It’s one thing to be strong on two legs, but another to be strong on one, especially for marathon runners. But, how do you get it? We’re here to help! Read on for some leg workouts for running that’ll help you race longer and faster by improving your running form.

Ultimate Leg Workout for Running Longer and Faster

Broken down, running is simply putting one foot in front of the other. But as you put that foot down, what’s the other one doing? And how are you compensating for that weight shift? Leg workouts for runners are the key.

Single-Leg Strength: Why Do You Need It?

In this post, we take a closer look at the responsibility of the hips in keeping you stable and injury-free, for miles on end.

Developing control and strength on one leg leads to increased body awareness, improved running form, and ultimately increased endurance for that marathon distance! The best leg workouts for running focus on creating a balanced core and lower body throughout the running motion—not just in your standard two-feet on-the-ground activities.

Best Leg Exercise for Runners: The Single-Leg Squat

The single-leg squat. We can’t lie to you…this isn’t going to be an easy one. But it’s going to WORK. FAST.

• Start by standing tall on two feet. And then on one.
• From here you’re simply going to sit your hips back (like you do in a regular squat) and bend your standing leg, pushing the knee out.
• Your “end” position will be the leg that’s off the ground landing in a lunge behind you with both your knee and toe on the ground.

Make sure you continue sitting your hips back to create a hinge and space for the upper body to lean forward, over your standing thigh.

From the bottom of the lunge, you’ll press out of your standing glute and heel to return to standing on two legs.

But here’s where it gets a little complicated. That first lunge took you what, one second? From here, we’re going to slow down the process of getting to the lunge to almost four seconds.

You can slow the speed gradually, as you gain control over your standing leg.

Leaning forward with the upper body as you sit the hips further back will help counterbalance your weight, allowing you to move slow. Make sure your knee and toe come to the ground at the same time but DO NOT allow your kneecap to slam into the ground, for any reason.

Here’s the sequence:

• Do three sets of five repetitions per leg, each taking between three and four seconds.
• Rest one minute between sets.

From here, you can build this leg workout for runners up to five sets of five repetitions per leg.

This type of strength training for marathon runners helps fight the “hip sink” that occurs as you get tired.

The Ultimate One-Leg Exercise for Marathon Runners: The Runner’s Deadlift

We’ve all “deadlifted” something at least once in our lives…a barbell, a kettlebell, a sock we dropped on the floor. But today we’re going to look at what it means to deadlift using just one leg. Welcome to the deadlift for runners.

Let’s start this leg workout for runners by practicing a few regular deadlifts, using a kettlebell (18-35 lbs is just fine) or something of similar weight (milk jug will do the trick).

• Standing on two feet, sit the hips back, letting the knees find a sustained bend, with the upper body again pitching forward from the hips. Do NOT let the back curve or “round” over!
• From here, you’ll squeeze your glutes and pick up your kettlebell.
• Now, repeat exactly that while holding your kettlebell.
• Keep your arms straight, shoulders squared, and kettlebell right between your shins as you straighten and bend your legs.

Now, let’s try it on one leg.

Again, what we’re trying to do here is practice stabilizing the hips and ankles for each leg of our run stride.

• Let’s start without the kettlebell. Stand on one leg, taking a few seconds to find your balance.
• From here, you’ll sit the hips back just like before, taking a slight bend in the knee and pitching the body forward, keeping the back straight.
• The leg in the air will be bent at a 90 degree angle behind you–make sure you’re flexing your heel to the sky.

• For now, only deadlift until your hands are resting on your knee or just below it. No need to bend further.
• Return to standing. Now grab the kettlebell, holding it with two hands.

Make sure to find your balance on one leg with the weight, before starting the deadlift.

Perform the deadlift in the exact same way you did before, only this time making certain that the kettlebell is traveling right against your standing leg, and only reaching to right below the knee before standing back up.

Remember, keep your shoulders square to the ground!

Leg Workout Variations

Here are a few variations you can try to make this more challenging:

• Hold the kettlebell with just ONE hand (the one opposite of the leg you are standing on)
• Increase the bend on your standing leg so that kettlebell taps the ground on each rep

Once you’ve found a version that works for you, here’s your rep scheme:

• Three sets of five repetitions, per leg.
• Increase to 5+ sets of five repetitions.
• You can take a one minute rest between sets.

What kind of improvement are you going to see from single-leg strength training for marathon runners?

Sinking into your hips creates unnecessary pressure on the ankles, knees & hips. After enough repetition with poor form, those injuries are no doubt going to creep up on you.

These best leg exercises for runners will teach your hips and ankles to stay stable and square through all of the weight transfer that occurs when you run.

So practice these movements 1-2 times per week for best results!

For sticking with us to the end, enjoy 2 full weeks of strength workouts just like this one. Each leg workout for running includes video coaching, a written description, as well as access to our coaches for any modifications or questions that come up along the way! Get your FREE program here.

Ready to get started? Don’t forget to download our new mobile app for access to coaching advice, daily video workouts, injury prevention tips, and complete training programs that will help motivate and inspire your marathon training program!