The five moves a physical therapist says every runner should do to improve performance and avoid injury

A woman performs a Bulgarian split squat on a couch at home. She is positioned in front of the couch, with one foot resting behind her on the couch and the other on the floor. Her knee is bent as she moves down into the squat and she holds a dumbbell in her hands at chest height. We see a kitchen behind her, shelving, decorative lights and a chair.

Running is a great way to improve your cardio, boost your metabolism and reduce stress levels. So when you’re in the mood to run, it can be tempting to just lace up and go—but if you want to run faster, further and without injury, it’s important to include strength training in your routine.

We’re not saying you have to spend hours lifting heavy weights—quite the opposite. In fact, according to physiotherapist Hollie Maskell, it’s possible to build a solid, stronger frame to spring from with just five strength training moves.

How to do the five-move lower body workout for runners

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There are five exercises in this strength training workout:

• Runner’s tap
• Bulgarian split squat
• Romanian deadlift
• Reverse lunge
• Squats

Maskell demonstrates the moves using a mix of dumbbells and barbells, but you can just use dumbbells if that’s all you have to hand. These are all compound exercises, which means they’ll target several muscle groups and joints simultaneously.

Along with being efficient, these types of moves will help you build functional strength—the type of strength that enables you to perform everyday movements with ease, like getting out of bed or picking up heavy boxes.

Certified physical therapist Christian Jolley, who is the founder of Make Movements, suggests that beginners complete one round of 15 reps of each move, with 60 seconds of recovery between each exercise.

You should aim to complete this workout twice a week, with three days between each strength session.

Why should runners strength train?

"Strength training for runners provides both the foundation to perform and stay injury-free," says Jolley. "When we change gears from walking to jogging and jogging to running, the forces and demands we place on our body increase significantly."

Incorporating strength training into our routine can help our bodies adapt to these new demands, Jolley explains.

"Strength training also increases your bone density and forces your muscles to gain strength," the physio says, adding that this will lower your risk of injury.