I’ve always disliked strength training—partially because it feels, to me, like there’s never a good time for it. When I do it before my run, I’m more fatigued or sore for my jog later in the day. But after my run, the last thing I want to do is pick up some dumbbells.

So more often than not, I would just talk myself out of strength training … until I started thinking about other ways I could fit it into my schedule. If before and after a run weren’t options, I might as well try it during, I figured.

I’m not talking about jogging around with wrist and ankle weights, though. I’m talking about doing something similar to what Hyrox athletes do: Run, do a strength exercise, run again, do another strength move, and so on.

I could borrow that structure and do one or two runs per week in which I’d run a mile and then follow it with planks or lunges. Then run another mile and do push-ups, and run another and hold a glute bridge. At the end of six miles or so, I’d have completed six meaningful strength exercises—in addition to my usual daily jog.

I asked Jess Movold, an NASM-certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified run coach, if this is actually a viable training method. Meaning, would I get the same benefits as if I did my strength work and runs separately? Or would I compromise one or both training goals?

“There are a million ways to bake a cookie. If a runner wants to do their strength training in a non-traditional way, that’s a brilliant plan if the alternative is not doing any strength work at all,” Movold says. She explains that regardless of whether you choose to strength train before, during, or after your run, it still serves a purpose.

“Doing strength work within the run isn’t as effective as being in the weight room. But you can still get stronger from it as long as it feels challenging to you,” she explains. “To develop strength, all you need is a stress or stimulus that causes your muscles to adapt. And if you keep the pace truly easy, it’s not going to detract from your running.”

Movold explains that if bodyweight movements don’t challenge you, then they’re not going to be as effective as lifting heavier weights. But if you’ve never done strength training—or if you’re like me and it’s been a while—those bodyweight exercises can be more than sufficient.

So, with my specific situation in mind, I asked Movold to design a hybrid running workout that would also check the box for my strength training each week.

Keep reading for the routine she created, how it went, and what to try if you also want to strength train differently than the norm.

The Hybrid Run and Strength Workout

How to use this list: Follow the run/strength structure below, performing the number of reps and sets listed.

You don’t need equipment for most of the exercises, but for the lateral band walks, you will need a loop resistance band. I carried mine in my pocket for the workout.

Run 2 Miles at Easy PaceDynamic Warmup, 2 Rounds

Inch Worm Walk-Out to Push-Up, 6 reps

  1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, bend forward at waist and touch floor. If you can’t do it with legs straight, bend knees slightly.
  2. Walk hands out until you hit a plank position, shoulders over wrists, body forming a straight line from head to heels, core engaged.
  3. Bend elbows and, maintaining one straight line with body, lower toward the floor, then press back up for a push-up.
  4. Then take small steps to walk hands back to feet.
  5. Stand up.
  6. Repeat.

Bodyweight Good Morning, 12 reps

  1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, both hands behind head.
  2. With a slight bend in the knees, and core engaged, hinge at the hips by sending hips straight back. Maintain a flat back.
  3. Drive through feet to stand back up, extending hips.
  4. Repeat.

Glute Bridge, 12 reps

  1. Lie faceup, knees bent, and feet planted on the floor, hip-width apart.
  2. Drive through heels, contracting the glutes to lift hips up toward the ceiling. Body should form a straight line from shoulders to knees.
  3. Slowly lower back down.
  4. Repeat.

Air Squat, 12 reps

  1. Stand with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly out, clasp hands at chest for balance.
  2. Send hips back and down, bending knees to lower down as far as possible with chest lifted.
  3. Drive through heels to stand back up.
  4. Repeat.

Deep Lunge With Thoracic Spine Rotation, 6 reps per side

  1. Step into high lunge with right leg forward, knee bent about 90 degrees and left leg stepping backward, knee straight. Place both hands on floor inside right foot.
  2. Lift left hand and twist upper body to the left, reaching the arm toward the sky. (Rotate torso, not just arms and head.)
  3. Rotate back forward and return hand to floor.
  4. Repeat rotation to right side.
  5. Repeat with left leg forward.

Run 0.5 Miles at Easy PaceMain Strength I, 4 Rounds

Rest for 1 minute after each round.

Split Squat, 8 reps per side

  1. Stand with feet staggered, right foot back.
  2. Lower into a lunge position, both knees bending 90 degrees with front left knee tracking over toes and back right knee hovering just above the floor.
  3. Drive through feet to straighten legs, keeping them staggered.
  4. Repeat for reps.
  5. Then switch sides.

Tempo Air Squat, 12 reps

  1. Stand with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly out, clasp hands at chest for balance.
  2. Send hips back and down on the count of 3, moving slowly, bending knees to lower down as far as possible with chest lifted.
  3. Drive through heels to stand back up.
  4. Repeat.

Split Squat Hold, 1 rep each leg

  1. Stand with feet staggered, right foot back.
  2. Lower into a lunge position, both knees bending 90 degrees with front left knee tracking over toes and back right knee hovering just above the floor.
  3. Hold for 20 seconds.
  4. Drive through feet to straighten legs.
  5. Switch sides.

Lateral Band Walk, 10 steps each direction

  1. Loop resistance band around both legs just above the knees.
  2. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged.
  3. Take a small step to the left with left foot, immediately followed by the right foot. Maintain resistance on the band.
  4. Repeat.

Jump Squat, 10 reps

  1. Stand with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly out.
  2. Send hips back and down, bending at knees to lower down as far as possible with chest lifted. You can swing arms back for momentum.
  3. Press through feet to explode up, jumping vertically in the air.
  4. Land softly and immediately send hips back down into a squat.
  5. Repeat.

Run 0.5 Miles at Easy PaceMain Strength II, 2-3 Rounds

Do 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off for each move.

Dead Bug

  1. Lie faceup, both legs lifted, knees bent 90 degrees and placed directly over hips.
  2. Extend both arms straight up, hands in line with shoulders. This is starting position.
  3. Extend left leg straight out, lowering it toward the floor. Simultaneously extend right arm overhead, also lowering it toward the floor.
  4. Pause, then return to starting position.
  5. Repeat on opposite side.
  6. Continue alternating.

Plank Shoulder Tap

  1. Begin in high plank position with shoulders over wrists, pelvis tucked, and core engaged. Place feet out slightly wider than hip-width apart.
  2. Lift left hand and bring it to right shoulder. Pause, then return hand to ground.
  3. Repeat on opposite side by tapping right hand to left shoulder and return to starting position.
  4. Continue alternating.

Superman Hold

  1. Lie facedown with legs and arms extended, arms overhead. Look down and forward at about a 45-degree angle.
  2. Lift arms and legs several inches off the ground, engaging glutes and back. Keep gaze down and out so neck is neutral.
  3. Hold for 5-10 seconds, then lower back down.
  4. Repeat.

V-Up

  1. Lie faceup in a hollow-hold position, legs extended and arms reaching above head, biceps by ears.
  2. Sit up onto tailbone and lift legs into a V position—hands and feet should meet as close together as they can at the top.
  3. Slowly lower back down to floor with control.
  4. Repeat.

Run 0.25 Miles at Easy PaceFinisher, 3 rounds

Limit rest as much as you can.

Push-Up, 10 reps

  1. Start in high plank position with shoulders stacked directly over wrists. Body should form a straight line from head to heels.
  2. Bend elbows to lower body to floor, maintaining straight line. Arms should bend at a 45-degree angle from torso. Lower body as close to the floor as possible.
  3. Slowly straighten elbows to push back up to a plank, maintaining straight line.
  4. Repeat.

Burpee, 15 reps

  1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Send hips back and bend knees to squat and place hands on the floor.
  2. Jump feet back into a high plank position. Bend elbows to lower chest to the floor, like a push-up.
  3. Press back up as you jump feet back up into a deep squat.
  4. Jump straight up to stand and hop off the floor, landing on the balls of feet.
  5. Repeat.

Air Squat, 20 reps

  1. Start standing with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly out, clasp hands at chest for balance.
  2. Send hips back and down, bending knees to lower down as far as possible with chest lifted.
  3. Drive through heels to stand back up.
  4. Repeat.

Run 2 Miles at Easy PaceHow It Went After a Month

I fully expected the workout to be challenging—it was much more demanding than any strength session I’d created for myself in the past. Nevertheless, my first attempt was still extremely humbling. Not only was I sore for the next few days, but it also took me twice as long as I anticipated to complete it. I spent extra time making sure I was actually doing the exercises correctly and maintaining proper form, as I hadn’t done many of the movements in years.

Movold was not surprised by my learning curve and initial struggle, and she suggested that I only do the workout twice in the first week before progressing to the three weekly sessions we’d planned.

I can’t say I mastered the workout, but it did start to feel easier. I was never as sore as I was after that first attempt, and I became more comfortable with the movements and confident in my ability to do them with proper form.

While I still prefer running to strength work, I enjoyed this workout more than any traditional strength training I’ve done previously—I actually had fun doing it.

I started to frame these workouts as “strength scavenger hunts.” After reaching each checkpoint of jump squats or dead bugs, I’d have a running segment to look forward to. Then, I’d refocus on completing the next strength checkpoint. This structure actually helped keep me present in the workout.

Typically, when I strength train in the gym, I’m counting reps and thinking about how many more I have until I can go home. But with the strength work baked into the run itself, I stayed locked in on just reaching one checkpoint at a time. And truly, nothing made me relish the stretches of easy jogging more than the knowledge that more push-ups were waiting at the other end.

Plus, I do feel stronger—both physically and mentally. I felt like I could call upon my arms for an extra surge when pumping up the steepest hill on my neighborhood route. I lasted longer when I helped my parents stack firewood in their backyard. And not only did carrying groceries feel less difficult, but I single-handedly hauled my old mattress box spring to the curb with a confidence that I would not have had before.

While I know more physical advantages will show up with time and consistency—including increased running power and stronger bones, as Movold points out—I noticed a mental shift pretty quickly. I proved to myself that I could do something hard and unfamiliar, and that led to new confidence and curiosity that spilled over into my life outside of running.

But even more than that, I felt extra security in knowing that I was doing something good for my body: Movold calls strength training an “insurance policy” to help you run strong and healthy. As someone who’d been running uninsured for quite some time, it feels great to have finally invested in some protection.

Headshot of Morgan Petruny

Morgan is a gear editor who has been with Runner’s World since 2017. She started as an intern ghostwriting The Warmup, a bygone version of the daily RW newsletter. Now, she tests and reviews anything you might find on runners’ feet-from crew socks and compression boots to carbon-plated super shoes.

A lifelong runner and shoe geek, Morgan has been chasing the perfect pair of kicks since she joined her grade school cross-country team. Since then, she ran as a Division I walk-on for the cross-country and track & field teams at the University of Delaware, where she studied English and Biology. She has one full marathon under her belt, and has raced more halfs and 5Ks than she can count.