MARATHON
Strength training for marathon and half marathon runners
Should I lift weights while training for a marathon?
Our advice is yes: lift twice a week through the build, cut your sets in the taper and keep one light session in race week. Studies of well-trained runners found that heavy lifting improved running economy, which is how little energy a pace costs. The trials of recreational marathon runners are small and mixed, and none we read found a significant loss in running performance from lifting. Complete starts from your long-term goals, and when you add a marathon or half marathon it builds your training toward it.
Start from what you want out of race day
You may run a marathon or a half marathon to finish strong, to run a time or to see what you can do. Behind each of those sits a longer goal, such as getting stronger, improving your cardio or staying healthy for years after the race. Lifting fits all of them. It makes you stronger, and it aims at running economy, which is how much energy a given pace costs you.
This guide splits the lifting into 3 stages: the build, the taper and race week. The build is the weeks of rising mileage. The taper is a planned cut in training in the last weeks before the race, so you arrive fresh. For the general research on strength for runners of every distance, and a single-leg session, read our strength training for runners guide. This page covers what is specific to the marathon and the half marathon.
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What the research found for well-trained runners
Two pooled analyses cover runners at a high level. A 2016 analysis combined 5 controlled trials of 93 competitive middle- and long-distance runners. Lifting and jumping 2 to 3 times a week for 8 to 12 weeks gave a large improvement in running economy (Balsalobre-Fernández and colleagues, 2016). A 2018 analysis of 28 studies in running, cycling, skiing and swimming found a moderate improvement in middle- and long-distance performance, and maximal-force training, which means lifting very heavy, led to bigger improvements than other intensities (Berryman and colleagues, 2018).
Two single trials show what that looks like. In 2008, 17 well-trained runners split into two groups. The lifting group added half squats, 4 sets of 4 repetitions at a weight they could lift no more than 4 times, 3 times a week for 8 weeks. Their running economy improved 5.0 percent and their time to exhaustion at top aerobic speed rose 21.3 percent. VO2max, the most oxygen your body can use in a minute, and body weight did not change (Støren and colleagues, 2008).
In 2025, 28 well-trained men split into two groups of 14. One group added heavy lifts and jumps twice a week for 10 weeks. Before and after the 10 weeks, everyone ran 90 minutes. At the 90-minute mark, the lifters’ oxygen cost, the energy a pace takes, had fallen 2.1 percent from the first test. In the run-only group it had risen 0.6 percent. In a hard run to exhaustion straight after, the lifters lasted 35 percent longer than before and the run-only group 8 percent less (Zanini and colleagues, 2025). That is economy holding up late in a long run. The runners were men, were well trained and ran 90 minutes, not a full marathon.
- Balsalobre-Fernández et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016: strength training and running economy in highly trained runners, a meta-analysis checked 30 Oct 2026
- Berryman et al., International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2018: strength training for middle- and long-distance performance, a meta-analysis checked 30 Oct 2026
- Støren et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2008: maximal strength training improves running economy in distance runners checked 30 Oct 2026
- Zanini et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2025: strength training improves running economy durability in well-trained male runners checked 30 Oct 2026
What the trials of marathon runners found
The trials of people actually training for a marathon are smaller and give a mixed picture. Here are the three we found.
| Study | Runners | What they did | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piacentini, 2013 | 16 master marathon runners, average age about 44, in three groups | The 6 in the maximal strength group did maximal strength training. A second group of 5 did resistance training and a third group of 5 was a control group. | The maximal strength group gained 16.34 percent in the most weight they could lift once and 6.17 percent in running economy at marathon pace. The other groups did not change. The authors call it preliminary. |
| Ferrauti, 2010 | 22 recreational runners, average age 40, in marathon preparation | 2 strength sessions a week for 8 weeks, for the trunk and legs. | Leg strength rose, with knee extension force going from 4.6 to 6.2 newtons per kilogram of body weight. Oxygen cost at marathon speeds did not differ between the groups. Body mass did not change. |
| Toresdahl, 2020 | 720 first-time marathon runners | A 10-minute program for the quadriceps, hip abductors and core, 3 times a week for 12 weeks, from written and video instructions. | An overuse injury that ended the marathon happened to 7.1 percent of the strength group and 7.3 percent of the others. Finish times were 5 hours 1 minute and 4 hours 58 minutes, not a significant difference. |
- Piacentini et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2013: concurrent strength and endurance training and running economy in master runners checked 30 Oct 2026
- Ferrauti et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010: concurrent strength and endurance training in recreational marathon runners checked 30 Oct 2026
- Toresdahl et al., Sports Health, 2020: a randomized study of a strength training program to prevent injuries in runners of the New York City Marathon checked 30 Oct 2026
How to read the marathon trials
Piacentini’s heavy lifters improved their economy at marathon pace, and Ferrauti’s 11 lifters got stronger without a change in what marathon pace cost them. Both groups are small, and Ferrauti’s authors name the small groups and a short 8 weeks as possible reasons. The 720-runner trial tested a short, self-directed program for injuries and found no difference. It tells you about that program, not about all lifting. None of the trials we read found a significant loss in running performance from lifting.
Two gaps matter for you. We found no trial of lifting in half marathon runners alone. We found no trial that tested lifting inside a taper in runners. Where the advice below rests on those gaps, it says so.
Stage 1, the build: lift twice a week
Our advice for the build is 2 lifting days a week. The trials above used 2 to 3 sessions a week for 8 to 12 weeks. Keep each one to about 45 minutes, so the running stays the main work.
What to lift: the trials that worked used heavy, simple lifts. Start with a half squat, which is a squat to about knee height, in 4 sets of 4 repetitions at a weight you could not lift 5 times, plus jumps. That is the 2008 program with the jumps the 2025 one added. If you are new to heavy lifting or coming back from an injury, start with light weights and learn the lifts first.
Running alternates single-leg support: one leg accepts your weight while the other swings, then they switch (Cappellini and colleagues, 2006). Use bilateral strength, which means both legs work together, alongside unilateral strength and control, which means one leg works at a time. A Bulgarian Split Squat is a practical unilateral tool: put the rear foot on a bench, keep most of your weight over the front heel, lower with your hips square and drive through the front foot. Complete’s library lists it as a single-leg movement for quads, glutes, balance and hip stability. It is one useful option, not a compulsory exercise or proof that it beats every other lift.
Our advice for plyometrics, not a tested marathon protocol: progress from low two-foot Pogo Hops or line hops to a controlled Box Jump. Consider a Single-Leg Box Jump only after you can land quietly with the knee tracking over the toes. Complete’s library has Pogo Hops for fast, low rebounds, Box Jump for lower-body power with a softer landing on the box, and Plyo Power (Jump Day), a 45-minute base- and pace-phase session built around fresh, explosive work. Stop when the landing gets loud and progress one variable at a time. Small runner studies and pooled research suggest plyometrics can help running economy, but the effects are not universal: a 9-week randomized trial improved economy by 4.1 percent at 18 km/h only, and a meta-analysis found a larger pooled effect for heavy resistance than for plyometrics (Saunders and colleagues, 2006; Ramirez-Campillo and colleagues, 2021; Eihara and colleagues, 2022).
Where to put them: our advice, not a tested protocol or a Complete-generated week, is to make Thursday’s Lift B start with a short, fresh plyometric block, then use Bulgarian Split Squat as the unilateral coaching modification: it replaces the Kettlebell Swing finisher in the posterior-chain session below rather than adding another exercise. Scale its sets to your recovery. Keep your heavy lower-body day at least 2 days before your long run, because the long run is the session you most want to protect. If the lift or jump block leaves you too sore to run well, cut its sets or contacts next time.
Expect smaller gains in the gym while you run a lot. A pooled analysis of 21 studies found that adding running to lifting reduced the gains in muscle size and strength, and the more often and the longer the endurance work, the bigger the loss (Wilson and colleagues, 2012). If building muscle is your main goal, a marathon build will slow it. That is a reason to keep the lifts short and few, not to skip them.
Our advice for fitting these pieces, not a tested protocol or a Complete-generated week: a build week with 4 runs and 2 lifts could look like this:
| Day | Run | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rest | None |
| Tuesday | Quality run: a tempo run or intervals | Lift A after the run: a heavy half squat |
| Wednesday | Easy run, at a pace where you can talk | None |
| Thursday | Rest from running | Lift B: first a short, fresh plyometric block; then our coaching modification replaces the Kettlebell Swing finisher in the posterior-chain session below with Bulgarian Split Squat (scale sets to recovery) |
| Friday | Easy run | None |
| Saturday | Rest | None |
| Sunday | Long run | None |
- Cappellini et al., Journal of Neurophysiology, 2006: motor patterns in human walking and running, including stance and swing phases checked 31 Oct 2026
- Saunders et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2006: short-term plyometric training and running economy in highly trained distance runners checked 31 Oct 2026
- Ramirez-Campillo et al., Journal of Sports Sciences, 2021: jump training and physical fitness and performance in endurance runners, a meta-analysis checked 31 Oct 2026
- Eihara et al., Sports Medicine - Open, 2022: heavy resistance versus plyometric training for running economy and time-trial performance, a meta-analysis checked 31 Oct 2026
- Wilson et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2012: concurrent training, a meta-analysis of interference between aerobic and resistance exercise checked 30 Oct 2026
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A lift day from Complete’s workout library
This is Posterior Chain (Hamstrings & Glutes), a lower-body session in Complete’s workout library. As written in the library, it takes about 45 minutes and works the muscles at the back of your legs that drive every stride. The table below is the exact library reference; our Thursday coaching modification replaces its Kettlebell Swing finisher with Bulgarian Split Squat, so the modified Lift B may take a different time. Its main lift is sets of 8 repetitions, a lighter load than the 4-repetition heavy day, so it suits Lift B in the week above. Lift A stays the heavy day.
A glute bridge is a hip raise lying on your back. A Romanian deadlift is a hip hinge: you lower a weight along your legs with a flat back and stand up again. A Nordic curl starts kneeling with your feet held down. You lower your body forward as slowly as you can, then push back up. A reverse hyperextension is a leg swing behind you while you lie face down on a bench or machine. A kettlebell swing is a hip snap that throws a weight to chest height.
If you are new, use a band to help with the Nordic curl, or lower yourself slowly and skip the push back up. Use a lighter Romanian deadlift and keep the accessory work to two sets. If you are experienced, hold weight behind your head in the Nordic curl and slow the reverse hyperextension, with the same sets and reps.
| Block | What you do |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | Glute Bridge: 1 set of 12 reps with no weight, to wake up the glutes. Romanian Deadlift: 1 set of 8 reps with a light weight, to practise the hinge. |
| Main | Romanian Deadlift: 2 sets of 8 reps, 150 seconds rest, with a slow 3-second lowering. Pick a weight that takes you to failure by about rep 8. Keep your back flat. The stretch at the bottom is the work. |
| Accessory | Nordic Curl: 3 sets of 5 reps, 120 seconds rest. Fight the way down as far as you can. Reverse Hyperextension: 2 sets of 12 reps, 60 seconds rest, with smooth swings and a squeeze at the top. |
| Finisher | Kettlebell Swing: 3 sets of 15 reps, 60 seconds rest. Keep your hips sharp and stop when the snap fades. |
Stage 2, the taper: fewer sets, same weights
The taper starts about 2 to 3 weeks before a marathon. A pooled analysis of 27 studies of competitive athletes found the best result from a 2-week taper that cut training volume by 41 to 60 percent and left intensity and frequency alone (Bosquet and colleagues, 2007). For recreational marathon runners, an analysis of the training logs of more than 158,000 runners found that strict tapers, where weekly distance falls step by step, went with better marathon times than relaxed ones. A strict 3-week taper went with a median finish-time saving of 5 minutes 32.4 seconds, or 2.6 percent, against a minimal taper (Smyth and Lawlor, 2021). That is an association in logged data, not a trial. A survey of elite British runners found a median marathon taper of 14 days (Spilsbury and colleagues, 2015).
No trial we found tested lifting inside a taper in runners. The closest is a small 1994 study of 8 resistance-trained men. A 10-day taper that cut arm-training volume but kept the training intense raised their maximal strength, and 10 days with no training did not (Gibala and colleagues, 1994). It tested the muscles that bend the elbow, not a runner’s legs, so treat it as a hint.
Our advice for the taper: keep your 2 lifts, cut the sets by about half to match the cut in running, cut plyometric contacts as well, keep the weights where they are and add no new exercises or jump variations. That is advice, not a research result. Race week gets its own rule below.
- Bosquet et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007: effects of tapering on performance, a meta-analysis checked 30 Oct 2026
- Smyth and Lawlor, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2021: longer disciplined tapers improve marathon performance for recreational runners checked 30 Oct 2026
- Spilsbury et al., European Journal of Sport Science, 2015: tapering strategies in elite British endurance runners checked 30 Oct 2026
- Gibala et al., International Journal of Sports Medicine, 1994: the effects of tapering on strength performance in trained athletes checked 30 Oct 2026
Stage 3, race week: one light session, then rest
In race week the aim flips from building to staying sharp. Our advice is one light upper-body session at least 3 days before the race, and no lower-body lifting or plyometric block. Upper body means push and pull moves like push-ups and rows, which do not load your legs. Keep it short and stop while it feels easy, so it leaves nothing sore. No study tests this, so it is advice.
When you add a marathon or half marathon in Complete and strength is part of your training, race week follows the same rule. It keeps at most one light upper-body strength session, on a day at least 3 days before the race, and never adds lower-body lifting. Any other strength sessions and hard conditioning sessions that week, such as high-intensity intervals, become a mobility session or rest.
For those days, the workout library has Mobility Reset, a 20-minute session for a rest day or a deload. A deload is a planned easy week. It goes through the moves below twice, with 30 seconds of rest between rounds.
| Move | What you do |
|---|---|
| World’s Greatest Stretch | 4 reps per side. A lunge with a twist that opens the hips and upper back. Reach the top arm back and let your eyes follow the hand. |
| 90/90 Hip Switch | 8 reps. Sit with both knees bent at a right angle and rotate your legs from one side to the other. Rotate from the hips, not the lower back. |
| Thread the Needle | 6 reps per side. On hands and knees, reach one arm under the other to turn the upper back. |
| Cat-Cow | 8 reps. On hands and knees, round and then arch your spine, one bone at a time, with your breath. |
| Deep Squat Hold | 45 seconds. Sink into the bottom of a squat and press your knees out with your elbows. |
| Knee-to-Wall Ankle Rock | 8 reps per side. Drive your knee forward over your toes while your heel stays down. |
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Half marathon or marathon: what changes
The lifting is the same for both distances: 2 lifts a week in the build, fewer sets in the taper, one light session in race week. What changes is how much research stands behind each, and how long the taper runs.
| Topic | Half marathon | Marathon |
|---|---|---|
| Research | No trial of lifting in half marathon runners alone. The pooled research on middle- and long-distance runners above is the nearest, and we read it as applying. | Three trials of marathon runners, small and mixed, plus the pooled research above. |
| Taper | Not studied on its own. Elite runners tapered a median of 6 days for races from 800 m to 10,000 m and 14 days for the marathon, so a half marathon taper falls between (our reading). | The best pooled result was a 2-week taper that cut volume by 41 to 60 percent. In recreational runners, strict tapers of up to 3 weeks went with better times. |
| Race week in Complete | One light upper-body session at least 3 days before the race, no lower-body lifting. | The same rule. |
How Complete fits
Complete starts from your long-term goals: build muscle, lose fat, improve cardio, get stronger, general health or become an athlete. A marathon or half marathon is a race you add on top of them. Add it any time in the app and Complete builds your training toward it.
Every workout that reaches Apple Health counts toward your score and your daily recommendation, in any sport, so your runs and your lifts both count. Complete reads your recovery from heart rate variability, which is the small changes in time between heartbeats, plus resting heart rate, sleep and breathing rate, all against your own baseline. When it is red, today’s session turns into rest or an easy session, and your plan for the week stays the same.
Complete is free to download, and logging and sharing your workouts on it stay free.
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Frequently asked questions
Should marathon runners lift weights?
Our advice is yes, twice a week through the build. Running alternates single-leg support, so combine bilateral strength with unilateral control such as a Bulgarian Split Squat, and add progressive plyometrics as a complement when you can land with control. In well-trained runners, 8 weeks of heavy half squats improved running economy by 5.0 percent. The trials of recreational marathon runners are small and mixed, and none we read found a significant loss in running performance from lifting.
How often should I lift while training for a marathon?
Our advice is twice a week in the build. Tuesday’s Lift A is the bilateral heavy half squat. On Thursday, start Lift B with a short, fresh plyometric block, then use the posterior-chain session with Bulgarian Split Squat replacing its Kettlebell Swing finisher; scale the Bulgarian Split Squat sets to your recovery. The trials used 2 to 3 sessions a week for 8 to 12 weeks. Keep your heavy lower-body day at least 2 days before your long run.
Should I lift during my marathon taper?
Yes, but less. Our advice is to keep your 2 lifts, cut the sets and plyometric contacts by about half, keep the weights and add no new exercises or jump variations. No trial has tested this in runners. The research on tapering found that cutting training volume by 41 to 60 percent over 2 weeks, with intensity and frequency kept, worked best.
Can I lift in the week of my marathon or half marathon?
Our advice is one light upper-body session at least 3 days before the race, and no lower-body lifting or plyometric block. Complete’s race week does the same for lower-body lifting when strength is part of your training. No study tests this.
Does strength training help a half marathon?
We found no trial of lifting in half marathon runners alone. The pooled research on middle- and long-distance runners found better running economy, and we read it as applying to the half marathon. The same lifting advice holds for both distances.
Will lifting make me heavier or slower?
In the 2008 trial, 8 weeks of heavy half squats did not change body weight, and in the 2010 trial of recreational marathon runners body mass did not change either. None of the trials we read found a significant loss in running performance from lifting.
Does lifting prevent injuries in marathon training?
A randomized trial of 720 first-time marathon runners found that a 10-minute strength program 3 times a week did not lower the rate of overuse injuries that ended the race: 7.1 percent against 7.3 percent. It tested one short, self-directed program, so it does not show that heavier or supervised lifting has no effect. We make no injury promise.
Does Complete count my lifts and runs for marathon training?
Yes. Complete counts every workout that reaches Apple Health toward your score and your daily recommendation, in any sport. Add your marathon or half marathon in the app and Complete builds your training toward it, starting from your long-term goals.