Exercises Runners Can Do Indoors

While the fires that devastated Oregon earlier this month have mostly subsided, fire season isn’t over yet. What do you do when the air quality is poor and you’re unable to go outside, but you still want to train? If you don’t have access to a treadmill, exercise bike, or other home cardio equipment, and with gyms currently inaccessible, it puts runners in a challenging position.

Plus, living in the Pacific Northwest, the winter weather is not the most inviting. You want to keep training, but may not be ready to run through the freezing rain.

These exercises can also be done if you’re stuck at home with kids. You may have fit in your outdoor run while the kids were at school, but now that everyone is home all day, you have to get creative with indoor exercises for runners.

When you’re a runner looking to exercise indoors, we have some ideas for you. Whether the air quality is poor, or it’s just too wet and cold outside, here are some indoor cardio exercises for runners that you can try at home.

Alternative Cardio Exercises To Do Indoors

Try mixing it up with these cardio exercises to emulate the same cardio effect of running. Set a timer for 20 minutes and alternate between your favorite cardio exercises

  • Jump rope (mix it up with doubles, single leg, or split stance)

  • Lunge jumps

  • Lateral lunge jumps

  • Jumping jacks

  • Kettle bell swings

Strength Exercises for Runners To Do Indoors

In addition to the above cardio exercises, mix in these fundamental specific exercises to built up your strength.

  • Dead lifts

  • Single leg squats

  • Reverse lunges

  • Side and forward planks with leg lifts

  • Bridges

  • Clamshells

These strength exercises runners can do indoors require no equipment.

A mix of strength training and cardio is important to help runners keep their cardiovascular system strong, maintain fitness levels, reduce stress, and assist mental health during times when you’re unable to go outside.

Why You Shouldn’t Run Outside When Air Quality is Poor

When air is smoky or smoggy, it can be extremely damaging to the lungs. When you inhale particulate matter and hazardous air, it damages the alveoli in the lungs. Repeated exposure can lead to conditions such as Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema.

Running outside is the worst type of exercises to do when the air quality is poor because it is the most strenuous on the cardiovascular system. Running requires deeper breaths, increased ventilation rate, and tidal volume of breath, which causes the particular matter to embed even deeper into the lungs.

It is extremely difficult to get these small particles out of your lungs. The matter causes irritation and inflammation in the short term, with symptoms including sores throat, cough, sore itchy eyes and nose, and headaches. Long term, inhaling particular matter can cause scaring and chronic conditions such as COPD and emphysema.

While the long-term health effects of wildfires is mostly unknown, and may not be known for many years, it is best to limit exposure when you can.

If you’re unsure whether the air is safe enough to run outside, always check the AirNow website for your area.

Jen Davis