WHY DO RUNNERS NEED STRENGTH
Efficiency or economy of movement = getting more value (more speed / less energy expenditure / less stress on body) from each action. This can come through things such as faster contact time with the ground, less wasteful movement through the body (e.g. excessive sideways or dropping of hips, legs swinging in or out) one estimation from a study suggested that each 1% improvement of economy of movement results in 0.51% improvement in race times example lengthening stride at a cost of no or little extra effort. If a runner with a stride of 1.2m can add 10cm to their stride length and keep their ground contact time the same, he or she can be up to 8% quicker over 10km. Strength = less work required Every athlete seems to perform better when theyre stronger an aphorism often quoted, probably originated by American strength training coach Mark Rippetoe). E.g. a weaker person (i.e. lower power-to-weight ratio) trying to propel themselves up a 25% slope will use more effort than a stronger person. Of course, you do reach a point where there are diminished returns and the influence of strength does not operate in isolation, i.e. anything above a short sprint will have to factor in anaerobic and aerobic capacity. My own example in 2012 I trained for exactly one month only for a 5-day, 350km adventure race, the Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge and this training was compromised because I was still training for powerlifting, my current sport. As the days progressed, accomplished triathletes, Ironman competitors, surf-lifesaving athletes and even adventure racers succumbed to injury, niggles and fatigue, I was not only OK, but my partner and I were improving our places each day. Injury prevention Weight training and other resistance exercises (bodyweight, plyometric drills, hills) have the advantage that they will strengthen soft tissue (muscles, ligaments, tendons) & make them less prone to strain. a chain only as strong as its weakest link we talk about the posterior chain of muscles, in which a weakness in one part refers pain, tension or other impingement to other places in the chain. In fact, Australian sports physio Sean Fyfe opens his special report on how weak buttocks ruin the runner by saying,
"The gluteus medius should be considered in every running injury. So many athletes with running overuse injuries of the lower limb present with poor gluteus medius function that I have come to the view that the strength and function of this muscle is probably the most important active component in the achievement of a biomechanically efficient running technique.
Below, the first figure illustrates the influence of the gluteus medius on other areas of the lower body. The second figure shows the role of gluteus medius activation on hip and trunk alignment.
NOTE difference between strength exercise and stretching: a strength exercise will stop before the end of range of motion, where muscle is weaker and soft tissue more under stress, e.g. an eccentric calf raise to strengthen ankle/protect Achilles will have the foot coming up before the Achilles is at full stretch (NB one study [Alfredson and associates] on long-term Achilles tendinosis [a degenerative condition] compared subjects who did 12 weeks of heavy eccentric calf raises vs subjects who did normal physiotherapy [soft tissue manipulation, etc.]. All subjects in the eccentric calf raises group returned to pre-injury running levels, none from the physio group did. Stability its not just for trail runners. Greater stability can mean faster contact time with the ground the idea of being light on your feet and the ability to be stable under a load means it will be easier to stabilise your own bodyweight in motion to avoid excess movement (particularly through hips, core, ankles) that will be inefficient and possibly lead to injury.
PROBLEMS RUNNERS ENCOUNTER WHEN STRENGTH TRAINING
A typical commercial gym style of training, which is based on bodybuilding protocols, i.e. conducive to weight gain &/or muscle isolation that will not necessarily lead to a proportional increases in power or strength Time just as in running you now know that its not all about the kilometres, quality and variation of training is more important than volume in strength training. 2-3 sessions of 20 min. per week can make a difference (even twice per week + 3rd session for core strength work or other problem areas). No cycling of training people dont adapt to strength, power, endurance training variables at the same rate at the same time, plus you cant emphasise everything at once. BUT even endurance athletes can benefit from heavy training early in cycle when km are low 80+% of the max. weight they can lift.
5-point CHECKLIST FOR RUNNING STRENGTH TRAINING & EXERCISES SELECTION
Does it mimic joint action similar to running? e.g. little point doing a leg exercise where the hip joint does not move (e.g. any seated exercise) Does it challenge stability? Lots of leg exercises will be done in a split position or one leg at a time. Even upper body exercises may be de-stabilised, e.g. kneeling (90 angle at knee) while throwing medicine ball from chest or overhead at wall then catching it Will it work collection of muscles in the right combination? e.g. a squat is good for a sprinter because when they run the force applied at ground is up to 3.5 times their bodyweight so a rear squat is the best way to make the heaviest load on the runner. Endurance runners do not need this gross load or stress on their spine (which is usually supported by a lot less muscle than a sprinters) but they do need to challenge their core stability to prepare them for fatigue. Therefore exercises like overhead squats and lunge-style exercises are preferred.
Overhead squat (can also be done with dumbbells or other hand-weights)
Lunge with twist Is it emphasising a technique you are trying to train? e.g. a car push drill may help emphasise using the buttock and a forward lean to push your leg back further to gain more propulsion each step. Plyometric drills may help your ankle stability and train you to be further up on your mid-foot to ball of foot.
Is it working your speed and efficiency? e.g. contact time with ground, stretch/reflex action
A NOTE ON WARM-UPS
Non-sprinters and runners below elite level seem notorious for a lack of warming up before their running training. Most sports follow the exercise science protocol that a warm-up should: raise body temperature get you mentally prepared for your activity boost the neuromuscular system i.e. coordination, reflexes/reactions, speed of movement improve specific range of motion
The extremely limited warm-up I see from most runners would cover just one, maybe two of these points! A recommended warm-up: Dynamic movements for the hips in every direction this means swinging the leg loosely and quickly but within your comfortable range of movement, to the front, rear and each side (both in front of and behind the other leg. Walking lunges for stability and range of motion Lying twists for abdominals and to coordinate breathing (inhale as legs lower to the ground, exhale as legs raise to the centre, pause, then repeat other side) and loosen hips & lower back. Activating the abs in warm-up helps train mind as much as body to activate core in your training. Jumping block starts dynamic warm-up for the calves, trains body to react and move fast. Get into a track sprinters start position. Jump the legs so that they land with the leg positions reversed (i.e. back leg becomes front leg, etc.) change the landing width and angle of the feet as you go. Jumping split lunges as above + works thighs and stability Gentle rotation of shoulders + stretching of the neck to loosen this area so it is relaxed instead of held stiff.
Jumping split squat
Lying twists
SPEED / EFFICIENCY & PLYOMETRICS
Plyometrics is the dynamic shift from absorption of force to the expression of force. Its often only talked about in terms of sprinting and field sports because these are what people associate with fast, dynamic movements. Stronger feet in particular can enhance speed & agility. However, foot, ankle, Achilles tendon and calf issues are common in endurance runners and plyometric drills are particularly good for developing strength and stability in these areas.
Some examples:
How it works it conditions the lower limbs to accept greater eccentric force, which can reduce injury potential by increasing rigidity. *NB trail runners There is sometimes a perception that you need a
looseness in the feet and a greater area of the foot in contact with the ground to deal with unstable surfaces. However, if you were to try to run on some loose rocks in the middle of a creek, you would run very lightly and quickly on the balls of the feet to exert less time and pressure on the loose rocks. This is what we want on all loose or unstable surfaces. This way, if there is any loss of balance, the natural instinct is to then fall back onto the heel area of the foot for stability. If you are already on the heel or flat of your foot in the first place when you meet instability, there is no fallback position.
Sports science tells us that muscles exert much more force when an action performed plyometrically, e.g. difference between trying to do a double-leg
jump up onto a box from the floor compared to taking a step back first or even jumping down onto the ground from another box first. Early in training cycle for endurance runners, set up circuit style sequence high reps, multiple sets, short recoveries = low level power and running-specific conditioning + specific endurance. Double-leg drills are less stressful than single-leg drills BUT they work the energy absorption + change in direction through ankles/knees more and provide more joint support.
Single-leg bounds are a good plyometric drill to work stride length, glute strength and ground contact speed
A WORD ON FEET
A study by a team from Canada into the role of the big toe in running, looking at both endurance runners and sprinters, noted a lack of plantar flexion at the big toe resulted in a lack of energy generation during take-off. That is, the energy was absorbed and dissipated through the foot and shoe. They concluded that the generation of more propulsive force starting with the big toe primed the lower leg muscles for greater force return. Big toe strength / proprioception / coordination can be developed by toe clawing on carpet, sprint drills (even for endurance runners especially on soft sand, where toes should be clenched on point of impact anyway for protection of plantar fascia running barefoot (as training drill only) and exaggerating the toe push while walking.
Contact time with ground this is something we emphasise a lot at WTF. The length of time a world-class sprinters feet are on the ground: 0.08 seconds for a versus 0.12 seconds for an average runner. Even allowing for just a mere 0.04 sec. improvement in ground contact time for an endurance runner would mean a
5.5 minute improvement over 10km for someone whose stride is 1.2m long (if they can do it with the same level of exertion and stride length). STRENGTH, POWER & THE AGEING ATHLETE Holding muscle becomes more difficult with age (especially after 40), i.e. people can be more prone to muscle wastage. This means that strength work becomes more important with age for runners. We have fast twitch muscle fibre, which is associated with speed and power, and slow twitch muscle fibre, which is more associated with endurance (plus another type of fibre that is somewhat interchangeable). We lose fast twitch muscle fibre every year from birth, estimated to be as much as 1% a year. This is why we see more people over 40 in endurance events, but not many in shorter events. Consequently, as we get older we need to do more speed/power work to slow the rate of fast twitch muscle fibre and to make more use of what we have left. The role of fast twitch muscle fibre is not just for speed and power alone any time the body is under stress, fast twitch fibre will kick in to support slow twitch muscle fibre, e.g. even during fatigue stages in an endurance run. Fast twitch muscle fibre tends to be predominant during exercises where you are lifting 60% of your maximum weight, which would equate to something you can do for about 15 repetitions (although this will vary depending on a persons predominance for either fast or slow twitch muscle, and the muscle groups worked). Older runners may benefit from a sprinters reactive drills, e.g. throwing a medicine ball backwards over your head then turning quickly and chasing it. This example will have a double acceleration mode launching or accelerating a heavy ball, then changing direction and chasing it. In addition to the physical benefits, there is a neuromuscular component in reacting to an external stimulus which could help in a race situation or in dealing with environmental stimuli (dodging a hole, sliding off a track, etc.) in trail running.
AREAS TO EMPHASISE IN STRENGTH TRAINING CORE The core is an area front-to-back from mid-torso to mid-thigh. It includes the gluteal muscles (glutes), although this area is so big and so important that it is usually treated or referred to as a separate muscle grouping. In running: the core is responsible for the transmission of energy from the limbs the rectus abdominus (six-pack) is the least important muscle group in the core. This is typically worked in crunch-style exercises much more important is the transverse abdominus, which wraps around the spine for protection and stability. This is typically worked in twisting and/or isometric and stability exercises
when muscles in hip and trunk work together, you simply dont get as many injuries, therefore we try to work these together in an exercise wherever possible
e.g different versions of plank exercises side, superman, + twisting exercises
ALSO exercises such as battle rope slams http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDSg2MPOdGs & kettlebell swings (dumbbell or other weights can also be used) isotonically (i.e. the opposite of isometric) use the glutes, too
a strong core gives you a more stable plane to push from when going uphill a strong core helps absorb impact and counters the momentum of forward motion when going downhill for long endurance a solid core helps maintain proper form as fatigue sets in. A weak core and especially lower back can lead to shuffling & slouching, putting stress on hips, knees, shins. Its a bit like on a car that has a sport suspension setting, which makes the suspension stiffer for going faster through corners, etc.
when core not working properly = vertebrae of lower back absorb too much force = hamstrings have to work extra hard = knees cant control movement of torso, puts extra stress on joints further down the chain GLUTES The glutes are a group of four muscles. Three of these make up the buttocks the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus .
Test to see how your glutes are working (particularly glute medius) The Single Leg Stance Test
Stand with your hands over your head, palms together. Lift your right foot off the ground and balance. Watch the left side of your hips to see if it dips down. If it does, its a sign of glute weakness. Try the other side. Then, from the same position, lean to the right of your body, checking to see if your left side dips. Move your hands to the left of your body and see if your right side dips. If your hips dip, its a sign that your glutes need work. Try this test also after a long or hard run to see how your glutes perform when fatigued. Of all the muscles used when running hams, quads, calve, etc. glutes are often the LEAST active in day-to-day life (particularly with sedentary work), which is why we need to pick on them with our strength/power training The glutes are used to push the leg back behind you. In running, this is like the submerged part of the iceberg it is (or should be) the more significant part of the stride, even though its the part you dont see. It is very important in endurance running the glutes are bigger, stronger and more suited to prolonged endurance (from standing up or walking for hours) than the quadriceps, so it is better to increase the amount of work they do in proportion to the quads.
Tightness in the hip flexors can inhibit how much you can use your glutes. Exercises such as shoulder bridges will engage the glutes, core and hamstrings together while also stretching the hip flexors. Hold at the top position this is an easy one to do in front of the TV.
When the glutes dont function properly, the entire kinetic chain is disrupted, leading to lower back pain, pain behind the kneecap (Runners knee), shins splints and even Achilles tendinitis
Other exercises to engage the glutes + legs + core
Bulgarian split squats
Single leg deadlift
Kickboard drill in pool
Gluteus medius theraband exercise
Step ups NB: weight goes through heel to activate glutes. Ideally, the box or bench should be at or above knee height SOLEUS Californian researchers have found that weve been underestimating the role of the soleus in running. The gastrocnemius is used for the push off the ground, but the soleus is used to stop the foot collapsing on impact (and therefore helps reduce contact time with the ground) and accelerates the trunk forward. When the soleus doesnt adequately do this function, the gastrocnemius gets overloaded and this this can lead to ankle, shin, Achilles and foot problems.
Jumping split squat
Calf raise for soleus different variations
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