FREE FORM FITNESS
The Runner’s Guide to Strength Training
Build strength, improve efficiency, and support your running with a smarter approach to training.
First 8 sessions for $96.
Have questions?
FREE FORM FITNESS
Who we are
We specialize in helping busy people build strength in a way that’s simple, effective, and sustainable.
For 20 years, we’ve helped thousands of clients feel stronger, move better, and stay consistent without spending hours in the gym.
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our locations
kanata • glebe • hintonburg • downtown
Running is one of the simplest ways to get fit. But if your progress has slowed, your body feels tight, or small aches are starting to show up, it’s usually not a lack of effort. It’s a missing strategy.
Becoming a stronger, more efficient runner isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things alongside your runs.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training is one of the most powerful ways to elevate your running. When your muscles are stronger, every stride becomes more effective. You push off the ground with more power, your movement becomes smoother, and you waste less energy. Over time, this translates into running farther or faster without feeling like you’re working harder.
Just as importantly, strength training plays a major role in injury prevention. It stabilizes the knees and hips, strengthens tendons and ligaments, and corrects imbalances that often develop from repetitive movement. When your glutes are strong, the body’s main driver in running, you’ll notice better forward propulsion, less strain on your knees and lower back, and a more controlled, efficient stride.
five essential
exercises for runners
While bodyweight exercises are a great starting point, incorporating resistance-based movements is where runners begin to see meaningful improvements in power, stability, and overall performance. These exercises target key areas that directly carry over to your stride:
Heavy Hip Thrusts (Barbell or Machine)
This is one of the most effective ways to build glute strength, the primary driver of forward motion in running. Stronger glutes lead to more powerful strides, improved speed, and reduced strain on the knees and lower back.
Pallof Press or Hold (Cable or Band)
Core stability is key to maintaining posture and efficiency. This exercise trains your core to resist rotation, helping you stay stable and controlled, especially during longer runs when fatigue sets in.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts (Dumbbell or Barbell)
Because running is a single-leg activity, unilateral strength is essential. This exercise improves balance, coordination, and posterior chain strength while helping correct imbalances that often lead to overuse injuries.
Bulgarian Split Squats (Weighted)
This movement builds strength in each leg independently while improving hip stability and control. It reinforces proper knee alignment and closely mimics the demands of running, making it highly transferable.
Trap Bar Deadlifts (or Conventional Deadlifts)
Deadlifts develop total-body strength with a strong emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings. This translates into more powerful strides and a greater ability to handle the physical demands of running.
How to Structure Strength Training as a Runner
For many runners, adding strength training can feel overwhelming. Some even worry it might interfere with their running or make them slower.
A properly structured program shouldn’t take away from your running. It should support it.
Here are key principles to help you build a strong foundation and reduce injury risk:
Consistency is key
Strength training done inconsistently often leads to soreness and limited progress. Repeating the same exercises for 4 to 8 weeks allows your body to adapt and improve.
Manage your volume and intensity
Your training should work as a whole. Volume (how much you do) and intensity (how hard you push) need to be balanced with your running.
Avoid stacking high-intensity strength sessions before key runs like long runs or speed work. Use those days for lighter strength, stability, or mobility instead.
Progress comes from pushing at the right times, not all the time. Increase load and intensity gradually, and reduce volume periodically to avoid burnout.
Keep sessions short and focused
You don’t need long workouts to see results. One to three sessions per week, lasting 30 to 45 minutes, is enough when you focus on the right exercises.
Prioritize recovery
Recovery is just as important as your training. Prioritize 7–9 hours of sleep, stay hydrated, and fuel your body with protein and carbohydrates after workouts to support muscle repair.
Don’t skip rest days; this is when your body actually adapts and gets stronger. If you’re feeling overly fatigued or sore, adjust your volume or intensity to avoid setbacks and stay consistent long term.
Get support
That Fits Your Running
At a certain point, progress stops being about effort and starts being about direction.
If you’re not sure how to structure your strength training, balance it with your runs, or work around aches and setbacks, getting guidance can make a real difference.
At Free Form Fitness, we help runners build strength in a way that actually supports their running. That means focusing on the right exercises, the right timing, and a plan that fits your schedule.
30-minute sessions
that fit easily into your routine
Expert trainers
who tailor your program to your body and goals
A supportive environment
where you can get stronger with confidence
FOUR LOCATIONS IN OTTAWA
Glebe, Kanata, Hingtonburg, Downtown
NEW CLIENT OFFER
first 8 sessions for only $96