Steve Hoyles

5 Essential Leg Exercises for Runners + Infrared Recovery Tips - Updated for 2026

Running is one of the best ways to get fit and stay in shape. Running builds endurance, speeds up your metabolism, and burn tons of calories.

Most runners train by running outdoor, but the problem is, while running develops endurance, it lacks the ability to maximise muscular strength in your legs.

This is where strength training comes in —strength training is essential for speed, endurance, and injury prevention.

Research has shown, that the addition of strength training can improve muscle power and performance in endurance athletes.

Another study has shown that weight training led to improvements in muscular strength, running economy, and direct performance in endurance athletes that ran between 1,500 to 10,000m.

Why Strength Training + Infrared Recovery Matters

- Strong legs = better running economy and reduced injury risk.

- Combining KYMIRA Infrared technology with structured strength and endurance training creates a performance advantage that goes beyond traditional methods. Strength work builds resilience and power, while endurance training develops aerobic capacity—but KYMIRA amplifies these gains by improving blood flow, oxygen delivery, and mitochondrial efficiency during and after exercise. Clinical data shows KYMIRA reduces oxygen cost, delays fatigue, and accelerates recovery by enhancing nitric oxide production and tissue oxygenation. This means runners can sustain higher training loads, recover faster between sessions, and reduce injury risk thanks to improved joint stability and inflammation control. Worn before, during, and after workouts, KYMIRA helps runners feel fresher, bounce back quicker, and maintain peak performance across demanding training cycles.

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5 Essential Leg Exercises for Runners

1. Squats (Bodyweight or Weighted)

Builds quad and glute strength for propulsion.

Tip: Pair post-squat recovery with KYMIRA leggings to accelerate tissue repair and reduce the creation of DOMS micro muscle tears.

2. Romanian Deadlifts

Targets hamstrings for stride efficiency.

Infrared Insight: KYMIRA reduces fatiguing metabolites, helping you bounce back faster.

3. Bulgarian Split Squats

Improves unilateral strength and balance.

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4. Calf Raises

Strengthens calves for better push-off and injury prevention.

Infrared Benefit: Increased tissue oxygenation supports microdamage repair.

5. Glute Bridges

Activates glutes for hip stability.

Pro Tip: Sleep in KYMIRA leggings for overnight recovery gains (up to 15.9% better sleep quality).

How to complete these exercises

Squat

Targeted Muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core

Here is how you can perform the squat with proper form:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Point your toes slightly outward and keep your back straight.

3. Place the bar on the back of your shoulders.

4. Inhale and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground and keep your back straight throughout (perform deep squat for advanced lifters, the deeper the better for enhanced mobility).

5. Push through your heels and return to the starting position.

Go heavy with the squats and aim for 5-7 reps per set.

Deadlift

Targeted Muscles: Hamstring, glutes, core, lower back, forearms.

1. Place your feet beneath the bar, with your feet slightly narrower than shoulder-width.

2. Similar to the squat, point your toe outward.

3. Keep the bar close to your body at all times to maintain stability.

4. Grab the bar with an overhand grip and lift the bar by pushing through your heels, while keeping your lower back slightly arched. At the top of the range of motion, activate your glutes by squeezing it and stand upright.

5. Lower the bar in a controlled manner by pushing your hips back and followed by bending the knees to return to the starting position.

6. Like the squat, aim to go heavy with the deadlifts once you are familiar with the movement.

Walking Lunges

Targeted Muscles: Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstring, Calves

Here's how to perform the walking lunges:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand.

2. Begin the movement by stepping forward with your left leg (or right leg) and lower your quadriceps at a 90 degrees angle while lowering the other leg toward the floor.

3. Push your quadriceps back up and repeat the same movement for the opposite leg.

With the walking lunges, you can go with a higher volume of 10 reps per leg.

GHD Raise

Targeted Muscles: Glutes, Hamstring

How to Use a GHD Machine

1. Adjust setup: Position hips just in front of pad; feet locked under rollers.

2. GHD Sit-Ups: Lower torso back, engage core, return to upright.

3. Back Extensions: Face down, hinge at hips, lift torso to neutral.

4. Glute-Ham Raises: Lower slowly, curl back up using hamstrings.

5. Form tips: Keep neutral spine, controlled movement, core engaged.

6. Programming: 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps; progress with resistance if advanced.

Calf Raise

Targeted Muscles: Calves

1. Stand on your toes on the edge of a step.

2. Lift your heels as high as you can and hold for a few seconds to feel the stretch in your calves.

3. Slowly lower the heels down to the starting position.

As the calf raise is an isolation movement with a small muscle group, aim for higher reps range of 15 to 20 reps per set.