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Back to Training Tips Table of
Contents
If
you’re training hard and eating right but still not getting the results you
want from your running, the problem could be in your form. Poor form means
wasted energy, which means slower times. The good news is that you can improve
your form by improving weaknesses within your body. If you want to run your
best, a strong midsection is essential.
Distance
runners require maximum economy of energy expenditure for best results. This
means having a good technique as well as enough muscular strength to run with
correct posture. With proper posture, you use only those muscles that are
required to move your limbs and thus propel yourself forward. When this occurs,
you won’t have exaggerated movement of the arms, shoulders, or hips - all of
which use large amounts of energy.
What
is Good Form?
To
minimize extraneous movements, hold a stable and constant position from the
waist up while running. This means that your trunk should be erect, with your
shoulders directly over your hips. Your arms should move through the same range
of motion as your legs in a forward-backward direction. All rotational
movements—for example, the shoulders or hips rotating slightly to the side,
the hips going up and down from side to side, or the legs crossing the body’s
mid-line—should be kept to a minimum, if not eliminated.
Many
runners, of course, stray from this ideal. If you do, the problem may be a lack
of strength in the muscles needed to maintain proper running posture. Many
runners turn to resistance training in an attempt to correct these problems, and
they work hard at strengthening their arms and legs. The midsection, however, is
often ignored, because these muscles are usually thought to have little to do
with running. But is this so?
Keep
in mind that the midsection is the connecting link between the upper and lower
body. When the midsection is weak it does now allow the full force from the
lower body to transfer upward of vice versa. The force derived from your leg
push-off should propel your center of gravity forward, but a weak midsection
acts as an accordion and absorbs the force of your push-off.
It
is also important to understand that in the push-off you do not push the head
and shoulders forward. Instead, the push-off leg pushes the hips forward; the
hips are considered the area in which your center of gravity is contained (where
your weight is concentrated). Thus, by pushing the hips forward all the force
from the push-off will propel your body forward. However, if you lean forward so
that the head and shoulders are in front of the hips, the force from the legs
will be somewhat vertical, with only a portion of it available to effectively
push you forward.
When
you sprint you can vividly see that your legs push your hips and body forward.
Immediately after the push-off a runner with good form will have a slight
arching of the lower back. When you get ready for touch-down there is no longer
an arch, and in some cases, a slight flexing of the spine, which is needed to
“gather” the body for landing. During push-off, with the hips again being
pushed forward, the runner with good form will again go back into very erect,
slightly arched trunk position, which is maintained during flight.
A
strong midsection, then, will minimize lower back arching and help maintain an
erect trunk position over the course of a long run or race. Again, this means
more efficient use of your body’s energy. The muscles in this area include the
abdominals, lower back (erector spinae) muscles, and the lower side spinal
muscles (quadratus lumborum). Some of the best exercises to develop these
muscles as they are needed in running are the bent-knee sit-up, reverse sit-up,
and reverse trunk twist for the abdominals, back raises and back raises with a
twist for the lower back, and side bends for the lower side spinals.
In
terms of sets and repetitions, you’ll need to find what you’re capable of.
In general, begin with only a few repetitions of each exercise if you’re new
to them. Remember that with these exercises your goal is to develop muscular
endurance more than muscular strength (your ability to produce a great amount of
force in one all-out repetition). Because of this, you’ll benefit by gradually
building up to a large number of repetitions; such as 50 to 75, is a good goal.
If you don’t have enough muscular endurance to do this many reps in one set,
divide you exercises into two to three sets.
To
see maximum benefits, do these exercises at least three times a week during your
off-season. During your racing season, cut down to once or twice a week.
Some
runners do strength exercises immediately after their run. This can cause
problems, because if you’re overly fatigued from your run your form is likely
to suffer on the strengthening exercises. This increases your risk of injury.
For this reason, schedule your strength-work days for your easy running days, or
if possible, do the strengthening exercises several hours before or after you
run.
Prior
stretching is usually not necessary before doing these exercises because each
involves a stretch. To warm up, start off slowly and do the exercise with a
shortened range of motion. As you become looser, work up to the full range of
motion for the exercise. For example, when doing the reverse trunk twist, start
by lowering your legs to one side. Stay relaxed in that position; you’ll feel
a stretch in your lower back. Then raise your legs and lower them to the other
side and repeat. After two or three of these warm up reps, you’ll be ready to
do the exercise at normal speed.
Doing
these exercises will improve your running greatly. You will find yourself
running with less effort and most importantly, not feeling as fatigued over the
course of a run or race. Finally, if you have a tendency for back problems these
exercises may help prevent or treat them.
Lie
on your back with your legs bent at the knees and your feet either free or
secured. Keep your arms alongside your body, or fold them on your chest.
Inhale
slightly more than usual and hold your breath as you raise your head and
shoulders off the floor, concentrating on curling your upper trunk as much as
possible. Rise up and over until your trunk is 30 to 45 degrees off the floor.
At this point begin to exhale and return to the initial position under control.
Relax your muscles momentarily so that your head again rests on the floor and
then repeat at a moderate rate. If you feel pain when doing bent-knee sit-ups or
have a history of back problems, do crunches instead. The crunch is done just
like the sit-up except that you raise your head and shoulders only about 15 to
20 degrees off the floor while keeping your lower back against the floor.
Lie
face up on the floor with your arms out to the sides and your palms down. Your
arms should be perpendicular to your trunk so that your body forms a “T”.
Keeping your legs straight and your feet together, raise your legs to a
90-degree angle to the floor. (If you have tight hamstrings, bend your knees
slightly to reduce the tension.) Keep your feet together and maintain this
leg-trunk position throughout the entire exercise.
Lower
your legs to one side while continuing to hold the 90-degree angle in your hips.
Touch the floor with the outside of your lower foot, keeping your shoulders and
arms in full contact with the floor. The inhale and raise your legs back to the
initial position and, without stopping, over to the opposite side until your
feet touch, again keeping your shoulders in contact with the floor. Exhale as
you lower your legs and repeat, alternating sides.
Back
raises are most conveniently and safely done on a Glute-Ham Developer (GHD). If
you do not have access to a GHD, use a sturdy table and have someone hold your
legs down. Lie face down over the curved seat of the GHD so that when your feet
are secured between the rear pads your entire pelvic girdle rests on the seat.
Hang your upper trunk over the seat, keeping your spinal muscles relaxed. Your
legs should be fully extended and kept straight.
From
this position, inhale slightly more than usual and hold your breath as you
extend (straighten) your spine. Raise your head and the upper portion of your
spine, and then raise your trunk. Raise your upper trunk until it is slightly
higher than your legs (arched). After reaching the uppermost position, exhale
and return to the starting position under control. When you reach the lowermost
position, relax your muscles and repeat.
Stand
and hold a dumbbell in one hand. Your other hand can be left alongside your body
or place behind your head. Keep your weight equally balanced on both your feet,
and keep your pelvis firmly in place at all times.
Lean your shoulders and upper trunk to the same side as the dumbbell as far as possible without shifting your pelvis to the other side. Upon reaching the bottom position, inhale and hold your breath as you raise your trunk sideways to the erect standing position and over to the other side as far as possible. Exhale as you reach the vertical. Pause momentarily and repeat.
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