Calisthenics Workout for Runners

Calisthenics has a wide range of benefits for runners. Increasing stamina, increasing speed, and increasing power, to name a few. 

Calisthenics is a perfect fit for runners. Many of the exercises that calisthenics has to offer can directly improve a runner’s performance in every aspect. 

To optimise, a runner needs strong legs, a rigid core, and a slim upper body, all of which calisthenics can provide. 

This article will discuss how runners can use calisthenics to improve their performance and the benefits it will bring. 

4 Reasons Why Runners Should Train Calisthenics

Calisthenics allows people to change their routines depending on their goals. Different training programs will provide different outcomes. 

Training Calisthenics can provide runners all the benefits of strength training, without the negatives – perfect for runners who don’t want to become bodybuilders. 

We will now go through just a few of the most important benefits that calisthenics can give to runners.

It Builds Strong Legs

Image credit: bodybuilding.com

Building strong legs is vital for runners for a multitude of reasons. 

When you run, your legs are doing all the work, so it makes sense that you will directly improve your running performance by directly improving your legs. 

Calisthenics provides the perfect mix of this by building all the muscles in your legs through different exercises, which will improve endurance, stability, speed, and power. 

It Improves Cardio

Because of the demanding nature of calisthenics routines, they are great at improving cardio. 

When you jog a lot, you are not doing high-intensity exercise, so it doesn’t stimulate your cardiovascular system enough to improve much. However, calisthenics can undoubtedly do this. 

This, in turn, will allow you to have much better cardio, especially when you are explosive. For sprints or crucial moments before a finishing line, calisthenics will give a massive advantage to runners by allowing them to sprint for longer than everyone else without tiring.

It Won’t Make Runners Too Bulky

Unless your goal is to bulk up specifically and get big, then calisthenics will not do too much in terms of size, which is perfect for runners.

Calisthenics allows people to get a nice and athletic body which is the optimum build for runners. The more you weigh, the more you are carrying when you run. 

Also, for people carrying around a few extra pounds, calisthenics will aid you in losing that excess weight (along with a good diet, of course).

It Reduces the Chance of Getting Injured

Calisthenics can strengthen and toughen your bones and muscles, making injuries far less frequent. 

Of course, we don’t have to tell you why this is a good thing. Nobody likes getting injured. 

Just for this reason alone, it’s more than worth it for runners to train calisthenics.

Our Calisthenics Workout for Runners

There are endless ways to train calisthenics. There are different programs for people with different goals. 

In this section, we will be sharing with you our hand-made calisthenics workout for runners. 

The perfect routine for runners would be effective at building muscle in all parts of the legs, high-intensity to improve cardio, and includes some light upper-body work to provide stabilisation and power when sprinting. 

The Squat, Sprint, and Drop Circuit

This circuit considers all the prerequisites that we discussed that need to be included for a workout for runners. 

This workout has ten sets of 3 exercises, which are squats, sprints, and push-ups.

After completing one set, rest for 45 seconds, then immediately begin again. You will do squats until failure, followed by a 15-second sprint, followed by push-ups to failure. 

This workout will not be easy, and you will be struggling to even walk by the end of it.

Step by step tutorial:

1. Do one set of squats until failure
2. Sprint at your max speed for 15 seconds
3. Do a set of push-ups until failure
4. Rest for 45 seconds (or more if you are unable to carry on)
5. Repeat 10x

For you to properly recover and get the benefits from this workout, you should rest for at least 48 hours after doing this workout before doing it again. 

This will allow your body enough time to repair itself and grow stronger, and in all likelihood, you improve every time you do this workout. 

In addition to rest, it’s also essential to have a good diet. A high protein diet will provide the optimal conditions for muscle growth in the legs and improve insulin sensitivity, meaning it makes it easier to lose fat. 

When you first begin doing it, you may struggle to do ten sets or even five sets. If this is the case, don’t worry. Do as many as you can and work your way up to 10 sets. You will improve every week.

Don’t try and count the reps you do for squats and push-ups if you are a beginner. It would be best if you only began counting the reps after practising this routine for a while to continue measuring your progress.

Our circuit will truly push you to your limits. But for runners, it is the perfect calisthenics workout. It will improve your cardio, strength, power, endurance, and stability. 

Leave a comment and let you know what you think of our circuit, as well as your experience using it if you decided to give it a try. 

Good luck!

Related: Military Running Program