Training
Strength Training at Home with No Equipment for Runners
No gym, no problem. A complete home strength routine for beginner runners using only bodyweight, plus a clear 12 week progression path for when and how to add load.
The biggest myth in beginner strength training is that you need a barbell, a rack and a year of gym membership before you can build real strength. For your first three to six months as a runner, your bodyweight is more than enough resistance to build the muscle and stability that protect your joints and improve your stride.
Once you reach the limits of bodyweight training, a single pair of adjustable dumbbells, a resistance band, or even a heavy rucksack can take you another six months further. The cost barrier to getting strong as a runner is essentially zero. This guide is the complete home strength routine, with a full progression path for when and how to add load.
FUNDAMENTAL / HOME STRENGTH
Bodyweight strength in numbers
The truth: The best strength session for a beginner runner is the one you actually do twice a week. Living room beats empty gym every single time.
Bodyweight vs weights for beginners
THE LOWER BODY / 4 EXERCISES
The lower body four
THE CORE / 3 EXERCISES
The core three
THE 20 MINUTE SESSION / FULL ROUTINE
The complete 20 minute template
Do this twice a week, with at least one day between sessions. Twenty minutes total, in your living room, with nothing but your body.
PROGRESSION / 3 LEVERS
How to progress without weights
Three levers will keep you progressing for months without ever adding load.
12 weeks of progression
WHEN TO UPGRADE / KIT LIST
What to buy when you do upgrade
Common home strength mistakes
Why Edge runs home strength for you
One of the biggest reasons beginner runners skip strength is the friction of figuring out what to do. Edge solves this by handing you the session, in the right order, with the right reps and rest, on the right day of the week.
Edge sessions are built for real life. Most strength sessions can be done in your living room with zero equipment or one pair of dumbbells. The app shows you exactly which exercises to do, for how many reps, and progresses the difficulty automatically as you get stronger. Over 20,000 UK members now train with Edge, and the home strength sessions are consistently the most loved part of the plan because they fit anywhere.
Strength sessions, anywhere you are
Edge gives you 20 minute home strength sessions twice a week, designed for runners. 7-day free trial.
Try Edge free for 1 week →