There are so many 5K and 10K charity runs around St. Louis.  Participating in such events can be a great addition to your current program while helping out a great cause.  A strength and conditioning program can be very beneficial to the novice or advanced runner. Your program should consist of low weight, high repetition movements and involve the following components.

1) Proper Warmup/Cooldown

2) Flexibility Training

3) Proper Nutrition and Hydration

4) Balance Training- coordination/stability, opposing muscular balance, upper/lower/core balance

5) Running-specific movements the both mimic running and strengthen the working muscles

Implementing such a program can lead to:

- Increased strength, power, endurance and efficiency as a runner

- Decreased injury

i. Increased flexibility

ii. Balanced strength in the appropriate muscle groups

iii. Increased stability

- Less muscular imbalances

Today we are focusing on the resistance training aspect of becoming a better runner.

Exercise Demonstrations- notice I’m only mentioning 1 upper body, 1 core, and 1 lower body exercise. Each of these has an opposing muscle group that needs equal attention.

- Plank- alternate reach (excellent total core exercise)

- Pushup- unlimited variations (make sure to include back exercises)

- Lunge on BOSU ball- focuses on stability/coordination while working the essential muscle groups specific to running (while a lunge does work both quadriceps and hamstring, it is primarily quadricep. An additional hamstring exercise is recommended.)

These are some very general recommendations for being a stronger, more efficient runner. As we know, everyone is built differently and therefore responds differently to training. To make sure that you have a plan that is customized to your abilities, I suggest setting up an appointment with a qualified personal trainer.

Cross Training is the act of incorporating several methods of exercise into your program to address a more complete, balanced overall plan.  This method of fitness training has been shown to reduce the likelihood of your being injured as the result of exercising “too much.”  It also has been shown to have a very positive effect on an individuals long-term adherence to a specific type of activity.

As personal trainers, we employ the use of cross training with our clients to provide a program that better addresses the specific demands of particular sports.  We have many runners who come to us in hopes of becoming stronger as runners.  Resistance training specific to the sport of running is added into their regimen and the results are usually very positive.  Running, alone, cannot provide some of the mandatory training necessary to reaching that next level.

This post is in response to a recent article from the New York TImes entitled “Can Running actually help your Knees?”  A study was done to measure any damage that might have occurred on marathon runners knees during a 10 year period.  Amazingly, no major new internal damage in the knee joints of any of the marathons were evident.  The researchers speculated that “continuous exercise is protective, rather than destructive to knees”

I personally think that this is quite a bold statement.  While this may be true for some (maybe even a majority) of people, there are exceptions.  Being in the personal training industry for 12 years has given me insight on human capability and some people are just biomechanically disadvantaged to jogging or running.  The risk of injury is just much more increased with these types of people.

The research also indicated that the knee is able to be conditioned to the load of running and with consistent training, it can be stronger and more stable.  I do agree that your body’s bones, joints, and musculature need to have some pressure or load placed upon them to grow and sustain, but there are always limits.