Do squats make you faster? In studies of athletes, lower-body strength training that included back squats was linked with better short sprint times, while a small trial in distance runners found better running economy after an eight-week half-squat program. Neither result means that any squat session will make every runner’s race pace faster.
Speed over 10 to 30 meters, energy use at a set running pace and a five-kilometer race result are different outcomes. The evidence table below keeps them separate before offering a practical way to fit strength work around running.
Which kind of running speed do you mean?
| Goal | What squat research measured | Useful conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Short sprint or acceleration | Timed short sprints in groups performing resistance training. | Improved strength may transfer to sprint performance, but a personal percentage gain is not predictable. |
| Distance-running economy | Oxygen cost at a fixed running effort or pace. | Lower energy cost can matter for performance, but it is not itself a measured faster race time. |
| Race result | A timed event under normal race conditions. | The studies below do not justify promising a specific race result from squats alone. |
What the primary studies actually found
| Study and design | Population and intervention | Measured result | Limit for runners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seitz and colleagues, 2014, meta-analysis | 15 studies, 510 participants; resistance programs with free-weight back-squat strength measures. | Average sprint improvement reported across training groups was 3.11%, and larger squat-strength gains correlated with larger sprint gains. | Mixed sport populations and programs; the average is not an individual prediction or a distance-race result. |
| Støren and colleagues, 2008, randomized trial | 17 well-trained distance runners; the eight-person intervention group added half-squats three times weekly for eight weeks. | Running economy improved by 5.0% and time to exhaustion at maximal aerobic speed by 21.3% in the intervention group; maximal oxygen uptake did not change. | Small trial with an intense supervised lifting protocol; it did not measure a race-time improvement. |
| Wisløff and colleagues, 2004, cross-sectional comparison | Elite soccer players tested for half-squat strength and sprint performance. | Stronger athletes tended to have faster short sprint times. | Correlation does not show that adding squats caused the difference. |
The Seitz review supports a possible transfer to short sprinting, and the Støren trial supports a narrower running-economy finding. A squat can be one useful training tool without replacing the running practice that develops pacing, technique and event-specific fitness.
The infographic summarizes the short-sprint meta-analysis. Its 3.11% figure describes a study average from training groups, not a guaranteed improvement or an endurance-race forecast.
How to combine squat work with running
Choose squat work that your form and recovery can support, then place harder lower-body lifting so it does not repeatedly leave you unable to complete key runs. The example below is a scheduling illustration, not a tested program or a prescription for a particular load.
| Day | Illustrative plan | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Easy run, then a short lower-body strength session. | Use a squat variation and load you can control. |
| Tuesday | Rest or easy movement. | Note soreness and normal walking comfort. |
| Wednesday | Key running session, such as intervals or a tempo effort. | Keep the running quality as the focus. |
| Thursday | Easy run or rest. | Adjust for how Wednesday felt. |
| Friday | Second short strength session if recovered. | Reduce or move it if soreness would disrupt the next important run. |
| Weekend | Longer run or sport-specific practice, with recovery around it. | Rearrange the calendar to fit actual events and training experience. |
A beginner may start with a chair squat or other comfortable variation, while an experienced lifter may use a loaded squat under qualified coaching. More weight is not automatically better for sprint or endurance outcomes, and pain is a reason to stop and reassess rather than force a prescribed depth.
Track the result that matches your goal: a timed short sprint, a repeatable training pace at similar effort, or eventual race performance. Also track whether strength work is leaving enough recovery for running, because a stronger squat does not help if key sessions are repeatedly missed.
Where deadlifts and the source video fit
Dr. Layne Norton’s video challenges the claim that powerlifting-style movements are inherently bad for athletic performance. The squat studies above answer a narrower running question; they do not prove that every powerlift, including deadlifts, improves every sport outcome.
Deadlifts may be part of an athlete’s strength program when technique, load and recovery fit the sport, but the cited squat meta-analysis does not isolate deadlifts. Our running-versus-weightlifting guide covers the broader choice between these activities.
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Sources
- Seitz and colleagues, 2014: back-squat strength and sprint-performance meta-analysis.
- Støren and colleagues, 2008: randomized half-squat supplement to distance-running training.
- Wisløff and colleagues, 2004: elite-soccer strength and sprint correlation.
This article provides general training information, not an individual program or a guarantee of faster running. Ask a qualified coach or clinician how to adapt loading if you have pain, an injury or a medical condition.
