In a professional kitchen, you don’t learn recipes at the start. You learn to cut, sear, deglaze and season. Four or five basic techniques that carry every dish. If you master them, you can cook in any kitchen in the world. If you only know recipes by heart, you’re stuck as soon as an ingredient is missing.
Strength training in a week where you also run is similar. Many plans look like a menu with 40 dishes: ten machines, twelve exercises, a new variation from your feed every week. It looks diligent. But it makes progress hard to measure and costs exactly the time that’s already tight next to running, cycling or rowing.
This article shows you the four movement patterns I build my athletes’ strength work on, how to train each of them with or without a gym, how heavy and with which rest periods, and how to place two sessions in your week so your endurance training doesn’t suffer.
Why four patterns are enough
The four patterns are: squat, hinge, push, pull. Plus one single-leg exercise. This division is an organising scheme from training practice. It helps you hit all the major muscle groups every week without the session getting out of hand.
There’s a reason the big multi-joint exercises play the lead role. Paoli and colleagues (2017) had 36 active men train for eight weeks, either with single-joint exercises only, like leg extensions and flyes, or with multi-joint exercises only, like squats and bench press. Total volume was the same. The result:
| Measure | multi-joint | single-joint |
|---|---|---|
| Squat max strength | +13.8 % | +8.3 % |
| Bench press max strength | +10.9 % | +8.1 % |
| VO₂max | +12.5 % | +5.1 % |
Body composition changed similarly in both groups. This is a single small study with young men; the exact percentages don’t transfer to you. But the direction fits everything we know about strength training: if you want to achieve a lot with little time, go for exercises that move a lot of muscle at once.
The squat: how deep is deep enough?
Hardly any question is debated as passionately in the weight room. Kubo and colleagues (2019) answered it elegantly, at least for muscle growth. Two groups did squats twice a week for ten weeks, one to about 140 degrees of knee flexion, the other only to about 90 degrees. Measurements were taken by MRI.
- The front of the thigh grew almost equally in both groups (+4.9 vs. +4.6 %).
- The gluteus maximus grew by 6.7 % with full depth and 2.2 % with half depth.
- The adductors on the inner thigh by 6.2 vs. 2.7 %.
So if you only look at the front of your thighs, the half squat does fine. But your glutes only get about a third of the effect. And strength was partly depth-specific: in the deep squat, the deep group gained 31.8 %, the half group 11.3 %.
Does that mean bum to heels at all costs? No. I recommend going as deep as you can hold the position cleanly, back stable, feet firmly on the floor, and extending the depth week by week. A chair or bench as a target makes depth measurable. The study says nothing about injury risk, by the way; if you have knee or hip problems, get the depth checked by a doctor or physio.
The hinge: deadlift, hip thrust or Romanian deadlift?
In the hinge, the hip does most of the work: bend, then extend powerfully. The deadlift is the best-known exercise for it, and I like it. It isn’t compulsory, though.
Plotkin and colleagues (2023) had beginners train either squats or hip thrusts for nine weeks with matched sets. The glutes grew similarly in both groups, with the hip thrust slightly ahead. The squat brought more for the quadriceps and adductors. And the exciting part: in the deadlift test, both groups improved similarly, although nobody had trained deadlifts.
Still, each exercise mainly improved itself. If you want to deadlift heavy, train the deadlift. For everyone else, I choose the hip exercise by person:
- Romanian deadlift when the back of the thighs needs work; with dumbbells or a backpack, single-leg works well too.
- Hip thrust or glute bridge when your back is sensitive or your glutes are the focus.
- Deadlift when your technique is solid and you want to lift heavy. It trains your grip at the same time.
Pushing: push-ups count
No bench in the hotel? Then use the floor. Kikuchi and Nakazato (2017) compared bench press at about 40 % of max with push-ups at the same load for eight weeks. Strength and muscle thickness in the chest and triceps rose similarly in both groups.
The catch lies in the word “load”: the push-ups were adjusted to be equally heavy. If you can easily do 30 normal push-ups, at some point you need a harder variation: feet elevated, three-second lowering, a short pause at the bottom, or a backpack full of books. And if you can’t yet do five clean ones, put your hands on a bench or table and lower the height week by week. Overhead, dumbbell presses or pike push-ups complete the picture.
Pulling: the part most often missing
Running, cycling, push-ups: in many weeks that mix strength and endurance, pulling simply doesn’t happen. That’s why every strength session I write has a pulling exercise, rows once, pull-ups or lat pulldowns the other time, and at least as many pulling sets as pushing sets per week. That’s a rule of thumb from coaching, not a study figure.
If you can’t do a pull-up yet, you’re in good company. The path: active hangs, shoulders away from your ears. Then negative pull-ups, starting at the top and lowering in three to five seconds. Then band-assisted pull-ups. Rows remain the foundation throughout.
A side effect: pulling, lifting and carrying build your grip too. In a meta-analysis of cohort studies, the risk of death was about 16 % higher for every 5 kg less grip strength (Garcia-Hermoso et al., 2018). That’s an association, not proof. But it’s a nice reason not to forget pulling.
Single-leg: the pattern for runners
Every running stride lands on one leg. HYROX has sandbag lunges waiting for you. So single-leg exercises aren’t rehab for people who lift and run, they’re basic equipment.
Speirs and colleagues (2016) compared five weeks of rear-foot-elevated split squats with the classic back squat in 18 young rugby players. Both groups increased squat and split squat strength, 40-metre sprint and agility. Young, trained athletes and a short study, but a clear direction: single-leg work is full-value strength training.
The practical bonus: you need less weight for a similar stimulus per leg. A chair and a backpack are enough. Make your step long enough that your front heel stays on the floor, hold on to something at first, and let your weaker side set the pace.
How heavy, how many reps?
Light weights don’t build muscle? They do. In a meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues (2017), light loads (up to 60 % of max) and heavy loads were similar for muscle growth. For maximal strength, heavy loads came out ahead. The important condition: in the studies, sets went to muscular failure. So light only works if the set gets really hard.
For a week that combines strength and endurance, I draw this conclusion: very hard, long sets cost freshness for your next run. Heavy sets with few reps build strength with comparatively little fatigue. In practice, that means for me:
- Squat and hinge: 3 to 6 reps once your technique is solid; 8 to 10 to start.
- Push, pull, single-leg: 6 to 12 reps.
- Always 1 to 3 reps in reserve. Increase the load when all sets work with 2 in reserve.
Rest between sets: compound lifts aren’t a circuit
Squats, burpees, rows, no rest, round and round: that trains something, but more your heart rate than your strength. Schoenfeld and colleagues (2016) had 21 strength-trained men train for eight weeks with either one or three minutes of rest between sets. The longer rest brought more strength and more muscle.
I give heavy squats and deadlifts two to three minutes, pushing and pulling one and a half to two. If you want to save time, alternate push and pull: one pattern works while the other rests. Circuits and station training get their own day. That’s not giving something up, it’s division of labour.
Mobility comes free
“Strength training makes you stiff” is one of the most stubborn myths in the gym. Afonso and colleagues (2021) analysed eleven studies with 452 participants, from athletes to older adults. For range of motion, they found no difference between strength training and stretching.
The condition is the full range of movement. A deep squat, a Romanian deadlift, a split squat with a long stride, lowered slowly and held briefly at the bottom: that trains mobility under load at the same time. You can still stretch if it does you good. But it’s not mandatory to become mobile.
How often, and where in the week?
Does it have to be three times a week? A meta-analysis of twelve studies (Ralston et al., 2018) found that with the same number of sets per week, the number of sessions made no significant difference to strength. Only the upper body benefited from three or more sessions compared with one.
That’s why I plan two strength sessions for most people who lift and run. And because explosive strength suffered mainly when strength and endurance were in the same session in a large analysis (Schumann et al., 2022), jumps and fast reps go at the start of a session, not after a run.
| Session A | Session B | |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | Back squat | Goblet squat |
| Hinge | Romanian deadlift | Hip thrust or deadlift |
| Push | Bench press or push-up | Overhead press |
| Pull | Row | Pull-up or lat pulldown |
| Single-leg | Split squat | Step-up |
At least one day between A and B, no heavy leg session the evening before interval training, and both sessions fixed in your calendar, not “if there’s time”.
Bottom line
Four patterns, one single-leg exercise, two sessions a week: that’s not a minimal programme but basic equipment you can train with in any gym, any hotel room and on any terrace. The exercise can change; the pattern stays. Full range of motion, enough load, real rest and a fixed slot in your week do the rest.
If you take away just one thing: put sessions A and B in your calendar like appointments. The best exercise is the one you do every week.
Note: this article doesn’t replace medical or physiotherapy advice. If you have joint or back problems, are coming back from injury or have pre-existing conditions, please get checked before you start.
Keep reading
- Zone 2 training: heart rate, talk test and the right weekly dose
- Strength training for runners: which kind works
- Nutrition for strength and endurance
Sources
- Paoli A, Gentil P, Moro T, Marcolin G, Bianco A (2017). Resistance Training with Single vs. Multi-joint Exercises at Equal Total Load Volume. Front Physiol 8:1105. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.01105
- Kubo K, Ikebukuro T, Yata H (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. Eur J Appl Physiol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y
- Plotkin DL, Rodas MA, Vigotsky AD et al. (2023). Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift. Front Physiol 14:1279170. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1279170
- Kikuchi N, Nakazato K (2017). Low-load bench press and push-up induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain. J Exerc Sci Fit 15(1):37–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2017.06.003
- Garcia-Hermoso A et al. (2018). Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies on grip strength and all-cause mortality. PMID 28549705
- Speirs DE, Bennett MA, Finn CV, Turner AP (2016). Unilateral vs. bilateral squat training for strength, sprints, and agility in academy rugby players. J Strength Cond Res 30(2):386–392.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW (2017). Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res 31(12):3508–3523. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002200
- Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM et al. (2016). Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res 30(7):1805–1812. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001272
- Afonso J, Ramirez-Campillo R, Moscão J et al. (2021). Strength Training versus Stretching for Improving Range of Motion. Healthcare 9(4):427. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9040427
- Ralston GW, Kilgore L, Wyatt FB, Buchan D, Baker JS (2018). Weekly Training Frequency Effects on Strength Gain: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Med Open 4:36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0149-9
- Schumann M et al. (2022). Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function. Sports Med 52(3):601–612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01587-7
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