Whether you run casual three-milers a few times a week or you're training for your second marathon [1], aside from putting in the miles to build your endurance and taking time afterward to stretch your muscles to increase flexibility, runners should be making time to strength train.

Building muscle with bodyweight moves and exercises that use weights will not only make you a more efficient, faster runner, but it'll help prevent injury caused by overuse. Trainer Lauren Fairbanks recommends that runners strengthen four often neglected areas: the glute max, glute med, core, and upper back. Lateral (side-to-side) exercises are also an important way to balance the body since running is such a front-to-back movement. With all of this in mind, here are some basic exercises you should include in your strength-training routine.

• Goblet squats [2]: glutes, hamstrings, upper body
• Alternating side lunges [3]: glutes, inner thighs
• Push-ups [4]: upper body, core
• Elbow plank with donkey kick [5]: glutes, core, upper body
• Squat to overhead press [6]: glutes, quads, shoulders, upper back
• Burpees [7]: upper body, core, glutes, legs
• Step-ups [8]: glutes, hamstrings, quads
• Lateral squat walk with a resistance band [9]: glutes, legs
• Forward backward lunge [10]: glutes, quads
• Side plank with leg lift [11]: core, upper body, outer quads, glutes
• Upright row [12]: upper body
• Butterfly crunch [13]: core

Here are some running and strength-training workouts you can try.

• 30-minute running and toning workout [14]
• 60-minute running and strength-training workout [15]
• 100 burpees workout [16]
• 47-minute running and toning workout [17]