The secret to becoming a better runner isn’t simply more pavement pounding. Whatever your running goal – whether you’re preparing for a race, tackling an endurance challenge or simply aiming to run pain-free – strength work is the supplementary training that can make all the difference.
Why? Strengthening your muscles and joints builds resilience, allowing you to run further and faster while reducing your risk of injury. It’s a no-brainer, and the experts agree. But how strong do you actually need to be to support your running goals?
Strength and running coach Ben Poole recently took to Instagram to emphasise the importance of strength training for runners, while also highlighting key benchmarks to help you gauge whether you’re building sufficient strength.
These benchmarks provide a useful way to assess your body’s readiness and resilience in relation to your running goals. They can also highlight weaknesses and areas for improvement that may help you progress more efficiently.
‘Being strong is obviously crucial when it comes to running far and fast,’ reads the caption of Poole’s Instagram post. ‘The following benchmarks are what we [at The Movement Blueprint] have seen to be really good numbers for building resilience and decreasing injury risk.’
He goes on to list eight key strength benchmarks runners should test. ‘If any of these seems horrendously out of reach, then perhaps you have some work to do,’ Poole adds.
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8 Strength Benchmarks for Runners
1. Single-Leg Calf Raise
The benchmark: 1 x bodyweight (BW)
Example: ‘80kg man should aim for 80kg of load for 6+ reps on each leg,’ writes Poole.
2. Single-Leg Press
The benchmark: 1.5 x BW
Example: ‘80kg man should aim for 120kg of load for 6–8 reps on each leg,’ Poole advises.
3. Single-Leg Bent-Knee Calf Raise
The benchmark: 1.5 x BW
Example: ‘80kg man should aim for 120kg of load for 6+ reps on each leg,’ writes Poole.
4. Single-Leg Hamstring Bridge
The benchmark: ‘25+ quality reps each side with a 1s up and 1s down tempo on all reps,’ Poole writes.
5. Single-Leg Pogo
The benchmark: ‘20+ quality reps each side, hopping with control and stiffness,’ Poole advises.
6. Split Squat Isometric Hold
The benchmark: 0.5 x BW
Example: ‘80kg man to aim for 2 x 20kg dumbbells in a suitcase hold, 30s each side,’ Poole writes.
7. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
The benchmark: 0.5 x BW
Example: ‘80kg man should aim for 10+ reps with a 40kg dumbbell,’ Poole recommends.
8. Adductor Side Plank
The benchmark: 40s+ quality hold each side.
Abbi Henderson is Acting Nutrition writer who covers health, fitness, women’s sport and lifestyle for Women's Health and Men's Health. Before settling in a British seaside town, she spent a couple of years living in Canada, where she contributed to publications such as Best Health, Foodism and Canadian Living, and discovered she is, in fact, a little outdoorsy. With a desire to help make healthcare, exercise and sport more accessible to women, she writes about everything from the realities of seeking medical support as a woman to those of being a female athlete fighting for equality. She has a personal trainer qualification, a couple of medals from her short time in competitive Irish dancing, and an Arsenal Women season ticket. When she’s not in front of a screen working, she enjoys weightlifting, going for walks and stopping for little treats (matchas and pastries), and trying new recipes (that are almost always pasta-based).
