Brooklyn Runners: Do This to Run Stronger for Longer

Hello runners! Whether you’re doing a walk-to-jog, fast walk, 1 mile, 5K, marathon training, or just getting into running, stop and read this.

If you love running (or want to start), you need to think about this: What is running not giving your body? What demands is it placing on you repeatedly?

Running is a sport, even recreational running. And like any sport, your body should be trained to handle its demands.

Running is highly linear and repetitive, which is why it’s important to train other movement patterns alongside it. If you don’t, the repeated stress on the same tissues and positions can significantly increase the risk of overuse injuries.

So, what does that training actually look like?

Total-body strength matters, but for runners specifically, here are the key buckets:

1. Lower body strength: This is heavily focused on single-leg strength, glutes, and lateral hip stability. Every step in running is essentially single-leg support, you need to own that position.

2. Foot, ankle, and lower limb complex: Your foot is your first point of contact with the ground. It needs to be strong, reactive, and able to absorb force. If it isn’t, everything above it compensates.

3. Core and hip stability: This is what connects your upper and lower body. Without it, energy leaks happen and efficiency drops.

4. Upper body strength + posture: Posture drives joint positioning, and joint positioning affects efficiency. A strong upper body helps you stay controlled when fatigue sets in.

5. Mobility: Not just flexibility, usable range of motion that allows you to absorb and produce force effectively while running.

6. Intentional progression of running volume and intensity: THIS IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I SEE PEOPLE MAKE. Don’t jump into 5 miles if you’ve never run before. Build gradually. Your tissues need time to adapt.

Important note: Your strength training does not need to take long if it’s done with intention. It also will not make you bulky, and it shouldn’t make your legs feel heavy for your runs. You may feel some soreness in the first couple of weeks because it’s a new stimulus, but your body will adapt, just like it does when you build running mileage and intensity.

Think of a minimal effective dose. What is the least you need to do to get the adaptation you want? No junk volume, no fluff, just the right exercises and rep schemes that actually work.

If you’re a runner or someone looking to start running and you’re not sure where to begin, come visit us and let’s talk about it. And if you’re part of a run club, we’d love to be your home base. Whether that’s pre-run warm-ups, a place to leave your belongings, coffee and bagels to fuel your run, or post-run cool downs and protein shakes to kickstart recovery, we’re here to support the full process so you can keep doing what you love: running.

example of movements we use for many of our athletes that demand running strength.