Online strength training programs have grown like crazy over the past few years. Which means finding the right fit for your needs, your reach and your goals is more important than ever!
Strength training for runners is part of most standard running plans (at least for all of our athletes). It’s no longer an afterthought, which is why I’m sharing more strength training at home ideas. Instagram.
There are a few things that are most important to me when it comes to strength training online:
- Qualified person providing mobility, so I know it’s safe.
- Exercises that fit into a distance running schedule (ie not so taxing that you can’t run again).
- Movements that engage the core as often as possible.
The best online strength training programs
While I’ve started going to the gym more often this past year for my strength training sessions, almost all of my strength training in the last decade has been done at home with dumbbells!
So many of the people I’ve weighted with aren’t doing exercises that require crazy equipment, but instead using things we have at home or bodyweight.
I’ve decided to add a few different types of options, so you can choose where you prefer to find content.
With Instagram, I love that I can use the save feature or know that many of them will be posting something new every week. On the other hand, a real platform where you can search by specific body part or exercise type (yoga, upper body, mobility, etc.) are some of the online tools I lean on too!
Having them in my feed not only gives me ideas, but reminds me to be consistent with showing up for my strength workouts…even if I like to run.
1. Daniel Passant – HIIT training
At first I was confused by her workouts because she is a beast who loves HIIT. But surely the things we may dislike doing are the best for us, right?
Luckily for me, she has become a great friend and has encouraged me to push the boundaries.
Weekly she shares a full workout or tips in her feed, but she also has tons of awesome ebooks and challenges for you to buy and get your sweat on.
These programs have a crazy loyal following which means you can easily find community and connections with others who do these sweaty moves.
She loves a good burpee, but honestly reminds me often in her content that fit is a tough runner’s body weight. Plus he gets all the credit for trying to add box jumps into each week (even if they’re still pretty small).
- Exercises include weights to help build your strength.
- Programs include a great community and tips on mental changes.
- Most exercises include some plyows – they also provide plenty of variation.
As a certified trainer, she is constantly expanding her knowledge to deliver smart training.
2. Run to the Finish – Strength training for runners
When it comes to strength training for runners, you don’t necessarily need a variety of exercises. But personally, I’ve found that I get enough cardio in, so I want my strength sessions to be mostly weight-based and not HIIT-style.
I want to provide the strength you need to stay injury free, run faster and if that’s the goal, lose some fat…while still getting all your runs!
After over a decade as a running coach, I require all of my athletes to strength train! And with a team of 10 coaches, we’ve been able to create a variety of programs based on each runner’s location.
3. Mr. and Mrs. Muscle – Video editing
This is an Instagram account that I discovered last year and quickly fell in love with. They put the entire workout on their feed and with every move. Show you which muscles are being worked. (or more precisely which muscles you should be working to help you perform the movements correctly).
In addition to the tons of free workouts they share in the feed, they also have an app for $9.99/month.
The app will allow you to better follow a complete program, which is the key to getting results.
Often times I add one to two or three moves from their workouts to add to my existing routine. That way I know I’m hitting the muscles differently and challenging myself.
- Great timer and editing
- A variety of strength and HIIT workouts
- Good points on the form
4. FitOnApp – Free app
I was amazed when the aforementioned Daniel started creating the exercises for this app and then he completed them Dang thing free!
Here again, you’ll have access to a variety of workouts and intensities, plus you can participate in monthly challenges if they excite you or connect with friends or class at the same time as others. Sign up.
I don’t like having to rate each class when I’m done to get to something else, so I just close the app. And I find it really weird that they have “toning” and “strength” as separate exercises… they are the same thing.
- It’s easy to choose from different workout lengths.
- Yoga, movement, stretching
- Power in different forms
If you want a progressive program to really follow through on development, you’ll have to pay for the pro version.
5. Melissa Kander – Hybrid training
Melissa is one of the trainers on the Evolve You App. I found her via Instagram as usual and already have several of her workouts saved.
I love that she shows how to use heavy weights and also talks about running, basically my jam. She calls it hybrid training.
- Exercise can be done at home or at the gym.
- Varies from heavy lifting to low impact
- Great form and technique
Head over to her Instagram to get a ton of free workouts and then you’ll be ready to dive into the app for a structured program.
6. Beach Body on Demand – Wide range of power from heavy to light
Can strength training be done without weights? Of course!!
That’s definitely an advantage you get with a platform like Beachbody where there’s a huge variety of workout options to suit whatever mood you’re in for the day. I actually did A complete Beachbody workout program comparison beforeso check it out and see if something might be right for you.
And if you belong to Amazon Prime, you get a bunch of Beach Body workouts for free… which is news to me, so I’m going to be adding more of these to my routine. I was still using some old school DVDs.
Bonus: They have dedicated pregnancy and postpartum exercise sections!!
Check out my full Beachbody vs. Peloton review to see which one is best.
7. Peloton Classes – Live workouts for motivation
No online strength training article would be complete without mentioning this juggernaut that has inspired so many companies to improve their online exercise programs!
I would say 1 out of every 8 athletes who come to us for run coaching are currently using Peloton for their strength training. And I’m totally fine with that!
- Choosing a workout length is easy.
- Follow full with great energy and videos.
- The monthly price includes exercise for your bike or treadmill.
- Not ideal for heavy lifting or really building muscle.
- A long-term plan to reach a goal is not a good system to follow.
8. Street Parking – At Home CrossFit
If you’ve had success in the past with exercise like CrossFit, this program is going to appeal to you. While you’ll need to build up your home gym equipment over time for maximum benefit, you can start with just dumbbells.
Most workouts are 20-25 minutes of heavy lifting and ply movements.
I appreciate that they have a specific postpartum program!
They have also become known for having a great online community. And I get it…misery loves company. That’s why runners share our workouts on social media too!
Tired of doing the same moves every time you strength train? Here are 10 places to find new workouts and ideas! #runchat #fitness #crosstraining Click to tweet.
9. Run experience
Not only will you find the workouts on their YouTube channel, but you’ll likely pick up some other form and injury prevention tips as well.
Let’s just say that if I didn’t love RunToTheFinish so much, I wish I’d been a part of the site as they grow exponentially because I believe in what they’re doing.
10. Les Mills on Demand Review
Let’s start by saying that if you use the link above, you can try it for free for 21 days.
It’s not about putting in a little effort, but having access to everything, which I took full advantage of and have now tried many things from exercise to yoga to counter dance. It reminded me how much I love kickboxing and the way those workouts really engage my abs!
- High and low impact classes
- Yoga for Recovery or Yoga for Athletes
- Fun dance or kickboxing classes to mix things up
- Many strength training options
- Great ab workout and core workout
- Seriously… they have every workout under the sun.
One of the athletes on my team still uses it regularly as part of her half marathon training and loves the variety it provides for her cross training. 
Sometimes a little switch-up is all you need to bring the FUN back into training. And doing other forms of cardio can actually make you a much better runner.
Looking for more training tips?
Other ways to connect with Amanda
Instagram Daily Fun: RunToTheFinish
Facebook Community Chatter: RunToTheFinish
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