Running is one of the simplest forms of exercise. Shoes on, door open, go. No gym membership, no equipment, no teammates required. It's also one of the most injury-prone activities in sport — with a systematic review in the Journal of Sport and Health Science reporting injury incidence between 37% and 79% of runners per year, depending on training level and how injuries are defined (Kakouris et al., 2021).
That's not a reason to stop running. It's a reason to start doing something about it.
The majority of running injuries are not caused by a single traumatic event. They're overuse injuries — the result of repetitive loading on tissues that aren't strong enough to handle it. The good news: a meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that strength training reduces sports injuries by up to 69% (Lauersen et al., 2018). And a targeted program takes about 15 minutes, two to three times per week.
These are the 5 exercises I prescribe most frequently to runners in my clinic. They're not random. Each one targets the specific weaknesses that cause the most common running injuries. No gym required. No excuses.
Before you start: The exercises below are general recommendations for injury prevention in healthy runners. If you currently have pain, a recent injury, or any medical condition, get assessed by a physiotherapist before attempting them. These exercises are not a substitute for individualised treatment. Full disclaimer.
1. Single-Leg Calf Raises
Why it matters: Your Achilles tendon experiences forces of up to 6-8 times your body weight with every running stride — close to the tendon's maximum tolerable load. If your calf muscles aren't strong enough, these forces overload the tendon and plantar fascia — and that's where the pain starts. Achilles tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis are two of the most common and most stubborn running injuries, and decreased plantar flexion strength is an established risk factor for both (Habets et al., JOSPT, 2019).
How to do it: Stand on one foot on the edge of a step, with your heel hanging off. Push up onto your toes as high as you can, hold for 1 second at the top, then lower slowly over 3 seconds until your heel drops below the step level. That slow lowering phase is the most important part — don't rush it.
Progression: Start with both legs if single-leg is too difficult. Once you can comfortably do 3x15, add weight by holding a dumbbell or a backpack with books in it. Aim to eventually do these with 10-20% of your body weight added.
2. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
Why it matters: Running is essentially a series of single-leg hops. Your hamstrings decelerate your leg during the swing phase of every stride, and they stabilize your pelvis while you're balanced on one foot. Weak hamstrings get overloaded, and overloaded hamstrings either strain or cause your lower back to compensate — leading to pain in both areas.
How to do it: Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee. Hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight, while your free leg extends behind you. Reach your hands toward the ground. You should feel a strong stretch in the hamstring of your standing leg. Return to upright by squeezing your glute and driving your hips forward. The key: your back stays straight the entire time. If it rounds, you've gone too far.
Progression: Start without weight. Once your balance is solid and you can do 3x10 with good form, hold a kettlebell or dumbbell in the opposite hand to your standing leg. Progress the weight gradually.
3. Copenhagen Adductor Exercise
Why it matters: The adductor muscles (inner thigh) are one of the most neglected muscle groups in runners. They play a critical role in stabilizing your pelvis and controlling leg alignment during the stance phase of running. When they're weak, other structures compensate — and groin pain, hip pain, and even knee issues can follow. A cluster-randomised controlled trial published in BJSM found that the Copenhagen-based adductor strengthening programme significantly reduced groin problems in athletes (Harøy et al., 2019).
How to do it: Lie on your side. Place your top foot on a bench or sturdy chair (the seat, not the edge). Your bottom leg hangs below. Support yourself on your forearm. Lift your bottom leg up to meet the bench by squeezing your inner thigh, hold for 1-2 seconds, then lower with control. Keep your body in a straight line — don't let your hips sag.
Progression: If the full version is too demanding, start with a shorter lever by placing your knee on the bench instead of your foot. Build up to the straight-leg version over 2-3 weeks. Once 3x8 is comfortable, add a slow 3-second lowering phase.
4. Side-Lying Hip Abduction / Clamshells
Why it matters: IT band syndrome and patellofemoral pain (runner's knee) are the two most common knee complaints in runners. Both are closely associated with hip weakness — specifically, weakness of the gluteus medius, the muscle responsible for preventing your knee from collapsing inward during running. A systematic review with meta-analysis confirmed that gluteus medius dysfunction is consistently associated with running-related lower extremity injuries, and that targeted strengthening leads to significant clinical improvements (Semciw et al., J Electromyogr Kinesiol, 2016). When this muscle is weak, your knee tracks poorly, and the IT band gets overloaded.
How to do it: Lie on your side with your legs stacked. For hip abduction: keep your legs straight and lift the top leg toward the ceiling, about 30-40 degrees, then lower with control. For clamshells: bend both knees to 90 degrees, keep your feet together, and rotate your top knee open like a clamshell. In both versions, keep your hips stacked and don't roll backward — that's the most common cheat.
Progression: Start without resistance. Add a resistance band around your knees (for clamshells) or ankles (for abduction) once you can do 3x15 easily. Eventually progress to standing variations or single-leg exercises like side-stepping with a band.
5. Single-Leg Squat to Bench
Why it matters: Quadriceps weakness is consistently found in runners with knee pain and is an established treatment target in patellofemoral pain research (Neal et al., JOSPT, 2019). Weak quads mean your knee absorbs more impact force with every stride — and over thousands of strides per run, that adds up fast. The single-leg squat also challenges your knee control, hip stability, and ankle mobility all at once. It's the closest strength exercise to what your legs actually do when you run.
How to do it: Stand on one leg in front of a bench or sturdy chair. Slowly lower yourself until your backside lightly touches the bench, then drive back up. Keep your knee tracking over your toes — don't let it collapse inward. Your weight should stay through your whole foot, not shifting to your toes. Control is everything here — if you're dropping onto the bench, it's too fast.
Progression: Start with a higher surface if a standard bench is too deep. As you get stronger, lower the surface. Eventually, hold a weight at your chest (goblet position) to add load. A good long-term target: 3x10 with 10kg held at your chest.
When and How to Do These
Frequency: 2-3 times per week. Not every day — your muscles need time to adapt and recover between sessions.
Timing: Ideally on non-running days, or after an easy run. Don't do a heavy strength session before a hard run or a long run — your legs need to be fresh for those.
Duration: The entire routine takes about 15 minutes once you know the exercises. That's less time than you spend stretching — which, according to a meta-analysis of 26,610 participants, has no significant effect on injury prevention (Lauersen et al., BJSM, 2018). Strength training, by contrast, reduced injuries to less than one-third.
Consistency beats intensity: Doing these exercises at moderate effort three times per week for months is far more effective than doing them at maximum effort once and then forgetting about them for two weeks. If you're dealing with a recurring ankle sprain, these exercises are a good complement to your rehab — but get assessed first.
You don't need a gym for any of these exercises. A step, a chair, and a resistance band are the only equipment you'll ever need. Total cost: less than a single physio session.
A Note for Runners in Cyprus
Running in Nicosia — and across Cyprus — comes with a few specific challenges that make injury prevention even more important.
Hard surfaces: Most running in urban Cyprus happens on concrete and asphalt. These surfaces have zero give, which means your body absorbs 100% of the impact force. Strong muscles are your only shock absorbers. Runners who train primarily on hard surfaces need more lower-limb strength than those running on trails or grass.
Heat and dehydration: Running in Cyprus between May and October means dealing with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius. Dehydrated muscles fatigue faster, and fatigued muscles are weaker muscles. When your muscles are fatigued, the load shifts to tendons, bones, and joints — and that's when injuries happen. Strength training gives your muscles a larger reserve to draw from before fatigue sets in.
Limited recovery time: Many runners in Cyprus train for events like the Limassol Marathon, the Nicosia Half Marathon, or local parkruns. The temptation is to increase running volume quickly without supporting it with strength work. The runners I treat who stay injury-free long-term are almost always the ones who invest 15 minutes, three times per week, in exercises like these.
The Bottom Line
Running injuries are not inevitable. They feel inevitable because so many runners experience them — but the research is clear: two separate meta-analyses in the British Journal of Sports Medicine confirm that targeted strength training reduces injury risk by up to 69%, with a dose-dependent relationship — the more you train, the lower your risk (Lauersen et al., 2018).
These 5 exercises won't make you immune to injury. But they will make your body significantly more resilient to the repetitive demands of running. They take 15 minutes. They require no gym. And they work.
Start this week. Your future self — the one still running pain-free in 5 years — will thank you. And if you're not sure whether your current pain needs professional attention, read our guide on when to see a physiotherapist.
Sources & Further Reading
- Lauersen JB, Andersen TE, Andersen LB. "Strength training as superior, dose-dependent and safe prevention of acute and overuse sports injuries: a systematic review, qualitative analysis and meta-analysis." British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2018;52(24):1557-1563. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2018-099078
- Kakouris N, Yener N, Fong DTP. "A systematic review of running-related musculoskeletal injuries in runners." Journal of Sport and Health Science. 2021;10(5):513-522. PMID: 33862272
- Semciw A, Neate R, Pizzari T. "Running related gluteus medius function in health and injury: A systematic review with meta-analysis." Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2016;30:98-110. DOI: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2016.06.005
- Harøy J, Clarsen B, Wiger EG, et al. "The Adductor Strengthening Programme prevents groin problems among male football players: a cluster-randomised controlled trial." British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019;53(3):150-157. PMID: 29891614
- Habets B, van Cingel REH, et al. "Altered Strength Profile in Achilles Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2019;49(9):629-639. PMID: 31213161
- Neal BS, Barton CJ, Gallie R, et al. "Runners with patellofemoral pain have altered biomechanics which targeted interventions can modify: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Gait & Posture. 2016;45:69-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.11.018
Antonis Petri, BSc, OMPT
Lead Clinician & Co-Founder at Right Track Physiotherapy. Clinical Practice Supervisor at Frederick University. A former amateur footballer with over a decade on the pitch, he specializes in sports rehabilitation and return-to-performance programs for athletes in Cyprus.