It’s hard enough to find the time for an hour run some days, so strength training is never at the top of my list. If I’m honest, it doesn’t even make my list most weeks. But when it’s an easy task I can cross off in six minutes or less? Sign me up. That’s a strength I can actually (and willingly) do each week. And it’s what I recently started doing. And it’s working. 

If you can’t commit to long sessions at the gym, any amount is helpful. Research shows that surprisingly small doses of strength work actually led to big gains for endurance athletes. 

So if you’re like me, and you avoid strength work because it’s just one more thing on the to-do list, it’s time for a (very) important reframe: what if the minimum dose of strength work needed to help you become a better, more resilient runner is a lot less than you think? What if you could do it all in under 6 minutes? 

What the Research Says 

A 2018 study found that runners who added a strength routine to their running routine were able to realize a two- to eight-percent increase in running economy. And better running economy translates to expending less energy at any given pace. Over the course of a marathon, that’s big. 

But why do you need to strength train anyway? A few reasons. First, it improves your running economy, builds durability, helps you handle more mileage and tough workouts. Plus, as you age, strength training is important for  maintaining muscle mass and power. 

It’s easy to get distracted by weights and machines and fancy strength-training equipment. The reality, though, is you don’t need any of it to create and maintain a simple strength program you can do in less than six minutes a few times each week. It’s about consistency over time. And that matters more than anything. 

Here’s my new go-to strength workout. I can easily check it off my to-do list from anywhere. I have done this at a playground with my kids, in between meetings and sometimes even right before or after a run. 

While I’ve shared a few of these exercises before, this combination is designed to target muscles that give us power while we run, help stabilize us and better our posture, all while using only body weight. 

SQUAT

This is a good one to build strength in your quads, glutes and hips. If a regular squat is too hard, modify it by placing a chair behind you and sit down into the chair and then stand back up with the same control you’d use in a regular squat. 

How do do it:

1. Stand with your feet about hip distance apart.
2. Sit back and bend your knees while keeping your weight evenly distributed between your feet. 
3. Take care to make sure your knees are tracking over your feet. 
4. Keep your chest lifted as you lower and then stand back up slowly, with control to start again. 

Perform squats or chair sits for 30 seconds, pause for 10 seconds and then squat again until you reach a minute. 

PUSH UPS

This highly underrated exercise is excellent for full body tension and stability, helps you to maintain form later in runs and adds important upper body strength that helps your posture and breathing while you run. 

If you can’t do a standard pushup, that’s fine. Modify by dropping to your knees or elevate your upper body and use the side of a couch or bench (I prefer the second option because it give you a full body plank posture with less effort).

How to do it:

1. Place your hands under your shoulders, while keeping your body in a straight line
2. Lower your chest to the ground (or to the bench or couch)
3. Push back up with control, maintaining a plank-like position the whole time. 

Perform two sets of 10 to 20 (depending on your strength and experience with pushups) with enough rest in between each set to get you to a minute. 

CALF RAISES (on the stairs)

I love these on the stairs because they build lower-leg strength while also providing a stretch in your calf and achilles. This means you get to recruit more muscle fibers during the exercise which, in turn, provides even bigger strength gains. 

Plus, you have built-in stability with a stair handrail, which is extra helpful when you’re ready to progress into single-leg calf raises. 

Here’s how to do them:

1. Stand on the edge of a step or stair with your heels hanging off. Hold onto a railing for balance.
2. Lower your heels down below the step as far as you can comfortably.
3. Pause for a breath at the bottom.
4. Press into your toes as high as you can to come back up.
5. Move slowly through the entire motion.

Perform two sets of 15 to 20 with about 20 seconds of rest between them (goal is to get to about a minute with this exercise). 

STEP UPS

I like to do these with a knee drive and arm swing at the top to mimic running mechanics while building single-leg strength. I also do these fairly quickly to increase power and turnover. I’ve found this translates really well to hard workouts. 

Here’s how to do them:

1. Stand in front of a step or box (I do these on my stairs).
2. Step up with one foot and drive the other leg up to a high knee position while swinging your arms in a running motion (you can hold onto a railing with one arm if you need to).
3. Step back down and repeat on the same leg for multiple reps before switching to the other side. 
4. Move as fast and efficiently as you can without letting your form break down.

Perform 15 to 20 on each leg. Don’t rest between sides. 

LATERAL LUNGES 

Us runners are notorious for weak adductors, and adding a simple move like lateral lunges to help strengthen them goes a long way. Plus it gives you a reason to move into your side body, which is just the type of dynamic movement you don’t get to do while running. It helps side-to-side stability and overall body balance and function. 

You can modify them by taking smaller steps. 

How to do them: 

1. Stand tall with feet together. 
2. Step one foot to the side and sit back with your hips moving backward like a squat..
3. Keep your opposite leg straight. 
4. Push back up into your center and stand tall.
5. Switch sides with each lunge so you go back and forth.

Do 15 reps total. One rep is completing a lunge on each side. 

Remember, you don’t need a robust, hour-long strength routine twice per week to see real gains. You just need one you’ll actually do. And for some  of us that means keeping it simple and short, like this one. 

While six minutes might not sound like a lot, when you do this routine consistently, a few times per week (even every day!), you’ll notice you feel stronger and more durable. And that’s the goal, right?