Workout of the Week: Ultrarunning Strength

This workout is primarily for ultrarunners—meaning athletes who run over a marathon distance—and primarily geared toward trail-running athletes. That being said, if you’re a runner at all, this can be a helpful, quick program to introduce into your day-to-day.

Ideally you would start this in the fall and winter, at the end of your season. You should be able to do this at home with very minimal equipment, and it should be able to be built into your schedule so that it doesn’t take too much time away from a really time-intensive sport like ultrarunning. I recommend trialing this workout two to three times a week before going out on your run, and then upping it to every day.

The video below shows cues or modifications for most of the exercises listed, with links provided for the remaining moves. Prepare by having a little bit of space at home. The only equipment you need is a wall to brace yourself against for the last exercise—or for an extra challenge, wrap a mini resistance band above the knees and squat without wall support.

I recommend getting ready like you’re going to go out on your run. Keep your shoes off, go through this program, and then get out the door. If you have any pain either during the exercises or during your run, contact a physical therapist or your coach to make sure that everything is still looking and feeling good before continuing with the program.