STRENGTH AND BALANCE TRAINING FOR RUNNERS by Patrick A. Ward, CSCS & Ivonne Berkowitz, CSCS

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1 TRAIN SMART: STRENGTH AND BALANCE TRAINING FOR RUNNERS by Patrick A. Ward, CSCS & Ivonne Berkowitz, CSCS I am a runner. Why should I bother with strength training and lifting weights when all I want to do is run longer, faster. Shouldn t I run to improve my running? Recent data from several longitudinal studies have indicated that strength and power training can enhance long-term endurance. There is evidence to indicate that distance runners with more powerful muscles are more likely to succeed. BENEFITS IN A NUTSHELL Strength training builds strength and power with a minimal increase to body weight. Strength training develops strength, power and muscular endurance for your run. Strength training helps you avoid injury. Strength training will make you a better athlete. PRESENTATION OUTLINE: WHAT IS BALANCE? A dynamic process which involves the interaction of several neurological pathways. Incorporating a functional strength-training facet into your overall program improves your balance. Balance is applicable to everything you do, and most definitely it applies to running, where you are perpetually losing and regaining your balance with every step. A runner with good balance can more readily avoid or prevent injury. WHAT IS STRENGTH? The ability of the neuromuscular system to produce internal tension and exert resistance against an external force. HOW DOES STRENGTH AND BALANCE TRAINING BENEFIT A RUNNER? Endurance athletes who perform strength training as part of their exercise program can have the potential to increase their endurance capabilities due to increases in anaerobic power, increases lactate threshold as well as enhanced exercise economy. Exercise economy is the ability to expend less energy during exercise and maintain a given velocity (ie, running speed). It is increased through strength training by better power output as well as increased lower body strength helping to prevent unwanted movement (which would lead to greater energy lost). SPECIFICITY: Think of strength training more as functional training; it is not the same as lifting weights or body-building, which is what most people associate with strength training. You should implement exercises specific to the movements employed in running. While running, you are constantly asking your body to move, one leg at a time, so train your body to do that as efficiently and safely as possible. In addition to the basics squats, pushups, pull-ups/downs, etc. aim to incorporate exercises such as single leg squats, lunges, core stabilization and balance training. You will see an improvement in both exercise economy and balance, and you will run strong and avoid injury while running. PO BOX 6490, CHANDLER, AZ

2 WHAT SHOULD A RUNNER WORK ON? Core muscularture This isn t just your abs! This area includes, the lumbo-pelvic hip complex, thoracic spine and cervical spine. About 29 muscles make up your core. Lower body hip extensors - glutes and hamstrings Ankle strength plantar flexion and dorsiflexion Upper body upper back - Improve your posture! Optimum Sports Performance assumes no resonsibility for an injury suffered by any person as a result of perfroming these exercise. It is advised to see a medical specialist before entering into an exercise program. Glute Bridges > Begin by lying on your back, feet on the ground knees bent, with your ankles dorsiflexed and your hands on the ground with your palms facing up. Squeeze your glutes, press your heels into the floor and lift your butt off the ground until your legs make a straight line with your torso (a straight line from the knees down to the head should be evident). Hold this position for time; or, repeat for a desired number of reps. Technical note: Often times people complain that they feel this in the hamstrings or that their hamstrings are cramping up while performing the exercise. This typically happens when the hamstrings are trying to take over for the glutes (which in this case could be weak), this is called synergistic dominance. Two things you can do is right before each set, stretch out your hamstrings to de-sensytize them a little bit and/or stretch our your hip flexors (tight hip flexors can cause a decreased neural drive, or firing, of the glutes). single leg glute bridge glute bridge march glute bridge on ball with or without curl SAMPLE EXERCISES: Planks > Begin in a prone position (on your stomach). Place your elbows underneath your shoulders. Raise up on your elbows and toes and hold for a desired amount of time. Be sure to maintain a flat back (neutral spine) as well as proper alignment in your cervical spine (eyes shoulder be looking at your hands. Head should not be up or tucked). Abominals should be tight (abdominal bracing). one legged planks side planks

3 Bird Dogs > Begin in a quadruped position. With a neutral spine (no movement; abdominals braced), extend one arm out in front of you (thumb facing up) and the opposite leg straight behind you. Hold for time, return back to start and either repeat with the same arm and leg or switch sides Progression Bird dogs using the arm and leg on the same side of the body (ipsilateral) Regression: If this is too difficult at the start, begin by performing the movement with only your arm, and then only your leg (one at a time). your heels on the ground at all times. Squat down until your thighs are parallel or slightly below parallel with the floor and then stand up to the start position (remember to keep those heels down!) and repeat for the desired number of repetitions Suitcase squats (pictured) Dumbell front squats (pictured) Barbell Back squats Barbell Front squats Technical note- Make sure that your Chest is parallel (or as close to as possible) with the shins of your lower leg. This will help to ensure proper spine alignment. Lateral Tube Walking (Ankle Bands) > Place tubing around your ankle. Place your hands on your hips so that you can monitor your pelvis and see if you are tipping to one side and cheating. Maintain and upright posture and walk side ways, beginning in a shoulder width stance, stepping out wide, and then back to shoulder width, for a desired number of repetitions. Then walk back for the same number of repetitions Progression- X-band walks (pictured)- Start by stepping on the large band, create and X with the band and place your hands through it (palms facing up). Retract your shoulder blades (squeeze them together) and keep your elbows in close to the body. Walk sideways (laterally) for the desired number of repetitions and then walk back to start Squat > Begin with legs shoulder width apart, toes pointed straight ahead or slightly out to the sides and arms either straight in front of you, across your shoulders with your elbows pointed foreward or with your hands on the side of your head at your temples. Start the movement by pushing your hips back and bending your knees, keeping

4 Split Squat (below) Begin with one foot out in front of the other, a distance a little longer than a stride length should be sufficient, with your toes pointed forward. Hands can go on either your temples or, on your hips. Lift the back heel up off the ground so that the toe is spiked (the front heel remains down at all times!!). Squat down until your front thigh is parallel with the floor and then stand back up to start position. Continue for the desired number of repetitions and then switch legs. Progression: Lunges Begin with feet shoulder width apart. Step forward with one leg and squat down into position, press into the ground with the front leg and drive yourself foreward, bringing your feet either together at the top or bringing the back leg through into triple flexion (hip flexion, knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion), as pictured. Continue by lunging out onto the opposite leg and moving (in a walking fashion) across the ground for a desired amount of repetitions. Romanian Deadlift (RDL) > Begin with legs shoulder to hip width apart, feet pointed straight ahead or slightly out to the side. Place a slight bend in the knee, but then do not allow the knee to bend any further for the duration of the exercise. Hold dumbbells in hands right in front of the thighs or slightly to the side. Initiate the movement by pressing your hips back, as if you were going to bump a door with your butt, until your torso is near parallel with the ground OR before the point at which your back begins to round. From there, squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward, back to the starting position. Technical note: You don t want to think of this exercise as bending your back. You should not be bending at your spine. You should feel this exercise in your hamstrings (almost like a stretch). At no point during this exercise should your back be rounded. Always strive to maintain a neutral spine. : Single Leg RDL Using a dumbbell in the opposite arm of the leg that you are working. Be sure to maintain a neutral spine and do not let your hips open up or rotate towards the side you are working.

5 One-Arm Dumbbell Rows (below) Begin with a dumbbell in one hand. Place opposite arm in front of you and brace it on something stable (an incline bench, a dumbbell rack, etc). Bend over, with a flat back until your torso is between 45 degree and parallel with the floor. From here, row the weight up toward your abs, squeezing your shoulder back and keeping your elbow close to your side. Return to start and continue for the desired number of repetitions. Technical note: Do not let your back round! Seated Pulldown (below) Adjust the thigh pads so that they rest comfortably on top of your thighs in the seated position. Lean back slightly, maintain a neutral spine and bring the bar down towards your upper chest area, squeeze the shoulder blades back, return to start and repeat for the desired number of repetitions. Technical note: Do not let your upper back round over the bar as you are pulling down. Maintain a neutral spine position at all times. Dumbbell Bench Press > Lie on a bench with your feet planted firmly on the floor. You head, your upper back and your butt should remain in contact with the bench at all times. Do not try to flatten your lower back out. Allow yourself to maintain the normal lordotic curve. Lower the dumbbells down, allowing the elbows to move in a straight line down, keeping the forearms perpendicular with the floor, until they are near the chest and then press back up and repeat for the desired number of repetitions. Technical note: Do not let your elbows flare out and break parallel with your shoulders. Keep them slightly in, parallel with the shoulder would be the farthest I would allow them to flare out (and even that can be pushing it in my opinion) Progression: Alternating press. One arm stays up and straight while the other completes a repetition. When it comes up and straight, the opposite arm goes down and performs a repetition. Dumbell Shoulder press > Start with dumbbells at shoulder level. From here, press straight overhead, then lower back to the start position. Your elbows should come below the shoulder and hands around ear level. Repeat for desired number of repetitions. : Alternating presses: One arm stays straight up while the other completes a repetition. When it comes up straight, the opposite arm performs a repetition. One legged press: adds a stability component and causes you to apply force to press the dumbbells overhead while controlling your center of gravity over a smaller base of support One legged alternating press Regression: If you feel yourself leaning back to press the dumbbells overhead stop the movement. This should not be happening and can be happening for a variety of different reasons (tight lats, weak core musculature, lack of understanding of the exercise). Perform the exercise seated to start. Use an adjustable bench so that it is at a setting almost, but not quite, upright (perpendicular with the seat). Work on pressing overhead from there and controlling the weight before moving to the standing position.