Park Bench Strength for Runners

Aug 13, 2025

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From The Run Experience’s “Our Favorite On-the-Go Strength Workout for Runners!” The key takeaways are below. The full video has the form cues.

Key points

A park bench, or any solid low step, is all you need for full-body strength training without a gym.
Three paired exercises (couplets) hit shoulders, core, glutes, quads, and hip muscles.
Bench dips for shoulder extension and split squats for hip extension help arm carriage and stride.
Speed-based plyos (high-knee toe taps and bench jumps) finish things off and build power and timing.

Workout example

Couplet 1: bench dip + split squat
- Start with 12 reps each, dropping to 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 (per leg on split squats).
- Dips: keep elbows vertical. Split squats: stay upright and push through the front foot.
Couplet 2: inverted pike push-up + shoulder taps
- Feet on the bench, hips raised, hands in front. Push-up with forearms straight.
- Shoulder taps from the same position. Each tap counts as one rep.
Couplet 3: high-knee toe taps + bench jumps
- 12 toe taps (alternating), then 12 bench jumps, then 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 each.
- Land with control, hips/knees/ankles aligned. If the height is too much, sub squats.

Closing note: try this bench circuit this week. Adjust reps and intensity to your fitness, and log in the Pacing app.

References

Our Favorite On-the-Go Strength Workout for Runners! - YouTube (YouTube Video)