Tip of the Week: IT band exercises

One of the most common injuries among runners is iliotibial (IT) band syndrome. The IT band is a ligament that runs along the outside of the thigh from the hip to the shin and can become inflamed or tight from overuse. 

1) Foam rolling the IT band is a great way to loosen up the tightness and break up scar tissue around the area. You want to roll the entire length of leg, from hip to knee (never roll of joints or bones!). 

2) IT band issues come from weak hip abductors and adductors. Doing exercises such as lying leg raises will help strengthen those areas.
    a. Side leg raises: Lie on your side with the upper leg straight and the lower leg bent at the knee. Place your hands on the floor for support. Slowly lift the upper leg, leading with the heel, and reach to as high as you can. Lower the leg down. Do 2-3 sets of 10-15, repeating on each leg.

    b. Inside leg raises: Lie on your side with your bottom leg straight. Bend your top leg and place your foot on the ground in front of your lower leg. Your bottom arm should be under your head and outstretched, aligned with your body. Slowly raise your bottom leg, leading with the heel, as far as you can and then lower it down. Do 2-3 sets of 10-15 repeating on each leg.

3)  You also want to strengthen the glutes and the external hip rotators if you have IT band troubles. A great exercise is single leg squats. Do these in front of a mirror to make sure you are using proper form. Stand on one leg with the foot pointing straight ahead and the knee slightly bent. Keep your weight centered on the ball of your foot, upper body straight, and head facing forward. Lower into a squat position, keeping the knee centered. Do 2-3 sets of 10 repeating on each leg. 

Always remember to keep good posture and never rush through all the exercises! 

Tip of the Week: Bridge exercise

The glute max is a postural stabilizer and a hip extensor so it is essential at keeping your hip steady through your gait cycle while running. Insufficient strength in this area has been linked to ITB syndrome and patelleofemoral pain (pain in the front of your knee).

Our topic today looks at hip strength and the bridge exercise which is great for hip stability. 

To do a bridge - lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Now lift your hips off the ground and keep a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold for 30 seconds. 

For the next set - begin "marching." Alternate lifting each foot several inches off the ground - while keeping your pelvis steady and facing straight up. Do 20 marches total. (10 on each leg).Repeat both variations for a total of 3 reps. 

If your lower back had any tightness then you may be trying to arch your back too much. Also if you notice your pelvis sagging or your hamstrings feeling "crampy" then you likely need to improve hip stability and this exercise is perfect for you!

And as always - remember to breath while completing this exercise.

3 STEPS TO A BETTER RUN

Most of us just throw on our running shoes and step out the door for a run. If you take some time to activate & stretch certain muscles you will feel better and get in a better quality run.

Try these 3 things before you go out for your run and you will be warmed up and feel great during your run: 

1. Stretch your calves! Tight calves are common among all runners and can shorten your stride causing other issues while you run. This is the number one cause for all lower leg injuries!!

Stretch each side for at least 30 seconds each.

2. Donkey Kicks. This simple exercise gets the glutes firing and ready for any run. Doing this will also help strengthen your glutes and lower your risk for injury.

Do 3 sets of 20 on each leg. Squeeze your glutes and keep your back flat during this exercise.

3. Lunges. Doing lunges will help get your legs warmed up (quads, hamstrings, glutes) with the added benefits of opening up your hip flexors and some strengthening. 

Do 3 sets of 10 lunges. Keep good posture and push off of the front leg when standing up.

Tip of the week: Planks

Building off Erika's core emphasis from last week, this week's exercise is the plank.  The plank is an important exercise not only because it targets the core, hip flexors, low back, and glutes; but also because it forces the runner to be conscious of pelvic tilt.

Most people sit more often than not throughout the day which leads to a condition called anterior pelvic tilt.  This is where the pelvis tips forward causing a tight low back, tight hip flexors, and weakened glutes all which will translate into inefficient running and injuries from muscles working in ways they aren't designed to.

To begin, start by doing three sets of planks for at least 30 seconds.  As you progress, work up to 60 seconds.  The emphasis should be on maintaining a straight line from shoulder to hip to ankle.  If possible, do these in front of a mirror to be able to catch any errors in form.

Good form. Low back is straight and there is a clear line running from shoulder to ankle

Poor form. The lower back is rounded creating stress from weak or unengaged abdominals

Once you can perform 3 sets of 60 secs, increase the difficulty by lifting and holding one leg in the air for ten seconds, repeat for both sides until the intended time is reached.

This teaches your body to maintain a neutral pelvis while one leg is extended, i.e. running.

Maintain proper plank form while using the glutes to raise leg

Switch legs and repeat.  This will be challenging so don't be afraid to drop back down to 30 second planks and build back up to 60