Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you get to celebrate this holiday with the ones you love, whoever they may be. In the spirit of the season, I put together 14 workouts that I love for cross training, strength training and running. These are my favorite workouts of all time, and access to any of them is free! 

There’s nothing better than getting stronger during a training plan and seeing progress each week. My workout creativity decreases greatly when my mileage ramps up, but these workouts are sure to keep things fresh and exciting.

14 Workouts Runners Will Love

1. My favorite Valentine’s Day Workout! This is a great cross training workout that can be completed by yourself or with a partner. Each move is completed 14 times and each set gets repeated twice. This is a full body workout, with three sets: legs, abs and arms.
2. My current favorite core workout: 8 Minute Abs. This YouTube video is so old but is still one of the most popular.I always feel like I get a great workout in just 8 minutes! They pack so many moves in here that leave your core burning by the end.
3. This past month of winter has been especially brutal here in Michigan, which has forced me to turn a few runs into cross training lately. My favorite methods of cross training are the spin bike and the elliptical, since they work your legs and are most similar to running. When running is not an option, I turn to my favorite cross training cardio workouts to get in a great sweat! Here are my two favorite elliptical workouts to keep my legs moving.
4. My favorite spin workout is my second go-to cross training option when winter weather hits full force!
5. I have been loving yoga lately as a way to recover from those longer runs. I just can’t say it enough: this routine from Runner’s World is my absolute favorite.
6. Now that spring training has begun, I’ve added a strength training workout to my weekly schedule. This strength training workout is my favorite. It targets the muscles in your lower body that are most often neglected while running, and includes some moves that work your upper body and core as well.
7. If I’m looking for just an upper body workout, my favorite kind are the ones that can be completed in the living room while watching TV. This 15 minute dumbbell workout is just that, plus it’s efficient. After 15 minutes my arms are always burning and feel like jello.
8. When I can’t make myself do any intervals or tempo runs, I turn to hill running to build strength. Hill running is speed work in disguise, and is a great way to trick my mind.I notice a huge increase in my running stamina and strength whenever I regularly incorporate these hill runs. The best part is that they can be adjusted for any type of hill and any type of runner!
9. This IronStrength workout will always be my go-to cross training workout when I am looking to challenge myself. No matter how many times I complete this workout, I am always left sweating and sore. This workout reminds me how important it is to strengthen your full body as a runner, and always leaves me wanting to come back to improve.
10. Another way I love to incorporate a little bit of strength and cross training into my training schedule is to complete a challenge. This 30 Day Plank Challenge is a great way for me to stay motivated to continue core work even when my mileage increases. Adding in a plank each day takes very little time, but benefits my running greatly.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! Don’t forget to give your body some love today. These workouts runners will love are a great way to get started.