Obviously, our legs carry us as we run, so we need strong quads, calf muscles, hamstrings, glutes, adductors, etc. When it comes to posture in particular, we need to view the body as a whole. But you can get strong and remain lean. Exercises such as pull-ups and reverse flyes are so simple, but often ignored in place of working from the hips downwards. Many of the overuse injuries I see in distance runners are multi-factorial in their causes, with muscular imbalance and lack of mobility in certain areas being big parts of the puzzle.
A good cross-training plan for runners will incorporate elements of both. Running is very much a linear movement, at least on the surface in comparison to the twisting and turning we see from athletes in sports such as football.
As you can see in the video below, many of the weak links we see in runners occur in the frontal side to side and transverse rotational planes of motion. A good example is the crab walk exercise demonstrated in the video below:. The same has to be said for the exercises intended to support your running too! When it comes to strength training for distance runners, getting the exercises done is one a big part of the battle, but take the time to learn and execute great technique throughout each exercise.
Take a single leg squat for example; as I describe in the video below, there are subtle tweaks that can make the exercise more quad biased, and other tweaks that make it more glute biased. Consider your running form for a moment. Whenever one leg is going backwards, the other is coming forwards, the same can be said for the arms. When your torso is rotated one way, your pelvis rotates the other… This asymmetrical and reciprocal repeats cyclically all over the body as we move from stride to stride.
With these factors in mind, we can be specific with which types of exercise we choose when looking to develop more resilient running bodies. Rather than standard squats and deadlifts with our legs working together in relative parallel, I always encourage runners to work on split squats and lunge variations where we work the hips in particular in different directions with each rep.
I just quickly want to address one of the major objections I hear regularly when it comes to getting people into regular strength training workouts for runners.
You need to be eat big to get big! This point is simple and leads into the next nicely. If an exercise hurts, stop. The best rule of thumb when it comes to strength training for distance runners, and running injuries, in general, is not to push through the pain. The vast majority of running injuries will get worse over time if you try to run through the pain, rather than better.
Top athletes will have regular screenings from a physio to help make better informed choices about how their strength programme should look. Feel free to download this free plan using the link below:. I want to quickly address the topic of weight training for runners, as I am asked about it quite often, along with more specific queries about whether runners should perform exercises like heavy squats and deadlifts. Instead of lifting light to moderate weights for high reps, as is the common wisdom amongst runners, aim to build up to heavy lifts of reps, and perform 5 sets with lots of recovery.
As with everything, technique is super-important when it come to lifting weights, so be sure to have somebody check your form. Having trained as a sports rehabilitation therapist, James now works exclusively with distance runners, helping athletes from beginner to pro to run stronger and pain free.
Check out James' marathon training plan for beginners [PDF]. Not only are the bodies smaller, the mind less experienced, the systems of the body not at full development, but also training has far different effects and considerations as compared to adults. Success in distance running at any age requires high levels of energy system and muscular fitness, technical skills and motivation. For runners young and old, training to develop these qualities can be very demanding.
Understanding growth and development issues as well as the demands of aerobic and anaerobic training is crucial to training youngsters.
The general aim of distance training is to develop the ability to withstand and delay fatigue. Yet, the whole notion of distance running is unfamiliar to most young beginners. For instance, in their earliest experiences with running, children stop when they get tired. They run because it is fun. When they first start running distance as 10 to 12 year-olds they find it boring and not fun anymore. They simply lack the fitness and skill needed to experience the true passion of running fast over long distances.
Maturation refers to changes in the body which lead to adult physical features both internally and morphologically. Whatever it means to you, long-distance running training takes time and effort. The runs are long, and that's just the beginning of the training.
Adding other elements to your training, such as weight lifting or short sprints, can help boost your performance. The researchers found that strength training, in particular, was associated with faster running times. This means that you don't need to focus on building muscle as much as you should focus on lifting heavier weights. Another important finding was that resistance training helped regardless of experience level, so both beginner and advanced runners can reap the benefits.
Sprint training, such as running up hills or running sprint distances on a track, is also associated with faster long-distance times. Researchers have found that the most important factors separating the top runners from those who lagged behind were total distance, easy runs, tempo runs and short-interval training. That means you need to focus on the total amount of miles you are running, how much easy recovery running you do, how you mix up fast and slow runs and how you train with explosive sprint workouts.
With that being said, long-distance runs are still an integral part of your training. You'll just have to balance them with strength training and shorter runs, or sprints, when you put together your training plan. Designing a proper training program isn't just about running as fast as possible.
The other goal of your training program should be injury prevention. According to the Australian Sports Commission , about 70 percent of runners sustain an injury during any month period. Of that 70 percent, 42 percent of the injuries affect the knee. Most of the injuries a runner sustains are caused by overuse. A properly-designed training program can help you avoid overuse by slowly building up distance. As long as you don't procrastinate before your big race, you should be able to decrease your risk of injury by balancing your long-distance runs with strength training and short runs.
Running a marathon is a common goal for long-distance runners, which makes it a good example of training program design. An article from the Boston Athletics Association outlines a week marathon training program that requires you to train four days per week.
The program is laid out with four different training blocks. It starts with a three-week preparation phase that gets you ready for the intense training to come. Then you move into a six-week half-marathon phase that gets you ready to run 13 miles.
After that, you'll go through a nine-week marathon phase where you gradually increase your mileage. That's followed by a two-week tapering phase that lets you recover before the race. During the tapering phase, you'll dramatically reduce the number of miles you're running, which can actually boost your marathon performance and decrease the risk of injuries.
With more time to train, you can more-gradually increase the intensity of your workouts. However, if you're short on time, your training has to be condensed. Each week includes a rest day on Monday because Sunday is the longest training day. The plan is set up this way because marathons often take place on Sunday, and you'll need the rest day on Monday to recover from your long run. On the National Strength and Conditioning Association training plan, you'll start the first seven weeks with two shorter runs early in the week, one day with a short run and hill sprints, and a long run that totals 5 miles.
In weeks eight through 11, you'll do three days of shorter runs, one day with a short run and hill sprints and 12 miles on your Sunday run. Weeks 12 to 15 have three shorter runs, one day with mile-run repeats and a mile run on Sunday. The final week before the marathon includes 4- and 3-mile runs on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. This is a shorter tapering phase than the Boston Athletics Association program, which is likely due to the shorter allotted training time.
0コメント