Running Economy: Doing More With Less Oxygen

Strength training

Heavy strength work has the best record. A 2024 meta-analysis of strength programs of 6 to 24 weeks in 652 middle- and long-distance runners (195 moderately trained, 272 well trained and 185 highly trained) compared methods with running-only or low-load controls. Heavy lifting (80% or more of the heaviest weight you can lift once) gave a small improvement in economy, combined methods a moderate one (certainty of evidence rated low), and jumping a small one at running speeds of 12 km/h or slower. Submaximal loads (40 to 79%) and isometric training did not improve economy¹.

Strength work also helps economy hold up late in a run. In 28 well-trained male runners, 10 weeks of added strength and plyometric training lowered oxygen cost at the 90-minute mark of a 90-minute run by 2.1%, while it rose 0.6% in runners who only ran, and time to exhaustion in a run straight afterwards changed by +35% against -8%². That is one 10-week trial in men, tested in a laboratory.

Put the heavy work early in a plan, when running volume is lowest, and keep a small dose as volume and intensity rise. The guide on strength training for runners covers the lifts, the dose and where it fits in the week.

Running training, altitude and shoes

Intervals improve economy more than continuous running does. A 2025 meta-analysis of randomized trials in endurance runners found high-intensity intervals improved economy more than moderate-intensity continuous training, while continuous training had the larger effect on VO₂max³. That is a reason to keep a little fast running in the week, and the guides on strides and interval workouts cover it.

Altitude is not a shortcut. A 2026 meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials of hypoxic training in competitive middle- and long-distance runners found no impact on economy compared with the same training at normal oxygen, and concluded that the trials do not support an improvement in economy⁴.

Shoes change economy too. An expert statement on advanced footwear technology, the carbon-plate shoes, puts the metabolic saving at approximately 2% to 4%⁵. The guide on carbon-plate shoes covers who benefits and the limits of that evidence.

Form

Do not try to run in a more economical way by copying a technique. A 2016 review of modifiable biomechanical factors listed patterns that appeared beneficial for economy: a preferred stride length range (which allows stride lengths up to 3% shorter than preferred), lower vertical oscillation, greater leg stiffness, maintaining arm swing and low activation of the lower limb muscles during propulsion, among others. Several other factors had inconsistent relationships with economy, the studies had recurring problems (assessing variables in isolation and acute to short-term interventions among them), and the review concluded that recommending a general economical running technique should be approached with caution⁶. Stay near the stride length you choose naturally and let the strength and the shoes do the work. The guides on running form and cadence cover what to check.