For runners and endurance athletes, strength training is valuable for performance and injury prevention, but it often gets sidelined due to time constraints. With high loads of endurance training and recovery needs, it’s easy to ignore strength training. But research shows that a minimalist approach can deliver significant benefits without requiring a substantial time commitment. So, what’s the minimum effective dose needed, and how can you integrate it into your busy schedule?

Two recent narrative reviews in Sports Medicine examine minimal-dose strength training in the general population, yet offer valuable insights for endurance athletes. Research teams led by Jackson Fyfe (2022) and David Behm (2024) demonstrate that effective strength training doesn’t require lengthy gym sessions or complex routines. Here are the evidence-based recommendations for maximizing strength gains with minimal time investment.

Prioritize Muscle Strength Over Size

You don’t need to bulk up to get stronger. Strength — not muscle size — is more important for performance and health outcomes (Fyfe et al. 2022: 464). Training programs should prioritize strength development over muscle growth, especially since substantial strength improvements can occur with minimal muscle hypertrophy (Fyfe et al. 2022: 466). This distinction is particularly relevant for runners looking to maximize strength without gaining extra muscle mass. Plus, focusing on strength — rather than size — is crucial because “indices of strength and power decline between two to eight times faster” than the loss of muscle mass as we get older (Fyfe et al. 2022: 465).

While traditional strength training often emphasizes higher volumes and intensities of effort to build muscle size, research indicates that strength gains can be achieved with considerably lower training volumes. As Fyfe and colleagues (2022) note, “Emerging evidence suggests minimal-dose RT [resistance training]” can lead to benefits “in both younger and older adults” (464). The key is focusing on quality movements and appropriate loading rather than accumulating high training volumes. For endurance athletes concerned about interfering with their running performance, this minimal-dose approach offers a practical way to gain strength without unnecessary muscle growth or excessive fatigue that could compromise endurance training.

Choose Your Approach

Research supports two evidence-based approaches to minimal-dose strength training that can benefit runners and endurance athletes, each with distinct advantages depending on your schedule and available resources. As Fyfe and colleagues (2022) explain, minimal-dose approaches “are characterized by relatively brief sessions of RT [resistance training] involving either (1) moderate-high loads performed infrequently (i.e. low-volume, high-load RT) or (2) lower loads performed at relatively higher frequencies and with minimal-to-no equipment” (476). Both approaches can be effective for improving strength. The key is choosing the method that best fits your schedule and resources, or combining the two — choose approach #1 when you have access to a gym while using approach #2 when you don’t. If you’re new to weight training, especially with heavier loads, consider working with a qualified trainer initially to learn proper form and technique — this investment in proper instruction can help prevent injury and ensure you get the most benefit from each exercise. 

Approach #1: Low-Volume, High-Load

The first approach is low-volume, high-load training, which involves 1-2 weekly gym sessions using relatively heavy weights (70-85% of one-repetition maximum). Research shows that “single sets have been shown to significantly and substantially increase muscle strength, especially in untrained individuals” (Behm et al. 2024: 293). This approach is particularly well-suited for those who have access to a gym and can dedicate specific training sessions to strength work. Lifting heavy weights with low reps leads to neural adaptations that improve strength without bulking up; those same neural adaptations enhance not only strength and power, but balance and mobility (Fyfe et al. 2022: 472). This approach would involve 1-2 sessions in the weight room each week targeting 1-2 sets of the exercises discussed below.

Approach #2: Short, Frequent “Exercise Snacking”

The second option is what researchers call “exercise snacking” — characterized by “shorter exercise bouts performed with minimal-to-no equipment, which may be undertaken repeatedly (or more than once) throughout a given day and/or more frequently during a given week” (Fyfe et al. 2022: 466). For those who struggle to find time for dedicated strength sessions, exercise snacking offers a flexible way to incorporate strength work around endurance training. It’s also a good way to interrupt long periods of sedentary desk work, which has positive benefits for decreasing cardiometabolic health risks (Fyfe et al. 2022: 473). If you don’t have access to a gym, or want to limit your time in the gym, you can do the exercises discussed below at home or during the workday as “exercises snacks.” Some exercises also work well as part of your pre-run or post-run routines. This approach involves distributing the exercises across the day and week, fitting them in when it’s most convenient.

Select the Most Efficient Exercises

When selecting exercises, research emphasizes prioritizing movements that give you the most return for your time — for runners, this means choosing exercises that functionally support running performance. Multi-joint movements that challenge balance, stability, and running-specific strength should form the foundation of your routine, whether you’re doing structured gym sessions or bodyweight “exercise snacks” throughout the day.

Multi-joint Exercises

“Multi-joint exercises should be favored over single-joint exercises, as these exercises target more larger muscle groups in addition to the smaller muscles targeted in single-joint exercises” (Fyfe et al. 2022: 474). Multi-joint exercises like squats and deadlifts develop core strength and stability while mimicking everyday movement patterns (Behm et al. 2024: 294). These compound movements are more time-efficient than isolated exercises, as one multi-joint exercise can effectively train multiple muscle groups simultaneously (Fyfe et al. 2022: 474).

Examples of multi-joint exercises: 

• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Bench press
• Push-ups
• Pull-ups
• Step-ups

Balance and Stabilizing Exercises

Additionally, your exercise selection should incorporate movements that challenge balance and stability. Research shows that stabilizing muscles experience greater age-related strength losses than prime movers like the knee extensors (Fyfe et al. 2022: 475). Exercises that engage “the lower-body stabilizing muscles, as well as those of the trunk” (Fyfe et al. 2022: 475) play an important role in overall movement control and stability. Working the stabilizing muscles is particularly important for runners, as the hip abductors and adductors play a crucial role in maintaining proper running form and preventing injury. Including unilateral exercises, such as single-leg squats and lunges, can help improve both strength and stability simultaneously — crucial for both running performance and injury prevention.

Examples of exercises that support balance and stability: 

• Single-leg squats 
• Pistol squats
• Split squats
• Lunges
• Clam-shell hip abductors
• Straight-leg hip abductors 

Where to Start and How to Go Minimal

If You’re Not Currently Strength Training

If you’re not currently strength training, start with “one set of 6-15 repetitions ranging from 30 to 80% of one-repetition maximum using multi-joint functional movements” for the first 8-12 weeks (Behm et al. 2024: 290). Focus on learning proper form and gradually increasing load as technique improves. Or, engage in brief but frequent “exercise snacks” throughout the week using body weight or stretch bands.  

If You Want to Minimize Your Strength Training

If you currently strength train but are looking to adopt a more minimalist approach, research shows you can maintain strength with reduced training volume if you maintain high intensity. “There are a number of studies demonstrating that significant strength gains can even be achieved with a single training session per week” (Behm et al. 2024: 291). Either lift heavy with low reps 1-2 times per week, or engage in brief but frequent “exercise snacks” throughout the week using body weight or stretch bands. Be sure to maintain intensity while you reduce your strength training volume. 

Keep in mind that although research suggests minimal-dose approaches can maintain strength in trained individuals, the response may be more individual and might work best as a periodic strategy rather than a year-round approach. Using minimal-dose approaches works well during specific training phases when running volume is high. When running volume is low, you can increase your strength training volume. 

The key point is to avoid ignoring strength training altogether. Be consistent throughout the year. 

Schedule Your Strength and Running Sessions

How should you work in your strength workouts around your endurance training? One thing to consider is what researchers call the “interference effect” — where endurance exercise can compromise strength and power adaptations to resistance training when both are performed concurrently (Fyfe et al. 2022: 475). 

To minimize interference while maximizing benefits: 

• Separate strength training and endurance sessions (e.g., morning/afternoon) to preserve the quality of the strength training.  

• When you combine strength training and endurance in back-to-back sessions, perform strength training first to avoid compromised performance from running fatigue. 

Exception: When strength training is your primary focus for the day, a short, easy recovery run of 20-30 minutes can serve as an effective warm-up before your strength workout.

Ultimately, fit in those strength sessions when they’re most convenient for you to maximize the likelihood of getting them done. Or, engage in “exercise snacking” throughout the workday where you take a minute break to do a set of body squats or a few pullups, for example. As research suggests, even minimal doses of resistance training done frequently can lead to worthwhile improvements in strength and functional ability. 

Sample Strength Program: Runner’s Dozen

Here’s one way to put together a minimal but effective strength program with a dozen strength exercises for runners. 

For the first four categories, choose one variation from the options — you can either do these at the gym or at home with bodyweight or minimal equipment, such as a stretch band or TRX. 

The remaining eight exercises provide additional emphasis on core strength, stability, balance, and leg strength — all of which are essential for good running economy and injury prevention. These can be done at home, before a run, after a run, or whenever it’s convenient. 

Consistently do at least one set of each exercise at least two times a week. As you distribute the exercises throughout the week, aim to accumulate a half hour to an hour of total strength training time per week.

If you’re new to strength training, particularly with the gym-based options that use heavy weights, consider working with a qualified trainer for a few sessions to learn proper form. Good technique is essential for both safety and effectiveness.

1. Lower-body Pushing Exercise

Choose one of the following options.

• Gym Options
  • Back Squat (1-3 sets x 5 reps with high load)
  • Sumo Squat (1-3 sets x 5 reps with high load)

• Non-Gym Options
  • Air Squat (1-3 sets x 10-20 reps with bodyweight)
  • Banded Squat (1-3 sets x 5-10 reps with stretch band)
  • TRX Pistol Squat (1-3 sets x 5 reps with TRX for support)

2. Lower-body Pulling Exercise

Choose one of the following options.

• Gym Options
  • Romanian Deadlift (1-3 sets x 5 reps with high load)
  • Deadlift (1-3 sets x 5 reps with high load)

• Non-Gym Options
  • Single Leg Romanian Deadlift (1-3 sets x 10-20 reps with bodyweight)
  • Single Leg Glute Bridge (1-3 sets x 5-10 reps with bodyweight)
  • Glute Bridge (1-3 sets x 10-30 reps with bodyweight)

3. Upper-body Pushing Exercise

Choose one of the following options.

• Gym Options
  • Dumbbell Bench Press (1-3 sets x 5 reps with high load)

• Non-Gym Options
  • Push-up (1-3 sets x 5-10 reps with bodyweight)
  • Banded Push-up (1-3 sets x 5-10 reps with stretch band)
  • TRX Push-up (1-3 sets x 5-10 reps with TRX)

4. Upper-body Pulling Exercise

Choose one of the following options.

• Gym Options
  • Cable Seated Row (1-3 sets x 5 reps with high load)
  • Wide Grip Lat Pulldown (1-3 sets x 5 reps with high load)

• Non-Gym Options
  • Pull-up (1-3 sets x 5 reps with bodyweight)
  • TRX Mid Row (1-3 sets x 5-10 reps with TRX)

5. Single Leg Standing Eccentric Calf Raise 

Do 1-2 sets x 10-20 reps per leg. You can do this on a stair step at home with bodyweight. After each set, hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds. 

6. Reverse Calf Raise 

Do 1-2 sets x 20-30 reps. The most convenient option is against a wall at home. Lean against the wall with straight legs at about a 45-degree angle. Pull your toes toward your shins and continue until fatigued.

7. Single Leg Seated Eccentric Calf Raise 

Do 1-2 sets x 20-30 reps per leg. You can do this on a chair in front of a stair step at home with bodyweight. If you want to add resistance, use a stretch band or dumbbell. After each set, hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds. 

8. Reverse Lunge 

Do 1-2 sets x 10-20 reps with bodyweight. Complete all reps on one leg before switching to the other leg. This can be part of your running warmup. 

9. Step-Up

Do 1-2 sets x 20-30 reps with bodyweight. Complete all reps on one leg before switching to the other leg. This can be part of your running warmup. 

10. Alternating Superman

Do 1-2 sets x 20-30 reps. This can be part of your post-run stretching routine.

11. Forearm Plank

Do 1-2 sets x 30-60 seconds. This can be part of your post-run stretching routine.

12. Dynamic Clam Shell

Do 1-2 sets x 20-30 reps per side. This can be part of your post-run stretching routine.

Consistency is Key

Remember, you don’t need a weight room or dedicated sessions to benefit from strength training. By “exercise snacking” — spreading exercises throughout your week and integrating them into your daily routines or endurance training — you can address running-related weaknesses and support performance. A consistent minimalist approach is far better than ignoring strength training altogether. 

References

Behm, David G., Urs Granacher, Konstantin Warneke, Jose Carlos Aragão‑Santos, Marzo Edir Da Silva‑Grigoletto, and Andreas Konrad. 2024. “Minimalist Training: Is Lower Dosage or Intensity Resistance Training Effective to Improve Physical Fitness? A Narrative Review.” Sports Medicine 54(2): 289-302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01949-3. 

Fyfe, Jackson J., D. Lee Hamilton, and Robin M. Daly. 2022. “Minimal‑Dose Resistance Training for Improving Muscle Mass, Strength, and Function: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Practical Considerations.” Sports Medicine 52 (3): 463-479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01605-8.