By Dr. Jerry Yoo, DPT, CSCS | NL Physio
Most runners over 40 who come through my door with a knee or hip that won't settle down have one thing in common. They've never actually strength trained for running. Yes, they lift weights, but the 5 and 10 lb dumbbells just won't cut it.
I get why. Miles feel productive. You log them, you watch your pace hold or improve, and lifting feels like it's stealing time from the thing you actually care about. BUT, if you're over 40 and you're not squatting in some form, you're leaving a lot of durability on the table, and probably some speed too.
Here's the mechanism, in plain terms. Your quads, glutes, and hamstrings are what absorb force when your foot hits the ground and what produce force when you push back off it. Every stride is a rapid load-and-release cycle through those muscles.
That strength (and muscle) starts steadily declining in your late 30s and speeds up after 40. When it drops, your tissues start absorbing forces they're no longer prepared for. That's usually when the IT band, the Achilles tendonitis, the plantar fasciitis, or the low back pain start emerging- the same conditions that I talk about in my practice more times than I can count.
There's a bone and tendon piece here too that people miss. Loaded squats and their single-leg variations are one of the more reliable ways to maintain bone density and tendon stiffness as you age, and tendons in particular respond slowly, so this isn't a six week fix, instead it's a multi-month investment that pays off well past your next race.
Most of the runners I see who are dealing with a chronic issue try to fix it by running less, stretching more, or rolling out whatever hurts. I've already covered why that last one mostly doesn't work in last week's blog.
What they didn't do is build the strength that would've kept the problem from happening in the first place. And when someone finally does try strength work, it's usually a generic program built for someone half their age, mostly bilateral lifts and/or just bodyweight or light weight, with no single-leg component, even though running is, by definition, a single-leg sport.
The other mistake I see constantly is avoiding squats altogether because of old knee pain, which almost always makes the knee weaker and more irritable over time, not less.
A 2024 meta-analysis pooling 38 studies and 894 middle- and long-distance runners backs this up directly: high-load strength training, think squats loaded at 80% of your one-rep max or heavier, produced a moderate improvement in running performance, time trial and time to exhaustion both, and none of that came at the cost of VO2max, running speed at VO2max, or max metabolic steady state. Those stayed right where they were.
The effect got even bigger when high-load work was combined with plyometrics and/or lighter explosive work; that combination produced a large improvement in running performance in the same analysis.
(Side bar, as far as claims of the study, the certainty on that combined-training number is low, the pool of studies was smaller and more varied. Plyometrics on their own didn't move the needle on running performance in this particular analysis, even though they've shown up positively elsewhere).
Your safest bet, and the one with the strongest data behind it, is loaded strength work like the squats below, with plyometrics layered on top once that base is built.
A separate 10-week trial split middle-aged recreational runners into a plyometric group and a resistance training group, training twice a week alongside their normal mileage. Both groups improved running economy by about 2%, with no real difference between the two methods, and both improved their jump numbers. Neither group ran a faster 5K by the end of it, which is a good reminder that running economy and race time don't always move on the same timeline.
The most interesting finding buried in that study: the runners whose calf raise strength improved the most also saw the biggest drop in oxygen cost, which tells me calf and ankle strength deserve more attention than they usually get in a squat-focused program (stay tuned).
For runners over 40 specifically, one to two well programmed strength sessions a week is typically enough. You don't need five days in the weight room, and honestly I'd rather you didn't, because recovery capacity at 45 isn't what it was at 25.
How I actually build this in with the runners in my practice
1. Start with a bilateral base. Two to three weeks of basic loaded squats, two sessions a week, before adding anything single-leg. You need a strength floor before you build on top of it. Got knee pain? Try the box squat versions I included in the list below. I LOVE prescribing squats from a box or bench because less depth is required, which can be more gentle on the knees if you're recovering from an injury.
2. Move to single-leg variations. Split squats, front-foot elevated split squats, reverse lunges. Running is a single-leg sport, so your strength work should eventually look like one.
3. Layer in low doses of plyometrics once the strength is there. One session a week, 20 to 60 total ground contacts, away from your longest or hardest run. This isn't where the biggest performance gains come from according to the data, high-load squats carry more of that weight, but plyometrics still build good stiffness and improve elastic qualities and coordination that support good form when you're fatigued late in a race.
I put together 10 squat variations I use most often with the runners and gym goers in my practice, everything from a basic bench goblet squat up through plyo Bulgarians.
I’m a big fan of kettlebells, but you can use any implement- dumbbells, sandbags, barbells, even small children!).
I often prefer goblet holds (and rack holds- future videos) for runners to help them work on core awareness and upper body strength.
Watch the video demos of each one so you can see the technique.
NEXT LEVEL PHYSIO — EXERCISE SERIES
Pick a move, watch the demo
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1
KB Goblet Box Squat
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2
KB Goblet Box Thrusters
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3
KB Goblet Squats on Wedge
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4
KB Goblet Box Reverse Lunges
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5
Wall-Leaning Slamball Curtsy to High Knee
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6
KB Half Kneel Thrusters
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7
Isometric FFESS
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8
Plyo Bulgarian Split Squats
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9
Plyo Box Step Ups
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10
Banded Anti Rotation Squats
One more thing worth saying plainly. None of this works if you do it once and call it done. The runners who actually change their durability are the ones who do it consistently and treat it, the same way they treat their long run or their easy days. Two consistent sessions a week for months beats ten inconsistent sessions spread across a year, every time.
If your knee or your IT band keeps flaring up every training cycle, it's worth asking why rest and stretching only ever buy you a few weeks. Likely, your mechanics and strength weren’t there to handle the load in the first place, so the mileage goes back up and the same tissue takes the same beating again. Chronic issue, generic program, no single-leg component, you can see where this goes.
If you've been managing a chronic issue with mileage adjustments and stretching alone and it's not sticking, this is probably why.
Between the fall race calendar building back up here in New Jersey and the HYROX community growing across North Carolina, I'm seeing more runners than ever pushing mileage back up without the run-specific strength to support it.
Whether you're chasing a local half marathon, training for your next HYROX heat, or just trying to keep up on weekend hikes with your kids, the runners who make it through a full training block are the ones who treat strength work as part of their plan.
Copyright 2026. All rights reserved
Medical disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise program, especially if you have a history
of heart disease, back pain, or other medical conditions.