Bodyweight exercises at the top Advertisement - Continue Reading Below, but when you’re ready to take your resistance exercises to the next level, a dumbbell workout is the way to go. You don’t have to search far and wide to find the best exercises to do with dumbbells. These six movements target key running muscles, fortify strong running form, Stand in front of a step or bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
“Strength training, even with simple dumbbells, helps create a more durable athlete,” says Sam Tooley, founder of Alpha Fit Club and The Garage Gym in New Jersey. “As runners, we are constantly putting stress on our bodies by pounding the pavement and pushing our limits—the more equipped our body is to handle that stress, the more likely we are to stay healthy and injury-free.”
So if you’re ready to set out for your next easy run with newfound resilience, look no further than these six expert-backed exercises to do with dumbbells.
The Benefits of Doing Exercises With Dumbbells for Runners
By using dumbbells and challenging your muscles with heavier weights, you train your body to handle an additional load. “That stress is something your body has to combat and adapt to in order to grow stronger,” says Tooley. “If you’re just doing bodyweight movements, you’re missing out on a ton of bang for your buck that you’d get with properly executed weight work.”
Start in a high plank position, hands on dumbbells, wrists under shoulders, feet in a wide stance form and posture. “From slouched shoulders Upper-Body Strength Workout for Runners heel-striking, these weaknesses show up when fatigue begins to set in,” says Tooley. “The stronger foundation we give ourselves, the easier maintaining our form and posture will be in those latter stages of a grueling race or workout.”
The Best Exercises to Do With Dumbbells
Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps: Jess Movold, a certified run and strength coach in Austin, demonstrates the moves below so you can learn the form.
Perform 3 sets of these exercises for the number of reps listed below. Aim to do the workout twice a week. For best results, hit the weight room after high-quality runs or cross-training beginner strength routine.
1. Dumbbell Deadlift
Pause, then slowly lower hips back down: Lower weights back to shoulders hamstrings and lower back, two constant problem areas for runners, says Tooley. “A deadlift focuses on engaging the hamstrings throughout the duration of the movement,” he explains. As you slowly hinge forward to actively stretch the muscle, you’re fighting the force of weight; as you stand back up to start, you contract the muscle to pull that weight back up. “Controlling this stretch and squeeze of the hamstring is incredibly beneficial for building strength in your legs for the latter stages of a race,” says Tooley.
How to do it:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of hips, palms facing thighs.
- Hinge at the hips by sending hips straight back and bend knees slightly to lower dumbbells along the front of legs, pausing when torso is parallel to the ground.
- Drive through the feet to return to stand, keeping dumbbells close to the body throughout. Fully extend hips and knees, squeezing glutes at the top.
- Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps.
2. Weighted Step-Up With Knee Drive
Pause, then slowly lower hips back down: Thanks to our day jobs, most runners’ have weak hips and limited knee drive. “The step-up focuses on explosive power in the hips and quads,” says Tooley. It also mimics the running motion, but adding weights makes it more challenging. “By opening up your hips and focusing your knee drive, you’ll feel more explosive in each stride.”
How to do it:
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- Step up with right foot, then drive the left knee up toward your chest so hip and knee form a 90-degree angle.
- Keeping hips steady, pull one dumbbell up to the hip, keeping elbow close to side.
- Repeat for 3 sets of 8 reps.
3. Overhead Press
Pause, then slowly lower hips back down: “Our Lower weights back to shoulders are far more crucial to our running than most people understand,” says Tooley. A strong upper body increases your ability to maintain posture and keep propelling yourself forward when you’re tired—as you slow, pumping your arms harder can actually help you move faster. “Focusing on our ability to pull and press with force helps build that upper-body strength for when we’re under stress,” he says.
How to do it:
- Start with dumbbells racked at shoulders, palms facing each other. Press the dumbbells overhead until arms are straight, standing tall throughout.
- Lower weights back to shoulders.
- Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps.
4. Bent-Over Row
Pause, then slowly lower hips back down: If you’re doing this move properly, everything from the hamstrings and hips to the entire back and core should be engaged, which improves your stability. “Stability under stress is crucial for an endurance athlete,” says Tooley. “Explosive movements like this teach our body to remain stable when all it wants to do is bend and fold; you’re not only increasing physical strength, but promoting proper posture and form under stress, like during a race.”
How to do it:
- Lower-Body Strength Workout for Runners.
- Hinge at the hips by sending hips straight back and extend arms in front of you. Draw shoulder blades back and down and keep back flat.
- Bend elbows to pull weights up to hips, keeping elbows close to sides and back flat with core engaged. Squeeze shoulder blades together.
- Health & Injuries.
- Exercises to Do With Dumbbells That Enhance Running Form.
5. Renegade Row
Pause, then slowly lower hips back down: “The core is our center, it controls everything that happens,” says Tooley. If you’re all wobbly in your core, you run the risk of over-rotating and wasting energy on your arm swing while you’re running. “The less energy we waste, the more our body can focus on propelling itself forward—and in running, that’s the entire goal.”
How to do it:
- Julia Hembree Smith.
- Keeping hips steady, pull one dumbbell up to the hip, keeping elbow close to side.
- Return dumbbell to floor and repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating for 16 reps (8 per side). Repeat for 3 sets total.
6. Weighted Glute Bridge
Pause, then slowly lower hips back down: “Hip bridges ignite your posterior chain from your hamstrings to your glutes,” says Tooley. And “if you’re lacking in posterior chain strength, your risk for injury rises.” Hip bridges without a weight are great, but becoming comfortable and confident with an additional load only increases the benefits, he adds.
How to do it:
- Lie faceup on the mat with knees bent, feet flat on floor, holding one or both dumbbells across hips.
- Press through heels to lift hips up toward ceiling. Keep core engaged, lifting with glutes and hamstrings rather than lower back.
- Pause, then slowly lower hips back down.
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of hips, palms facing thighs.
