Running watch brand COROS has launched a new strength-training programme, built with Olympic and world champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, allowing runners to follow his exact strength routine directly on their watch.
The session is now available in the COROS app and forms part of Jakob’s wider training philosophy, blending lower-body strength, stability, and power work with drills, plyometrics, and sprint-led sessions.
The company says the programme's goal isn’t to chase muscle mass, but to build durability and efficiency. "Strength is a big part of staying injury-free and handling all of the load, especially in my training," Jakob explains.
The Olympian typically completes strength work four times a week, combining lifting sessions with drill-focused days and stride finishes.
He describes the routine as deliberately simple and highly adjustable, allowing exercises to evolve year by year as training demands change.
Seasonality also plays a key role in his approach. "During the winter, we focus on bigger volume with more weights," he says.
"During the summer, it’s all about maintaining that stimulation with the least amount of effort."
For runners wary of weights, Jakob is clear that lifting doesn’t turn distance athletes into bodybuilders. "I don’t think a runner can be too bulky from lifting," he adds.
Instead, he argues that strength supports posture, mechanics and fatigue resistance, especially late in races or hard sessions.
"It shows in the running if you are too weak to keep good mechanics and a good position," he says.
The COROS programme packages this thinking into a guided, wearable-based workout, letting runners follow Jakob’s session step by step without needing printed plans or external coaching notes.
It also reflects a wider shift in sports watches, moving beyond pure cardio tracking into structured strength and conditioning.
That trend is already visible in athlete behaviour, as highlighted in both Strava’s and Garmin’s 2025 end-of-year reports.
Jakob’s advice for runners starting out is simple. “Start small. Just do something and build from there,” he says, stressing that accessibility matters more than perfect programming.
The workout is designed for experienced athletes and should be approached with controlled movement.
COROS says a deeper training blog exploring Jakob’s methodology will follow next week, but the strength session itself is already live in the app, giving runners direct access to the routine behind one of the sport’s most dominant athletes.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen's strength training programme will be added to the workout library on the COROS app. Visit the COROS Training Hub for more info.
