster, prevent injuries, and boost your metabolism, strength training is key. Yet so many runners neglect it. As a running coach, I recommend all my runners - and training clients - do strength training.

Runners are great at sticking to their running routines, but can undermine all the hard work and miles if they don’t do strength training. Getting stronger reduces your chance of injuries, speeds up metabolism to help with fat loss, and makes you faster. So what’s not to like!? Don’t be intimidated by the big beefy guys at and heavy weights at the gym though, you can get stronger using just your bodyweight. No memberships or equipment required.

Here are some calisthenics (bodyweight exercise) moves you can do to improve your strength, overall fitness, and running:

How to Get Stronger with Bodyweight Exercises

Push-ups

I know there is nothing new about this exercise, but there is a reason this fitness mainstay is used by the military, professional athletes, and fitness fans: Push-ups target large groups of your upper body muscles, and can be done anywhere, any time (work break, anyone?). When you do a push-up, you work your chest, shoulders, triceps (back of your upper arms), abs, and the “wing” muscles directly under your armpit. Can’t do a regular push-up yet? No problem - See the video for push-up modification options from trainer Pat Stacks. Do 10 to 15 push-ups for one set.

Toe Touches

Toe touches are recommended by trainer Pat to help runners improve their hip strength and flexibility. As runners, we often have tight hips and can incur injuries from having weak hips, so these are an awesome exercise for runners. To do them, lie on your back with your arms and legs straight. Bring one leg up and cross it over your body diagonally, tapping your toe on the ground. Bring the leg back over to the other side and tap your toe on the ground on that side. Repeat for a total of 30 seconds on each side. See the video for an illustration of this one.

Planks

If you want to know how to get stronger in your core section, planks are essential. Planks are a staple exercise for core strength. Do 20 seconds at first and gradually add time (think 10 seconds a week) until you can do 1-minute sets of planks. If you get bored or have a short attention span like me, try plank variations such as leg raises (raise one leg at a time and count to 5 then bring it down) or toe touches, where you bring one foot at a time out to the side and touch the ground with your toe, then return to legs together position. I find this a good way to pass the time while planking and staring at my phone’s stopwatch. Also, music helps!

Squats

Squats are the lower body equivalent of the push-up. They work almost every muscle in your lower body. When you squat, you strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and core muscles. To do a squat, stand with your feet hip width apart. Bend your knees and lower your body, sticking your butt out and keeping your chest up. Make sure that your knees are in line with your ankle for squats - you do not want your knees to jut out farther than your ankles. Do 15 squats for one set. For more advanced fitness levels, you can hold a kettlebell or dumbbells when you squat.

Lunges

If you’re focused on how to get stronger in your lower body, lunges are a versatile way to target different muscles. Lunges strengthen quads, glutes, and hips, and your calves and core work to stabilize you. To do a lunge, start with your feet together standing straight then bend one leg and step forward. Make sure your knee does not go past your ankle when you lower to the lunge position. See How to Do Lunges for more tips. Do 10 lunges on each side. There are also many lunge variations, including back lunges and side lunges.

Dips

Dips are simple to master and work your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. To do a dip, find a bench or similar hard surface that is about the height of your knees (it doesn’t have to be exact). Sit on the edge and put your arms by your sides and hands on the bench edge. Lower your body and bend your elbows, keeping your heels against the ground and legs straight. Raise back up to straighten your arms. For advanced dips, you can do these on parallel bars. Do 10 to 15 dips for one set.

Full-Body Strength Workout

You can put these bodyweight exercises together for a full-body strength training program. Do one set of each exercise then repeat the whole routine two times, for a total of three sets of each exercise. Do this workout at least two days a week.

Bonus: Pullups

Pull-ups are another excellent exercise that targets lots of large muscle groups, including your lats, biceps, upper back, and forearms. And you don’t have to be able to do a full pull-up to reap the strengthening rewards - try modifying pull-ups by stepping up to an arm hang and slowly lowering your body down. These negatives will help build up your strength for eventually doing regular pull-ups. You can also add variety for an advanced workout and do wide grip pull-ups with your hands farther apart on the bars, and close grip, with your hands right next to each other.

If you want to know how to get stronger without equipment, these exercises will help you build strength. You can also add variations to increase or decrease the intensity of your workouts. There are many benefits of strength training for runners, including injury prevention, faster running times, and better running form.

Do you do any of these exercises as part of your fitness program? Tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your workouts and get cheered on. Happy sweating to you!😊👊

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified personal trainer, USATF, and RRCA-certified running coach and the creator of Runstreet Art Runs, which bring together communities through running and street art. She is a Brooklyn resident, Akita mom, and writer. She enjoys running coaching, traveling, art, and eating messily.

How to Get Stronger Using Just Your Body Weight