The Best Leg Exercises for Runners: Strengthen Your Strides and Combat Fatigue

Published on September 5 by Matt

Runners often focus on improving their endurance and speed, but a strong, balanced set of legs is crucial for both performance and injury prevention. Incorporating targeted leg exercises into your training regimen can enhance your running strength, help you maintain proper form, and reduce fatigue. Here’s a guide to the best single-leg exercises that will help you run stronger and more efficiently.

Why Focus on Single-Leg Exercises?

Single-leg exercises are particularly beneficial for runners because they:

• Improve Balance: Running involves constantly shifting weight from one leg to the other. Single-leg exercises enhance stability and balance, which translates into better running form and efficiency.
• Strengthen Stabilizing Muscles: These exercises target the smaller stabilizing muscles that support your joints and help prevent injuries.
• Correct Muscle Imbalances: Runners often have one leg that’s stronger or more dominant than the other. Single-leg exercises help address these imbalances and promote symmetry.

Top Single-Leg Exercises for Runners

1. Single-Leg Squats

Single-leg squats are excellent for building strength and stability in the quads, glutes, and hamstrings.

How to Perform:

1. Stand on one leg with the other leg extended forward.
2. Lower your body by bending your knee and hip, keeping your torso upright.
3. Squat down as far as you can while maintaining balance, then push through your heel to return to the starting position.
4. Perform 10-15 reps on each leg.

Benefits:

• Enhances leg strength and endurance
• Improves balance and coordination

2. Single-Leg Deadlifts

This exercise targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, and helps with balance and core stability.

How to Perform:

1. Stand on one leg with a slight bend in your knee.
2. Hinge at your hips and extend your free leg behind you while reaching toward the ground with both hands.
3. Keep your back straight and your core engaged.
4. Return to the starting position by driving your hips forward.
5. Perform 10-12 reps on each leg.

Benefits:

• Strengthens the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, and lower back)
• Improves balance and flexibility

3. Bulgarian Split Squats

This variation of the squat focuses on the quads and glutes while also enhancing balance and stability.

How to Perform:

1. Stand a few feet in front of a bench or elevated surface and place one foot on it behind you.
2. Lower your body by bending the front knee until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
3. Push through your front heel to return to the starting position.
4. Perform 10-15 reps on each leg.

Benefits:

• Builds strength in the quads and glutes
• Improves balance and stability

4. Step-Ups

Step-ups are a functional exercise that mimics the motion of running and helps strengthen the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.

How to Perform:

1. Stand in front of a bench or sturdy platform.
2. Step up onto the bench with one leg, driving through your heel.
3. Bring the other leg up to meet the first, then step back down one leg at a time.
4. Perform 10-15 reps on each leg.

Benefits:

• Enhances leg strength and power
• Improves coordination and balance

5. Lateral Lunges

Lateral lunges are ideal for targeting the inner and outer thigh muscles, which are crucial for maintaining stability and proper running form.

How to Perform:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Take a large step to the side with one leg, bending that knee while keeping the other leg straight.
3. Push your hips back and lower your body until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
4. Push off through your bent leg to return to the starting position.
5. Perform 10-12 reps on each side.

Benefits:

• Strengthens the adductors (inner thighs) and abductors (outer thighs)
• Improves lateral stability and balance

6. Single-Leg Calf Raises

This exercise focuses on the calves and helps improve the strength and endurance needed for efficient running.

How to Perform:

1. Stand on one leg with the ball of your foot on an elevated surface (like a step).
2. Rise up onto the ball of your foot as high as you can, then slowly lower your heel below the level of the step.
3. Perform 12-15 reps on each leg.

Benefits:

• Strengthens the calf muscles
• Improves ankle stability and flexibility

Incorporating These Exercises into Your Routine

To maximize the benefits of these exercises, integrate them into your training routine 2-3 times per week. Here’s a sample workout plan:

Warm-Up:

• 5-10 minutes of light jogging or dynamic stretches

Workout:

1. Single-Leg Squats: 2 sets of 10-15 reps per leg
2. Single-Leg Deadlifts: 2 sets of 10-12 reps per leg
3. Bulgarian Split Squats: 2 sets of 10-15 reps per leg
4. Step-Ups: 2 sets of 10-15 reps per leg
5. Lateral Lunges: 2 sets of 10-12 reps per side
6. Single-Leg Calf Raises: 2 sets of 12-15 reps per leg

Cool Down:

• 5-10 minutes of stretching focusing on the legs and hips

Incorporating single-leg exercises into your running routine can provide substantial benefits, including improved balance, enhanced leg strength, and reduced risk of injury. By focusing on exercises that target key muscle groups used in running, you’ll be better equipped to tackle long runs, manage fatigue, and maintain proper running form. Consistency is key—make these exercises a regular part of your training to see noticeable improvements in your running performance.