Upper Body Strengthening

For running, strengthening the upper body is just as important as working the lower body. Your arms are what propels you forward and helps maintain speed throughout the workout. When you run, your arms counterbalance the motion of your legs, which results in saved energy. Having a strong upper body will also keep you in proper running form when fatigue sets in. 

These are a few exercises you can incorporate into your workout to improve upper body strength:

1) Cable Lat Pulldown - works latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and biceps 
Sit at the cable machine and grab the bar, palms facing forward with a narrow grip. Pull the bar down so it touches your upper chest. Concentrate on the squeezing your shoulder blades as you pull down. Slowly extend your arms to lift the bar up. Complete 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps. 

2) Dumbbell Chest Press - works pectoralis major and triceps
Lie on the bench with a dumbbell in each hand and your feet flat on the floor. Push the dumbbells up so that your arms are directly over your shoulders and your palms are up. Pull your abs in and tilt your chin toward your chest. Lower the dumbbells down and a little to the side until your elbows are slightly below your shoulders. Complete 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.  

3) Standing Shoulder (Dumbbell) Press - deltoids 
Hold dumbbells in each hand and arms at 90 degrees, elbows below the wrists. Press the dumbbells upward until arms are fully extended. Lower back to the sides of the shoulders. Complete 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps. 

Foam Rolling

Foam rolling has many benefits to runners and depending on the type of roller you buy they are not too expensive. I highly recommend foam rolling to all runners.  

Benefits:

• Helps prevent injury by keeping overused muscles from becoming too tight
• Keeps you flexible 
• Releases tension and de-stresses you by working out those "knots"
• Helps fatigued muscles recover quickly

I personally use The Grid roller. They last longer and the grid feels like fingers massaging you and digging into your muscles.

Try some of these before and after your runs. Just roll back and forth for 30 seconds. Stop on extra "tender" areas for a few seconds and then continue to roll.

1. Calves 

 2. Hamstrings

 3. Quads

Dynamic Warm-Up – Leg Swings

Giving your body a proper warm-up is often as overlooked as stretching for many runners. By getting yourself into a routine of (at minimum) some dynamic warm-up moves like leg swings, you will activate your hip flexors, hamstrings, and glutes to prepare them for the demands of your workout. A few simple moves that should be added to your warm-up include:

Forward Leg Swings

• Brace your body against a wall, fence or other support, or a teammate! 
• Start with both feet under hips and then swing the inside leg forward and back 10-15 times. 
• Gradually increase the range of motion until your leg swings as high as it will comfortably go. 
• Switch legs and repeat steps.

Side Leg Swings

• Facing a wall, fence or other support, extend both arms at shoulder height to brace yourself. 
• Swing and extend one leg to the outside of your body and then swing back across the front of your body – same as the forward swings – 10-15 times. 
• Gradually increase the range of motion until your leg swings out as high as it will comfortably go.
•  Switch legs and repeat steps.

Plank Variations

So if we have been working at the plank for a couple weeks now, we should comfortably be able to hold it for 45-60 seconds without losing proper form.

The great thing about the plank is its an exercise that is adaptable to hit any portion of the core and/or plane of movement you need by making a couple of adjustments.

The side plank takes the principles of a plank but turns the focus on the lateral musculature.  The obliques, glute medius, and lateral leg muscles become responsible for holding your body in a straight line.

As with the normal plank, start with 2-3 sets of 15-30 seconds as needed

Repeat on both sides

Once you work your way up to 45-60 seconds of good form planking, increase the challenge and running specificity by adding repeats of a knee hike every 5 seconds. Do 10 throughout the 60-second plank.

Maintain a neutral pelvis and straight line while knee hiking. This will translate to proper posture while running.

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.