Gym muscular endurance
for runners.

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My gym-based running notes, adapted from Scott Johnston’s Muscular Endurance: All You Need to Know at Evoke Endurance. The method is his; the cautious starting session below is my adaptation.

What I want the gym work to do

I want my legs to keep producing useful force as a run goes on, particularly on hills. Scott’s gym progression is aimed mainly at mountain runners. It combines step-ups and lunges with jumping exercises; he uses the landing work to prepare legs for the demands of descending.

That gives me a reason to try it, not a guarantee of faster running. The gym work is support for my aerobic running, not a replacement for it, and it won’t reproduce trail skills or every demand of a descent. I’ll keep easy running as the foundation rather than trade it all for harder leg sessions.

My first session: a smaller introduction

This is my adapted starting session, not Scott’s full workout. I’ll use two of his four movements, leave out the jumps and start with bodyweight. That lowers the impact, but it is not an equivalent substitute for the original jumping stimulus.

Before starting, I’ll need a consistent aerobic base and enough basic leg strength and control to step up and lunge comfortably. If these movements are new, or pain or an injury is affecting my running, I’ll get help with technique and suitability first.

1. Warm up: 10–15 minutes of easy walking, cycling or jogging, then a few gentle practice reps. I’m keeping this easier than Scott’s warm-up, which finishes with two minutes at Z3 and includes get-ups and burpees.
2. Box Step Ups: 2 sets of 8 reps on each leg, bodyweight only. Finish the right leg, then the left. I’ll choose a stable box low enough to stay controlled; Scott’s reference is roughly 75% of the height to the bottom of the kneecap.
3. Front Lunge: 2 sets of 8 reps on each leg, bodyweight only. Right leg first, then left, using a comfortable, gentle stride. Scott suggests starting with a 40–60 cm lunge; I won’t force that distance if control or comfort suffers.
4. Rest and finish: take 60–90 seconds after each complete right-and-left set and between exercises, longer if needed. Finish with 10 minutes of easy aerobic movement.

The two sets, eight reps and longer rests are my conservative choices. Scott’s original step-ups and lunges use 10 reps per leg at about one rep per second, with 30 seconds between sets in the opening workouts. I’ll prioritise control over chasing that tempo.

I’ll finish with reps still in reserve, not at failure. A bit of muscular effort is expected; sharp pain, joint pain or deteriorating movement means stopping. I won’t chase a burn at the expense of technique.

Fit it around the running

I’ll start with one gym session a week. An example would be Tuesday after an easy run, with Wednesday easy or off, a harder run no earlier than Friday, and the long run on Sunday. That’s a placement idea, not a fixed weekly prescription.

I’ll leave at least 48 hours before a hard or long run, and more if my legs need it. Scott warns that soreness can last a couple of days even when the workout feels manageable at the time. If my normal running stride or recovery suffers, I’ll reduce the gym dose or delay the next session rather than force both.

I’ll repeat the small session until recovery is good. Then I can build towards 10 controlled reps before considering another set. I won’t increase sets, load and running intensity together. Keeping bodyweight for at least the first 2–3 sessions follows Scott’s introductory advice; there’s no deadline to add weight.

Keep the original demonstrations handy

These are the exact four video links in Scott’s gym workout. The first two support my starter session; the jumping demonstrations belong to the original, more demanding version.

Videos open on YouTube. Nothing loads or plays here automatically; the videos remain with their original hosts.

The full progression can wait

Scott’s gym block is generally once a week over 8–14 weeks. It completes all sets of one exercise before moving on. His published starting workout has six sets; his easing-in notes reduce that to four for the first 2–3 workouts and moderate the jumping effort. Even that is a substantial jumping load, not a beginner prescription.

I’ll only consider the jumping version when my strength, landing technique and recovery are ready, ideally with coaching. I won’t bolt weighted jumps onto this starter session. The original progression changes volume, rest and eventually added weight; it needs to be read in context rather than copied as a challenge.

Read Scott’s full instructions, caveats and advanced progression at Evoke Endurance ↗

My first job is simple: see whether I can recover from a small amount of gym work while keeping my running consistent. These are plans to try, not results I’m claiming to have achieved.

Cheers,
James 👍