Why bodyweight squats are the “wrong exercise” for runners to build stronger quads, and what a run coach says to do instead

Anyone who wants to run regularly without injury (especially knee injuries), or improve their performance, could benefit from stronger quads. It stands to reason that squats will help you achieve this, but a physical therapist and certified running coach has taken to Instagram to say there are more effective exercises to use instead.

Richelle Weeks posted that unweighted squats, or even squats with a light dumbbell, aren’t challenging enough to help runners get stronger quads.

Instead, she recommends using these five moves, below, to increase quad strength, and improve running speed and performance.

How to do Weeks’ quad exercises for runners

I contacted Weeks to find out more and she says to aim to include one or two of these exercises in supportive strength workout two to three times a week, depending on how much you are running. “Higher mileage runners may struggle to fit in more than two,” she says.

What are the best exercises for runners?

“A heavy back or front squat can have great benefits for building overall strength,” says Weeks, “but you’d want to make sure you’re also including unilateral (single side) movements to target any muscle imbalances.”

“Running is a single-leg activity, so that means that we should be working our quads in single-leg positions like lunges, step-ups and unilateral squats,” says Weeks.

As well as the workout above, Weeks says adding single-leg calf raises, single-leg RDLs, side plank toe taps, weighted lunges and side-to-side jump squats to your fitness routine can improve running performance. She’s posted a 20-minute workout with these moves on Instagram.