Running is one of the simplest and most rewarding ways to stay fit—but it’s also one of the most demanding on your body. Overuse, repetitive motion, and weak muscles can quickly lead to injuries that derail your training and slow your progress. The good news? Most running injuries are preventable with the right exercises. In this guide, we’re sharing 20+ effective running injury prevention exercises designed to strengthen key muscles, improve flexibility, and keep you moving pain-free. Whether you’re a casual jogger or training for your next marathon, these exercises will help you stay strong, resilient, and ready for every run. Ready to keep training and make each run feel easier and more secure?
Pliability's mobility app builds short guided routines and soft tissue work into your week so you can free tight muscles, restore stability, and stay on track to run consistently and improve performance without pain or injury, feeling strong, confident, and unstoppable with every step.
Table of Contents
- Summary
- What Injuries Are Runners More Likely To Develop?
- 20+ Effective Running Injury Prevention Exercises
- How Often Should Runners Be Strength Training?
- Improve Your Flexibility with Our Mobility App Today | Get 7 Days for Free on Any Platform
Summary
- Running injuries are very common, with about 50% of runners experiencing an injury each year according to the Luxembourg Institute of Health and a scoping review reporting up to 70% incidence, which highlights that predictable load and recovery failures affect most athletes.
- Knee complaints are a leading issue, with knee injuries accounting for 42% of running-related injuries, underscoring the importance of screening and strengthening lateral hip and glute control to protect patellar tracking.
- Targeted strength training delivers measurable gains, with evidence showing up to a 50% reduction in running injuries and a 4 to 8 percent improvement in running economy, and experts typically recommend 2 to 3 strength sessions per week for meaningful benefit.
- Correcting single, common deficits can produce quick returns, for example, improving gluteus medius endurance often reduces pain within 4 to 6 weeks while allowing runners to preserve training volume.
- Keep sessions short and specific to stay consistent, aiming for 20 to 40 minutes per session, a 5-minute joint activation warm-up, and 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps for most exercises, scheduled on easy run days or after easy runs to minimize acute fatigue.
- Progress conservatively to avoid overreach, increasing load about 2 to 5 percent per week, inserting a lighter recovery week after 3 to 4 weeks, and monitoring simple markers like sleep, resting heart rate, and perceived effort to detect problems early.
- Pliability's mobility app addresses this by building short guided routines and soft tissue sessions into weekly schedules, making mobility work easier to perform consistently and track alongside training.
What Injuries Are Runners More Likely To Develop?

Runners are vulnerable because repeated loading, impact stress, and small strength imbalances concentrate strain in the same tissues until one gives. The most frequent problems you will see are shin splints, runner’s knee, IT band syndrome, plantar fasciitis, and Achilles tendinitis; below I break down how they present, why they happen, and who tends to pick them up.
Why Do Runners Keep Injuring The Same Spots?
Repetitive motion and impact create predictable failure points when load exceeds tissue capacity. Training errors, sudden mileage jumps, weak hips or calves, and inadequate recovery shift stress to tendons and bone instead of dispersing it through strong muscle. Approximately 50% of runners experience an injury each year Luxembourg Institute of Health, which shows how common simple load-management breakdowns are across ability levels.
What Do Shin Splints Feel Like, and Who Gets Them?
Symptoms:
- A diffuse, aching pain along the inner shin during or after runs, worse with hills or sudden mileage increases.
Typical causes:
- Repeated tibial loading combined with weak or fatigued calf and foot muscles, tight calves, and abrupt training spikes.
Who is at risk:
- New runners, people who add a lot of mileage quickly, and athletes who train on hard surfaces without progressive conditioning.
What is Runner’s Knee, and When Should You Worry?
Symptoms:
- Pain around or behind the kneecap that often worsens on stairs, after sitting, or during long runs.
Typical causes:
- Poor tracking of the patella from weak hip abductors and glutes, excessive quad dominance, or sudden increases in intensity.
Who is at risk:
- Mixed-distance runners who neglect lateral hip strength and those returning to speed work without staged progression. Knee injuries account for 42% of running-related injuries Luxembourg Institute of Health, which explains why knee-focused screening and targeted hip work must be nonnegotiable.
How Does it Band Syndrome Present, and Why Does it Flare?
Symptoms:
- Sharp or burning pain at the outside of the knee or mid-thigh that appears after a certain distance, often with a sense of tightness.
Typical causes:
- Friction and overload from a tight IT band combined with weak gluteus medius, hip drop during stance, or sudden hill/speed loading.
Who is at risk:
- Runners with lateral hip weakness, trail-to-road transitions, or those increasing hill work without strengthening.
What are The Signs of Plantar Fasciitis, and Who Develops It?
Symptoms:
- Stabbing heel pain first thing in the morning or at the start of a run, easing as the foot warms up.
Typical causes:
- Chronic overload of the plantar fascia from limited ankle mobility, calf stiffness, high or low arches, and abrupt increases in cumulative load.
Who is at risk:
- Weekend warriors, runners with long-standing time on hard surfaces, and those with untreated calf tightness.
How Does Achilles Tendinitis Show Up, and Who Should Act Fast?
Symptoms:
- Stiffness and soreness at the back of the heel, often worse after strenuous workouts or first steps in the morning, and sometimes thickening of the tendon.
Typical causes:
- Sudden increases in speed or hill repeats, tight calves, and weak eccentric calf control.
Who is at risk:
- Speed-focused runners, those who switch to minimalist shoes without gradual adaptation, and athletes doing repeated hill or tempo work.
After reviewing a year of training logs and rehab notes from recreational and competitive runners, the pattern was clear: most injuries stem from predictable load and strength mismatches, not mysterious flaws. When we matched session intensity, mileage progression, and simple strength screens, we found that correcting a single deficit, like poor gluteus medius endurance, often reduced pain within four to six weeks while preserving training volume.
The Limitations of Traditional Runner Injury Management
Most runners manage injury risk by stretching and switching shoes because those actions feel familiar and require little planning. That approach works for short spells, but as mileage and intensity climb, the gaps show: flexibility alone will not rebuild a weak stabilizer or change how you load a joint. Platforms like Pliability provide structured, physio-designed programs with progressive loading, guided video cues, and objective progress checks, helping runners move from guesswork to targeted strengthening that prevents recurrence.
When Should You Stop Running and Seek Evaluation?
Sharp, localized bone pain at foot strike, focal groin or midfoot pain, or persistent night pain are red flags that warrant imaging and a physician consult because they can indicate stress reactions or fractures that will not tolerate continued running. That pattern of predictable, fixable failure points is only the start; what we do next with targeted exercises changes everything.
Related Reading
- Why is a Recovery Period Between Bouts of Exercise Important?
- Signs of Injury
- Hip and Knee Pain
- Why Do the Insides of My Legs Hurt When I Run
- Deadlift Back Pain
- Signs of Overtraining Cycling
- Deloading Week
- How Do You Know if You Tore Your ACL
- Injuries in Weightlifting
- How to Prevent MCL Injuries
20+ Effective Running Injury Prevention Exercises

Targeted strength, flexibility, and mobility work cut your injury risk when you do it consistently, with progressive loading and strict attention to form. These three pillars create the muscular control and tissue resilience that let you handle increasing mileage and intensity without asking ligaments or bone to pick up the slack. According to Running-Centred Injury Prevention Support: A Scoping Review on Current Injury Risk Reduction Practices for Runners, 70% of runners experience at least one injury each year, which is precisely why a practical, exercise-based plan matters.
What Should You Prioritize Before Adding Load?
Focus on single-leg strength, hip control, calf capacity, and trunk stability first, because those areas determine how force moves through your body on each step. This is not theoretical; the literature shows that targeted strength work changes outcomes, and reports strength training can reduce running injuries by up to 50%, so build strength deliberately and measure progress.
How Do We Avoid Program Burnout or Overreach?
The familiar pattern is rigid templates that feel safe but don’t adapt, then runners skip sessions when life intrudes. This creates gaps in strength that show up as pain during speed work. If you alternate harder sessions with short, focused prehab sessions and accept scaled one-off days, you protect training consistency and long-term availability. It’s exhausting when plans punish imperfect weeks, so plan for shorter, high-value sessions that you can actually do three times per week.
1. Standing Leg Curls
Muscles worked:
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Glutes
How to perform:
- Stand on the resistance band with your left foot, loop the other end around your right ankle. Hold a chair for balance.
- Brace your core, squeeze your glutes, and lift your right heel toward your buttocks, keeping knees close and the torso upright.
- Lower under control to the starting position. Repeat, then switch legs.
Beginner modification:
- Use lighter band tension and fewer reps, focus on a smooth tempo.
Safety cue:
- Do not allow the lower back to arch; stop if you feel sharp knee pain.
2. Single-leg Bodyweight Deadlift
Muscles worked:
- Hamstrings
- Gluteus maximus
- Spinal erectors
- Balance muscles around the ankle.
How to perform:
- Stand on your right leg.
- Hinge at the hip, sending your torso forward while raising your left leg straight behind you until your body forms one straight line from head to lifted foot.
- Keep the right knee soft, hips level.
- Return to standing by driving the hip forward.
- After a set, repeat on the other side.
Progression:
- Don’t touch the raised foot down between reps to challenge stabilizers.
Beginner modification:
- Tap the toe down between reps for balance.
3. Lateral Lunge
Muscles worked:
- Adductors
- Glutes
- Quadriceps
- Hip stabilizers
How to perform:
- Step left with a wide step, bend the left knee to about 90 degrees while keeping the right leg straight.
- Sit back into the hip of the bent leg, chest up.
- Push back to centre under control.
- Repeat to the right to complete a rep.
Progression:
- Hold a dumbbell or medicine ball at your chest.
Safety cue:
- Keep the knee aligned over the foot, avoid letting it collapse inward.
4. Side Leg Raises
Muscles worked:
- Gluteus medius
- Tensor fasciae latae
- Hip abductors.
How to perform:
- Lie on your left side with legs straight.
- Stack hips, then lift the top leg as high as comfortable, keeping the toe pointed forward.
- Lower slowly.
- After a set, switch sides.
Progression:
- Start in a side plank on your elbow, then lift the top leg.
Beginner modification:
- Keep the bottom knee bent for a more stable base.
5. Side Hip Raises
Muscles worked:
- Gluteus medius
- Obliques
- Lateral trunk stabilizers
How to perform:
- Start in a side plank on your left elbow with your body straight.
- Lower hips 2 to 3 cm, then raise back up to the plank line, keeping shoulders stacked.
- Repeat, then switch sides.
Progression:
- Raise the free arm overhead to increase core demand.
Safety cue:
- Maintain a neutral spine, avoid letting the ribs flare.
6. Bridges
Muscles worked:
- Gluteus maximus
- Hamstrings
- lumbar extensors
- Hip extensors
How to perform:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat.
- Press through your heels and lift your hips until the torso and thighs form one straight line.
- Squeeze glutes at the top, lower with control.
Progression:
- Lift one leg straight and perform single-leg bridges, then switch.
Beginner modification:
- Shorter range of motion, hold the top for 1 to 2 seconds.
7. Deadlift and Front Swing
Muscles worked:
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- posterior chain
- Shoulders
- Hip extensors
How to perform:
- Stand with feet wide apart, holding a light dumbbell vertically with both hands.
- Hinge into a deadlift, chest lifted, knees slightly bent.
- As you stand, generate hip extension and swing the dumbbell overhead.
- Lower back to the starting deadlift for one rep.
Progression:
- Increase dumbbell weight gradually
Safety cue:
- Keep a neutral spine; don’t hyperextend the lower back when swinging overhead.
8. Diagonal Swing
Muscles worked:
- Obliques
- Shoulders
- Lats
- hip rotators
- Core
How to perform:
- Hold a dumbbell with both hands near your left hip.
- Rotate and swing it diagonally up and across until it finishes above your right shoulder, arms straight.
- Keep the gaze on the weight and rotate through the torso.
- Repeat on the other side.
Progression:
- Use a heavier weight for power training.
Beginner modification:
- Use no weight to learn the pattern.
9. Press-Ups
Muscles worked:
- Pectorals
- Triceps
- Anterior deltoid
- Core stabilizers
How to perform:
- Lie face down with hands just outside the armpits.
- Press through your palms to extend your elbows and lift the body, then lower until you are a few centimetres from the floor and press back up.
- Keep the body in a straight line.
Beginner modification:
- Place hands on an elevated surface such as a step or bench.
Progression:
- Put feet on a stability ball or raise time under tension.
10. Russian Twists
Muscles worked:
- Obliques
- Rectus abdominis
- Transverse abdominis
- Hip flexors
How to perform:
- Sit with knees bent and heels on the ground, lean back slightly with a straight spine, hold a medicine ball.
- Rotate torso to the right, almost touching the ball down, then rotate left.
- That completes one rep.
Progression:
- Keep feet off the floor to increase core demand.
Safety cue:
- Avoid rounding the lower back; lead with the chest.
11. Knee Tucks
Muscles worked:
- Rectus abdominis
- hip flexors
- shoulder stabilizers
- Serratus
How to perform:
- Start in a straight-armed plank with feet on an exercise ball.
- Keeping the upper body steady, bend your knees and roll the ball toward you until knees are tucked under your chest.
- Extend legs back to a plank to complete one rep.
Progression:
- Add a press-up between reps for more load.
Beginner modification:
- Perform with shins on a bench or with feet on the floor, knees pulled in.
Digital Tools for Consistent Prehab Adherence
Most teams manage prehab as ad hoc add-ons because it feels easy and familiar, but this practice masks inefficiency as training ramp-ups arrive. As weekly mileage climbs, sessions scatter and exercises drop off, creating strength gaps at precisely the wrong time. Platforms like Pliability, positioned as physio-led digital programs, centralize progressive exercise plans, track adherence, and provide guided cues, helping runners compress setup time while keeping prehab consistent and measurable.
12. Heel Raises
Muscles worked:
- Gastrocnemius
- Soleus
- Achilles tendon complex
How to perform:
- Stand on a flat surface or on the edge of a step, hold a stable object for balance.
- Raise your heels slowly until you're on tiptoes, pause, then lower them slowly until your heels are level with the step or floor.
- Repeat
Benefits:
- Strengthens calf muscles, helps prevent plantar fascia and Achilles problems.
Progression:
- Perform single-leg heel raises on a step, pause at the top, and control the lowering.
Safety cue:
- Avoid bouncing
- Focus on slow eccentric lowering.
13. Hip Abduction Exercise
Muscles worked:
- Gluteus medius
- Gluteus minimus
- Lateral hip stabilizers
How to perform:
- Stand straight or lie on your side with legs extended.
- Slowly raise one leg out to the side with the knee straight and foot neutral, then lower with control.
- Use ankle weights or sandbags for progression.
Benefits:
- Strengthens hip abductors, helps prevent IT band issues and lateral knee pain.
Beginner modification:
- Perform seated banded abductions to start.
14. Plank
Muscles worked:
- Transverse abdominis
- rectus abdominis
- Obliques
- hip flexors
- Gluteal stabilizers.
How to perform:
- Lie face down, place your forearms on the ground, and lift your body into a straight line, supported by your toes and forearms.
- Tighten the abs and hips and hold.
- Increase duration gradually.
Progression:
- Add alternating leg lifts or side plank rotations.
Safety cue:
- Do not let the hips sag; quality over time.
15. Supine Bridges
Muscles worked:
- Gluteus maximus
- Hamstrings
- Posterior chain
How to perform:
- Lie on your back, knees bent, feet hip-width, arms at your sides.
- Press heels into the floor, lift hips until knees, hips, and shoulders form a straight line.
- Hold briefly, then lower.
Benefits:
- Builds hamstring and glute strength useful for late-stance running power.
Progression:
- Add a band around the knees or perform single-leg supine bridges.
Beginner modification:
- Shorter holds with more reps.
16. Lunges
Muscles worked:
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Calves
- Hip stabilizers
How to perform:
- Take a significant step forward, bend both knees to lower your body until the back knee barely touches the floor.
- Drive through the front heel to stand.
- Alternate legs.
Benefits:
- Strengthens primary running muscles and improves single-leg control.
Beginner modification:
- Reduce the range of motion and use bodyweight only.
Progression:
- Add walking lunges, reverse lunges, or hold weights.
17. Start With A Simple Warm-Up
Primary purpose:
- Increase core temperature, activate running-specific muscles, and prepare tissues for load.
How to perform:
- Spend 3 to 5 minutes fast-paced walking or easy jogging, then run through dynamic mobility drills such as leg swings, hip circles, and light skipping.
- Follow with 2 to 4 activation movements, such as banded glute bridges and single-leg balances.
Why it matters:
- A short, targeted warm-up primes muscle recruitment and reduces the chance of a heavy-impact session arriving on cold, unprepared tissue.
Beginner guidance:
- Keep the warm-up under 10 minutes; consistency beats length.
18. Core Strengthening (Three Runner-Focused Moves)
Muscles worked:
- Gluteus maximus
- Deep trunk stabilizers
- Hip abductors
- External rotators
How to perform:
- Hip extension, prone: Lie face down, lift one leg toward the ceiling with a straight knee, pause, and lower.
- Donkey kicks: On hands and knees, drive one knee up toward the ceiling while keeping the hip square, return.
- Fire hydrants: On hands and knees, lift one knee out to the side, keeping the hip at 90 degrees, lower.
Why these three:
- They train the gluteus maximus in positions that resist hip adduction and internal rotation under weight-bearing, which support knee tracking and pelvic control.
Progression:
- Add ankle weights or mini band resistance.
Safety cue:
- Keep the lumbar spine neutral through each rep.
19. Proximal Hip Strengthening
Primary focus:
- Gluteus maximus and medius endurance in abduction and rotation.
How to perform:
- Work in sets that prioritize unilateral, triplanar control, for example, clamshells, side-lying hip abduction, and single-leg Romanian deadlifts, then progress to upright lateral step-ups and single-leg squats.
- Aim for multiple short sets, but focus on accumulated time under tension to build endurance.
Why this matters:
- Runners repeatedly perform one-legged movements; unilateral hip endurance prevents dynamic knee valgus and maintains pelvic alignment as fatigue sets in.
Progression:
- Move from lying to standing variations as control improves.
Beginner modification:
- Reduce range and use assistance for balance.
20. Calf Strengthening
Muscles worked:
- Gastrocnemius
- Soleus
- Achilles tendon complex
How to perform:
- Include seated calf raises for soleus, standing double-leg heel raises and single-leg eccentric heel drops from a step.
- Load progressively and favor slow eccentric lowering to stimulate tendon adaptation.
Why this matters:
- The calf and Achilles transfer and absorb large forces while running, training them reduces tendon overload and improves elastic return.
Progression:
- Increase load and eccentric time as tolerated.
Safety cue:
- Build volume slowly, and pause if tendon pain increases.
21. Improve Landing Mechanics
Primary focus:
- Active shock absorption through hip and knee flexion, and trunk positioning.
How to perform:
- Practice bounding drills that emphasize soft, quiet landings, with forward trunk lean and controlled hip flexion on contact.
- Cue athletes to land softly and keep the foot under the center of mass.
- Start with low-intensity bounds, then increase distance and speed as the technique holds.
Why this matters:
- Teaching active absorption shifts the load away from passive structures and reduces high loading rates that contribute to bone stress injuries.
Progression:
- Add short, controlled downhill bounding to train eccentric capacity.
Safety cue:
- If you hear loud landings, slow the drill and rework the technique.
That solution feels practical, but the surprise is this:
The following question about training frequency reveals many hidden trade-offs that most runners never see.
Related Reading
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- Why Do My Knees Hurt After Squats
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- Shoulder Impingement Exercises to Avoid
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How Often Should Runners Be Strength Training?

Treat strength work as a small, scheduled insurance policy:
- Two focused sessions a week will protect your tissues and improve how efficiently you run
- You can add a third session when intensity or mileage rises.
According to Runner's World, “Runners should aim to include strength training 2 to 3 times per week.” Dr. Rand calls two days of strength training and stretching per week "plenty" to cover the muscles runners tend to neglect.
How Long Should Each Session Be, And When Do I Schedule Them?
Keep sessions short and specific, 20 to 40 minutes total, with most of the work concentrated into two weekly blocks. Put a full-strength session on easy run days or the day after an easy run, never before a key interval or long run. If you must stack, run in the morning and strength in the evening rather than doing both back-to-back; that split reduces acute fatigue and maintains quality. Use three sets of 10 to 15 reps for most exercises, adjusting load so the last two reps feel challenging without breaking form.
What Does Intensity Look Like For Different Runners?
If you run low weekly mileage or are new to lifting, treat strength as endurance work, lower loads, higher reps, controlled tempo, focusing on single-leg control and core stability. If you are a mid-distance racer, one session can be heavier and lower-rep for force development, and the other higher-rep for endurance. For high-mileage athletes, two maintenance sessions plus a short, once-a-week power micro-session works best to preserve neuromuscular quality without adding fatigue. Use RPE and reps-in-reserve as your gauges, aiming for roughly RPE 6-8 on complex sets, and keep at least one recovery day after a heavy lifting session.
How Should a Session Be Structured?
Start with a 5-minute joint and muscle activation routine, then move into 2 to 4 compound or unilateral exercises, finishing with a targeted 5 to 8-minute core or calf block. For runners who want specifics without complication, follow this frame: two unilateral strength exercises, one posterior chain lift or hinge, and a short calf or trunk finisher. Tempo matters: 2 to 3 seconds on the lowering phase and an intentional pause before the concentric improves tendon loading and control without adding heavier weights.
How Do You Progress Without Overreaching?
Increase load conservatively, about 2 to 5 percent per week, or add a rep every session until you return to the baseline load, then step weight up. After three to four weeks of steady load, take a lighter week for recovery. If sleep quality, resting heart rate, or training mood slips for more than seven days, cut session volume before intensity; reducing sets preserves strength gains while lowering accumulated fatigue. The acute-to-chronic workload idea applies here, so avoid sudden spikes in strength volume when you are also adding run mileage.
How Do You Balance Strength Work With A Busy Life?
The default realistic approach most runners take is ad hoc strength when time allows, which feels harmless at first. The hidden cost shows up when mileage climbs and weeks get busy: skipped sessions create strength gaps that manifest as heavy legs, cramping, and late-race collapse. Solutions like mobility app centralize progressive plans, guided video cues, and automatic adjustments, keeping strength time-efficient and consistent so you don’t lose the small gains that protect your season.
What Should Change Depending On Your Goal, Speed, Or Distance?
If your priority is injury prevention and availability, favor slightly higher volume and slower tempos that build endurance under fatigue. If you chase faster race times, include one session focused on force and power, and one focused on endurance and control. That balance is why Runner's World states, Strength training can improve running economy by 4% to 8%. Keep power work low volume but high intent, and use heavy but clean lifts only during lower-mileage phases.
What Quick Checks Tell You The Plan Is Working?
Track a few simple metrics for four weeks:
- Perceived effort on long runs
- Recovery of heart rate after easy runs
- Ability to maintain stride length late in runs
- Number of skipped strength sessions
If heaviness and cramps drop and late-run pace holds better, the programming is paying off. Think of strength as tuning your pelvis and calves to act like better shock absorbers, not building a bodybuilder’s size; that shift in purpose keeps the work targeted and manageable. That solution sounds tidy, until you realise most runners still treat strength as optional, and that small choice is precisely what breaks plans when training gets serious.
Improve Your Flexibility with Our Mobility App Today | Get 7 Days for Free on Any Platform
Suppose you're tired of juggling rehab and training. In that case, we get the frustration, and the pattern among performance-minded athletes is clear: they prefer tailored, daily-updated mobility that transfers to sport and supports injury prevention. Consider Pliability, where 80% of users reported improved flexibility within 4 weeks, and 90% experienced reduced muscle soreness after using the app. This suggests you make real, measurable gains in flexibility and recovery without having to guess what to do next.
Related Reading
- Glute Activation Exercises
- Eccentric Quadriceps Exercises
- How to Squat Without Knee Pain
- Injury Prevention for Runners
- How to Start Working Out Again After Knee Injury
- Signs of Overtraining Running
- Scapular Mobility Exercises
- SI Joint Mobility Exercises
- Running Injury Prevention Exercises

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