6 upper body exercises that’ll make you a stronger runner, says an Olympic triathlete

Improve your posture and stability with this six-move workout from Gold medalist Alex Yee

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Strength training is essential to a runner’s workout regime to prevent injury, improve speed and running economy. But, while many runners tend to place a great emphasis on their lower body, upper body strength tends to become a bit of an afterthought. 

Your upper body is key for improving your overall running performance; it encourages better stability and helps you maintain good posture and, we all know, the better your form is, the more efficient your running will be. 

Olympian and COROS athlete, Alex Yee, a World Triathlete Champion who also won gold at this year's Paris Games, recommends training your upper body at least once a week, hitting the arms, chest, shoulders and back— which is why he’s shared this workout which targets all your major muscles. 

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“Upper body sessions, like this one, once a week, allow you to tolerate the load needed for running," he says. "Adding movement mechanics will also help you maintain a good form for when you get fatigued. I do two strength and conditioning sessions a week and a drill session including dynamic movements.”

The workout

Alex Yee running

(Image credit: Getty Images)

For this session you're going to need access to a pair of dumbbells, a weight bench and something sturdy, like a plyo box. We'd recommend ditching the foamy running shoes too and opting for a workout shoe that offers a little more stability. Work your way through all the sets of the first exercise, resting for 90 seconds to two minutes between each round, before moving on to the next movement. Here's the workout:

  • Seated dumbbell press – 3 sets of 10 reps
  • Push-ups – 3 sets of 10 reps
  • Dumbbell pull-over – 4 sets of 10 reps
  • Pull-ups – 3 sets of 8 reps
  • Box jumps – 4 sets of 8 reps
  • Farmer's carry – 3 sets of 30 steps

Now that you've worked your upper body, don't forget lower body strength training is also key for boosting speed. Here's seven exercises former sprint champ, Mica Moore, recommends. You could also add this 10-minute core exercise to the end of one of your weekly sessions too, to improve balance and stability.

Bryony Firth-Bernard
Bryony Firth-Bernard
Former T3 Staff Writer

Bryony is a former Staff Writer in T3’s Active vertical. She is a certified personal trainer and part-time fitness instructor. In her spare time, she could usually be found in her natural habitat – the gym – where her training combined bodybuilding and powerlifting. She used to write about accessible workouts, nutrition and innovative fitness products that could help people reach their fitness goals and take their training to the next level.