If you were only allowed to do three exercises at the gym to supplement running which would you pick?

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Bulgarian split squats

Weighted Glute bridges

Box jumps

Not saying you're wrong, but I'm surprised to hear that leg press would carry greater risk of back injury than a normal barbell squat. Doesn't a BB squat put direct stress on your back? If you use improper form it doesn't seem hard for an injury to arise. Leg press seems much safer, no?

Pull ups, push ups, crunches

Most distance runners over do it in the gym.

Hex bar dead lift. Bulgarian split squat. Pair it with a plyometric like a box jump or squat jump.

There's more risk of compressing and herniating the discs in the lower back. Many people use improper form while leg pressing and use too much weight. But yes, people can get hurt putting a barbell on their back and using improper form.

Squatting is a fundamental movement pattern and there are many safe variations.

The leg press is a good alternative to the squat for those who don't have good balance or coordination or just want to isolate and rehab. Too many people become vain and get hurt from it.

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If you use improper form there is always injury risk. If you use proper form the injury risk is the same.

The lower back injury risk with the leg press is when the pelvis tilts during a deep leg press. It's the same during a deep squat. However, you see it commonly in the deadlift because people think it is a safer exercise.

I always find it comical when trained distance runners gripe about lifting injury risks when excessing running has a far great chance of injury. Although, it is chronic risk vs possible acute risk.

Alan

Regardless of what three exercises I would want to do at my gym, chances are very high that, there will be somebody on that piece of equipment, staring into their phone.

Some stations (i.e.: bench press, squat rack) require almost constant surveillance to land a turn.

power clean

push press

Bulgarian split squat

It’s called rest. Should they be staring at the wall instead?

I'm going to answer the question from the position of the best 3 exercises to include, and not the only 3. Only doing 3 exercises for an extended period of time can lead to muscular imbalances that can lead to injury - not to mention boredom.

The best answer is, it depends.

1) We all have different strengths and weaknesses (both literally and figuratively) - so a runner (and their coach if applicable) should determine what parts of the body needs to be strengthened and base exercises off that.

2) It also depends on what distance the person runs. The upper body plays more of a role in sprinting than it does in marathon running. Therefore the 3 exercises for the sprinter may need to focus more on the upper body than the marathoner would.

3) As people age and develop as runners and individuals, their strength training needs change as well. I think rounded overall strength training is more important in young, inexperienced runners than in older, experienced runners.

That being said, the 3 exercises runners should look at to include in their strength training are:

1) Dips
2) Seated rows
3) Hip adductor machine - especially for middle and high school age runners.

It should go without saying, every runner should consider core strength exercises, but there are a number of core exercises you can do without a gym.

Fair point. I didn't look at it that way.

Another thing- people who camp out on a piece of equipment with a couple of other things, like dumbbells, and do multiple "super-sets", tying up the station plus sets of dumbbells, when they are often in short supply.

Nope, a bad back is also a good reason to choose leg press over squats. Both can cause injury if done incorrectly, but between the two, leg press is less injury prone. A leg press can also be done unilaterally or actively using one leg much more than the other, but it’s awkward and riskier to do heavy single legged squats with a barbell.

Comparing injury risk to that of distance running is besides the point.

Barbell squats are more injury prone than leg press, not the same. You are right about any improper form carrying injury risk as well as the pelvic tilt risk with a deep leg press, but that’s easy to avoid, and the same can also happen with a deep squat butt wink. Knee problems because of cave-in, left-right asymmetry, insufficient dorsiflexion etc are much more common with barbell squats than leg press. Rib fractures or erector spinae pulls though less common can happen with barbell squats, but almost never with leg press. People can get lower abdominal tears or spinal injuries with incorrect valsalvas or belt use, which is all a non-concern with leg presses. I can keep going on. Not sure why you are being adamant on this point despite being experienced with lifting.

Yes, between the two, leg press is safer and comparable bang for the buck if your goal is lower body strength. You won’t get stabilization benefit, which translates to a type of strength, in that most people can easily leg press 2-3x of what they can barbell squat, but that just means you need to press much more for the same squat strength, which is a distinction without a difference for everyone except powerlifters. Runners in particular get plenty of core stabilization training with every stride.