Unless you’re a sprinter, you probably haven’t dedicated much training time to developing power. Most runners are focused on building endurance, and when they do cross train, it’s often about improving form, gaining stability, and preventing injuries—all important and worthwhile goals.
But Dane Miklaus, C.S.C.S., founder of WORK Training Studio in Irvine, California, tells Runner’s World that athletes who don’t incorporate power exercises into their workouts may eventually hit a performance plateau and find it increasingly difficult to shave time off of their PRs. That’s exactly why you need this power workout on your training plan.
The Benefits of a Power Workout for All Runners
“There’s an almost inverse relationship between endurance training, which increases an athlete’s working capacity, and power training, which includes short, fast efforts that increase peak performance,” Miklaus says. “On the one hand, you’re able to run for longer as you condition your body to push farther. However, you fall prey to the law of diminishing returns. The longer you go, the slower you must go in order to maintain it.”
If you want to run longer and faster, it’s important to also target your fast-twitch muscle fibers, especially in the legs and glutes. Yes, they fatigue faster, but they can also help you conquer hills and crush the final stretch of a road race when your slow-twitch fibers are spent. “The benefit that comes [from power training] can be experienced in improvements to an athlete’s ability to increase both their baseline and peak speed,” Miklaus says.
Designed by Miklaus, this six-move power workout feels like a high-intensity interval training circuit. “When it comes to power development, the entire point is going as hard and fast as you can for a very short amount of time,” Miklaus explain. That means you want to save this workout for dedicated strength-training days (not on your hard run days) and allow yourself plenty of time to recover.
How to use this list: Perform each exercise below for the number of reps listed, resting as needed between exercises and 30 seconds between sets. Complete 3 rounds.
Each move is demonstrated by Miklaus in the video above so you can learn the proper form. You will need a heavy barbell, a set of medium-weight dumbbells, and a medicine ball. (Don’t have all this equipment? We have alternative moves below. But you definitely need those dumbbells.)
1. Deadlift
Why it works: Miklaus notes that deadlifts are “the quintessential power move,” as they strengthen nearly every major muscle throughout the body. “When done properly, deadlifts help athletes generate vertical power from zero,” he says. “This means a potentially faster kick or running gait.” Additionally, because they target the glutes and hamstrings, deadlifts can help balance out quad-dominant runners.
How to do it: Stand behind loaded barbell with feet hip-width apart. Maintaining a flat back, hinge at hips (bend knees and send butt straight back), and reach down to grip barbell with hands placed slightly wider than hip-width apart. Squeeze shoulder blades back and down and keep head in line with spine. Drive feet into ground to extend hips and stand up. Pause, then hinge at hips, bend knees, and return bar to ground. Repeat. Do 6-8 reps.
Trainer tip: If you don’t have access to a barbell, use your heaviest set of dumbbells.
2. Lateral Broad Jump
Why it works: Because runners and cyclists move almost exclusively in the sagittal plane (forward and backward), they are typically ill-equipped to handle unexpected lateral movements, like side-stepping an obstacle or jumping off a curb. Building strength and practicing control while moving side to side can help mitigate common injuries, like sprained ankles. “The lateral broad jump is also an opportunity to increase some of the most powerful muscles in the lower body. The lateral hopping and subsequent controlled soft landing stimulate power development in the lateral ankle muscles, as well as the deep hip muscles and glutes,” Miklaus says.
How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart and arms at sides. Bend the knees to lower into a quarter squat, then leap to the right side, swinging arms forward to generate momentum. Aim to cover as much ground as possible. Land softly on both feet, lowering back into a squat, and then immediately jump to the left side. Repeat for a total of 20 reps.
3. Sprinter Start
Why it works: “The sprinter start is an incredible plyometric exercise that recruits all the exact same muscles as a single running stride, but does so at a greater demand,” Miklaus says. This primes the muscles to respond more quickly and rebound upward. “This develops more fast-twitch muscle fiber capability and increases peak power potential,” he adds.
How to do it: Start in a deep lunge with left foot forward and right leg extended behind you. Place tips of right fingers on the ground inside of left foot and extend left arm behind you. Forcefully drive left foot into the ground as you simultaneously draw right knee up and forward to chest, coming into an upright position, and hopping straight up, driving off left foot, and swing left arm forward. Softly land on left leg, right leg reaching back to return to starting lunge position, then immediately go into next rep. Repeat. Do 10 reps, then switch sides.
4. Double Dumbbell Swing
Why it works: “Anytime we quickly load and then deload with forceful movement, we see immense gains in power development within an athlete,” Mikluas says. “For this movement pattern specifically, I wanted to select something that would aid even more in posterior chain activation as opposed to focusing too much on the quads.”
How to do it: Stand with feet a little narrower than hip-width apart. With arms at sides, hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in toward you. With a flat back and neutral neck, push butt back and bend knees slightly to hinge at hips. Keeping arms straight, simultaneously draw weights back behind hips. Drive feet into ground and forcefully extend hips to stand up, using momentum to swing both weights up to shoulder height. Allow weights to swing back down as you hinge at hips again and immediately go into next rep. Repeat. Do 12 reps.
5. Lateral Ball Slam
Why it works: “Runners and cyclists actually use a surprising amount of core activation to help propel their movements. That said, one oft-underdeveloped piece of the core (unless specifically trained for) is rotational power,” Miklaus says. “By adding in a powerful oblique toss, athletes can improve their overall core strength, as well as specifically target the power capacity of their oblique and deep hip muscles.”
How to do it: Step feet a little wider than hip-width apart and stand about an arm’s length away from a wall, facing sideways with left arm closer to the wall. Bend knees slightly and hold medicine ball in front of right hip. This is the starting position. Rotate torso toward wall, pivoting on toes of right foot, and use core muscles to forcefully swing and release ball toward wall. Catch ball on the rebound, return to starting position, and immediately go into next rep. Do 15 reps, then switch sides.
Trainer tip: If you don’t have access to a medicine ball, you can substitute the same number of dumbbell woodchops per side.
6. Chest Ball Slam
Why it works: “Whenever I can, I like to sneak not-so-obvious upper-body training into the programs of my endurance athletes,” Miklaus says. “This chest toss is a sneaky-tough core challenge that also targets the pectoralis [chest] muscles of the upper trunk as well as the deltoids, biceps, and triceps of the upper arms. Whether it’s holding on to a set of handlebars, or swinging arms rapidly for that final kick of a foot race, endurance athletes must concede that a little upper-body training should make its way into their programs.”
How to do it: With feet a little wider than hip-width apart, stand facing a wall about an arm’s distance away. Bend knees slightly and hold a medicine ball at chest height. Forcefully toss ball toward wall and catch it on the rebound. Immediately go into next rep. D0 40 reps as quickly as possible.
Trainer tip: If you don’t have access to a medicine ball, substitute 10-12 plyometric push-ups.
