Women's Health June 5, 2026 0 Comments

Unlock the Untold Secret: Can Running Really Carve Out Muscle Like the Pros?

Ever wondered if those daily runs are secretly turning you into a muscle machine, or if you’re just toning up your stamina and burning calories? Running ticks so many boxes—it’s fabulous for your ticker, bones, stress levels, and even ushers in sweeter sleep. But here’s the kicker: can it beef up your muscles too? It’s the million-dollar question runner buffs and beginners alike mull over all the time. Because while cardio’s king, we all know strength and muscle matter big time for feeling and functioning at our best every day. So, can pounding the pavements give you the muscle gains you crave, or do you gotta hit the weights after all? Let’s dive into the real scoop about muscle-building and running, with expert insights that might just surprise you.

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5 min read

There are lots of reasons to make running part of your regular fitness routine. It’s great for your heart (and even lowers your risk of developing heart disease!), helps boost bone density, relieves stress, and can improve the quality of your sleep. But can running build muscle too?

Cardio is critical—but strength and muscle are also right up there in terms of importance for your health, longevity, and every day functioning. So, can you get by with some laps around the block, or do you have to hit the weights too? Here’s the truth about how much muscle you can build through running.

Meet the experts: Gabrielle Savary, CPT, is a personal trainer, the founder of Grow With Gab Fitness, and a member of the WH Strength in Diversity class of 2025. Gab Reznick, CPT, is an ISSA run coach and Tone House Head Coach.

Does running build muscle?

Running uses muscles, especially in the lower body, so that counts for something—but it doesn’t quite put enough demand to make those muscles grow in meaningful ways. “I wouldn’t say running is a muscle building activity,” Gabrielle Savary, CPT and founder of Grow With Gab Fitness, says.

When you’re pounding the pavement, you’re using your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves, Savary says, and that can lead to some muscle definition depending on your training volume, intensity, nutrition, and recovery.

Most important: it also depends on how new you are to the sport. For those who are just taking up running or are returning from an extended hiatus, doing regular runs can stimulate muscle growth, Savary says. And, with a consistent routine, you’re likely to see improvements in the strength of your lower-body muscles in particular.

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That said, once you’ve been running for a while, there is a limit to how much muscle growth you can achieve through the sport alone because you’re just not adding enough stimulus. (A reminder: muscle grows only after you provide a big enough challenge to it, creating microtears that repair and come back bigger and stronger.) Really, the best way to get that stimulus is through resistance training, says Gab Resnick, CPT, Tone House Head Coach. That’s because it’s more effective at creating mechanical tension for your muscles and you can progressively overload them with heavier weight over time. In short: running won’t be the modality that tips you into muscle-building territory.

How to Tailor Your Running Routine to Build Strength and Muscle

If your goal is to build muscle, Resnik and Savary both highly recommend incorporating two to three strength training sessions into your fitness routine to complement your running. Because, yes, both training programs work hand-in-hand to improve your overall fitness (and those muscular gains).

“It’s important to recognize that strength training and running are complementary, not competing activities,” Resnik says. “Many runners worry that lifting weights will be counterproductive to their running, while some lifters fear cardio will eliminate muscle gains. In reality, a well-balanced program that includes both can improve performance, reduce injury risk, enhance body composition, and support long-term health.”

Plus, not all running workouts are created equal when it comes to challenging your muscles. These are the ones that Resnik and Savary say have the best potential for building up your lower-body strength.

Hill Sprints

“Hills are one of the most effective running-specific strength-builders,” Resnick says. Pushing your legs to carry you uphill increases force production through the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves in ways very similar to resistance training for the lower body. (P.S. downhill running is just as beneficial as going uphill.) Don’t live near a hill? You can get the same benefits by upping the incline on a treadmill, Savary adds.

Sprint Intervals and Strides

These short bursts of maximal effort followed by recovery work the fast-twitch muscle fibers in your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. “Stressing those fast-twitch muscle fibers is amazing for strength and power development,” Savary says.

You can also try incorporating strides into runs if sprints aren’t up your alley. These controlled accelerations should last no more than 15 to 30 seconds and can help improve neuromuscular coordination, power, and running economy, Resnik says.

Resisted Running

If you have access to resistance equipment like sleds, resistance bands, or parachutes, these can also be highly effective tools for building muscle while running. Savary recommends starting with sled pushes and drags or resistance-band sprint work to put increased stress on your muscles in much the same ways as traditional strength training.

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Trail Running

Trail running is Resnik’s favorite strength-building run workout. “Uneven terrain requires greater stabilization from the glutes, core, and lower leg muscles while also improving balance and coordination,” she says. “If you run in a beautiful landscape, that’s just an added bonus.”

While the above workouts can help, if increasing muscle mass is your number one goal, experts stress that you’re going to have to start lifting some weights. Even if you’re a runner first, strength training is worthwhile for keeping you in the sport.

“For athletes looking to build muscle while maintaining running performance, the ideal approach is typically prioritizing progressive strength training two to four times per week, using sprint work and hills to their advantage, consuming enough nutrition to both fuel and recover, and allowing sufficient recovery between hard training sessions,” Resnik says. The result? A “stronger, more resilient runner who can generate more power and maintain efficiency over longer distances,” she says.

The Muscles You Work While Running

According to Resnick, running with proper form can result in a total body workout meaning that all major muscle groups work simultaneously.

The muscles that work the hardest while running are:

Glute Max (booty): As the largest glute muscle, the glute max helps propel the body forward during each stride. It plays a major role in hip extension and power production.
Glute Med and Minimus (side glutes): Located on the outer hip, these muscles help stabilize the pelvis while running and are important for balance and injury prevention.
Quads (front of thigh): The quads are responsible for knee extension and help to absorb impact during landing.
Hamstrings (back of thigh): The hamstrings assist with hip extension and knee flexion. They help to generate force during the push-off phase of your gait.
Calves: Located on the back of the lower leg, the calves are responsible for ankle plantarflexion (aka the action of pointing the toes away from the body) and provide propulsion and support during toe-off.
Hip Flexors: These muscles are located at the front of the hip and help drive the knee upward during each stride.
Core Muscles (abdominals and obliques): The core stabilizes the torso while running to help transfer force between the upper and lower body.
Erector Spinae (lower back): Your erector spinae help maintain posture and spinal stability throughout a run.

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Abby Hepworth is a freelancer writer who covers all things running, wellness, and fashion. Her work has appeared on Runner’s World, PureWow, and Coveteur. She is an RRCA-certified run coach and is currently working toward USATF certification as well. If she’s not out for a run in Central Park, you can likely find her hiking and backpacking along the Sierra Nevada range out west.