Beginner or advanced, low mileage or high — here’s exactly how often runners should strength train based on your weekly miles and goals.
Most runners treat strength training like a chore they know they should do but keep putting off. They lace up for another easy six miles instead of spending 30 minutes in the gym — and then wonder why their hip flexors are screaming at mile 18 or their IT band keeps flaring up every spring.
Here’s the truth: If you’re only running, you’re only training one dimension of fitness. And eventually, the body sends you a bill.
If You’re a Beginner Runner (Under 20 Miles Per Week)
When you’re new to running, everything feels hard. Your aerobic system is adapting, your joints are adjusting to the impact load, and your schedule is already fuller than you expected. The last thing you want to hear is that you need to add more.
But this is actually the most important time to build the habit.
Two days per week is your target. You don’t need complicated programming or a gym membership. Bodyweight squats, hip hinges, single-leg work, and core stability are your foundation. Think 20–30 minutes, twice a week, on non-consecutive days.
Why does this matter so much early on? Because beginners accumulate injury risk fast. The enthusiasm is real, the mileage goes up quickly, and the supporting musculature hasn’t caught up yet. Glute weakness, poor hip stability, and an underdeveloped posterior chain are the reasons most new runners get hurt in their first year. Strength work is your insurance policy.
Keep it simple. Stay consistent. Don’t skip it just because your legs are tired from Tuesday’s run.
If You’re an Intermediate Runner (20–40 Miles Per Week)
You’ve built a base. You’ve got a few races under your belt. You’re starting to think about time goals, maybe a half or full marathon. This is where runners get comfortable — and complacent.
Two to three days per week. One of those sessions should be heavier and more demanding. Think loaded squats, Romanian deadlifts, step-ups with load, single-leg press. The other one or two sessions can be more maintenance-focused — mobility work, hip stability, core.
At this mileage range, your strength work should start mirroring the demands of running: single-leg loading, hip extension under tension, anti-rotation core work. This isn’t about getting bulky. It’s about building a chassis that can handle the miles you’re putting on it.
One important note: sequence your week intentionally. Don’t put a hard strength session the day before a long run or a speed workout. Pair your heavy lifting with easy run days. Your body needs to be fresh when the quality running work happens.
If You’re an Advanced Runner (40+ Miles Per Week)
You’re training seriously. Your running schedule is dense, your easy days feel earned, and your body is under consistent load. Adding strength work on top of high mileage feels counterintuitive — and honestly, doing it wrong can make things worse.
Two days per week, no more. But make them count.
Advanced runners often make the mistake of either doing too much strength work and accumulating fatigue, or doing too little and treating it as an afterthought. Neither works. What works is intentional, periodized strength training that complements your running cycle.
During heavy training blocks — think peak marathon prep — your strength sessions should be shorter, lower volume, and focused on maintenance. During base-building phases, you have more room to build strength. This is when you go heavier, address weaknesses, and lay a better foundation for the next race cycle.
And if you’re running 50+ miles a week and racing frequently, don’t underestimate the value of a deload week. Your strength training should follow the same logic as your running: build, stress, recover.
What Are Your Goals? That Changes Everything.
You want to run faster. Strength training is performance, not just injury prevention. Plyometrics, heavy single-leg work, and power-based exercises directly improve running economy. Two days a week of targeted strength work will make you more efficient and more explosive — especially in the final miles of a race.
You want to stay healthy. Prioritize hip stability, glute strength, and posterior chain work above everything else. Most running injuries trace back to weakness in these areas. Consistency over intensity. Two days a week, every week, year-round.
You want to run longer. Fatigue resistance is the name of the game. Your strength work should focus on muscular endurance — higher rep ranges, single-leg loading, core stability under fatigue. You’re training your body to hold form when everything starts to break down at mile 20.
You’re coming back from injury. More strength, less mileage, more patience. Returning to running on a weak foundation is how people get hurt twice.
The Bottom Line
There’s no magic number that works for everyone. But if I had to give you a universal rule, it’s this:
Never run a week without doing some form of strength work.
Two days a week covers almost everyone. Beginners need it to stay injury-free. Intermediate runners need it to get faster. Advanced runners need it to stay in the game long-term.
You don’t have to love it. You just have to do it.
If you want a program built specifically around your mileage, your goals, and your schedule, that’s what we do at Glide.
Josh Kober is the co-owner of Glide Training Co. in San Diego’s Bankers Hill neighborhood. He has been training runners of all levels for 15 years.