I personally think that the upper body is the fun part. Many people who run would rather walk on fire than train their lower body, especially heavy. Some hate being sore or experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness. Some people find it really difficult. Some people think that they don’t have to because “they already have strong legs from running.” YOU DONT, BY THE WAY! Some are even afraid that they’ll slow down with stronger legs. It’s actually the other way around because the stronger your legs are, the better you can decelerate with good landing skills, and you can’t accelerate if you can’t decelerate. If you’re not training your lower body, you won’t be running forever- I PROMISE.
Most running injuries and most movement compensations are a result of poor braking systems. A strong and stable system between the lower body and the pelvis is essential throughout the run. “Running upward” where you propel yourself into a bounce upward increases the landing forces, puts greater stress on the joints and creates more muscle force to control. It is important to be able to “run along” with quick, light steps. Correct movement patterns of the ankle, knee and hip along with correct activation and strength throughout the lower body (glutes, hamstrings, quads and calf muscles) will help minimize landing forces. Strength in these areas also allows the runner’s efficient slight forward lean.
On to the last three of 6 exercises for running sober…..
Unilateral exercises are great because runners are never on both feet at the same time during the gait cycle.
4. Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (RFESS)
The RFESS will develop will develop overall strength, balance and hip flexibility. The unilateral (one-legged) nature of this exercise increases the stabalizer activty of the glutes, lower back and adductor complex between the hip and knee. This helps groove proper movement patterns, enhances communication between the muscles of the lower body and addresses any asymmetries or imbalances between the left and right legs. This exercises also provides a nice dynamic hip-flexor stretch for the leg on the bench.
5. Single Leg RDL
Most hamstring injuries occur during the eccentric (lengthening) phase of the gait cycle. By increasing strength in this phase, a runner can properly extend the hip during their stride. In order to drive forward, a runner needs good hip extension. Single Leg RDL’s are a great exercise because it trains the hamstrings in this eccentric phase which allows runners the necessary hip extension they need to run faster, stronger and injury free.
6. Specific Glute Work
Most runners have glutes that are as inactive as most volcanoes throughout the world. When this happens, the hamstrings pick up the slack, and the whole lower body suffers from a variety of issues, including improper length-tension relationships (relationship between the length of the fiber and the force that the fiber produces at that length), improper force-couple relationships (the ability of muscles’ to work together to produce proper movement), labral tears, adductor strains, etc.
I’d go as far as saying that a runner’s glutes are the most important muscles in their lower body. I don’t even want to talk about the adhesions must runners have in their glutes preventing them to fire correctly in the first place. HELLO MASSAGE!
These muscles create forward/upward propulsion and lateral/side-ways mobility. The gluteus maximus is a bad-ass muscle that controls flexion of the trunk and hip on the stance-side or the running gait while decelerating and extending the the leg swing of the opposite leg. The gluteus medius provides lateral stability for the pelvis by preventing the hip from rotating downward when the opposing side is lifted or not supported with the other leg.
Mini-band walks for glute medius activation/strength are important because runner tend to be very quad dominant. Since they aren’t involved in much change of direction, their glute medius, in particular, suffers on both sides. Weak glute medius muscles can also lead to excessive internal rotation and can feed “knocked knees” syndrome. The hip thrust is a powerful exercise for the gluteeus maximus. Strength and power there can translate into huge running gains all around.
So, there you have it! These 6 exercises are by no means the “end all be all” for improving your running skills. The variations to each exercise are limitless. However, these exercises will undoubtedly change the way you run forever.
Like I mentioned in Part 1, everyone’s “look” or “mechanics” may be different. Every runner has their own tolerance level for the stressors of running, and it takes a combination of unique factors, according to each person’s own body, to cause injury, overuse or lack of progress.
I’m not a fan of switching a runner’s natural gait. If the person does not have pain or discomfort in the ways they run, I generally find it necessary to merely strengthen the areas that will keep them that way. Sometimes it’s better to never fix what’s not broken.
Before I let you go, pay attention to the feet of each of these three runners!
Regular running enthusiasts usually have similar ankle and foot mechanics just as the picture above. Everyone lands differently. Some may or may not pronate. Some may or may not supinate. But, because everyday runners tend to lack the strength that these athletes have, they injure themselves much quicker.
These guys are, without a doubt, elite runners. Each of the three have their own “foot mechanics.” However, the strength ahd neuromuscular coordination they’ve developed throughout their entire body is what really matters because those are the things that help them tolerate “less than ideal” landing forces.
Training, Living, Growing 