Tag / fitness

by retoolsf

Strength Training for Runners: Exercises 2,3 – Lunge Variations

And by video on Monday, I should’ve said Tuesday. The following things have not quite come together today – free time, good lighting, availability of properly weighted dumbbells, and a person to film or a functioning tripod. So, in lieu of video, here are the other two exercises at the top of my favorites list. Videos for all three tomorrow!

Hinge Forward Lunge (Alternating)- with Dumbbells

The hinge forward lunge and other lateral lunge versions will challenge your body in unique ways compared to the traditional versions mentioned above. As with any new exercise, use caution when performing the first few repetitions. And take a quick peak at my ‘Remember’ notice from Saturday’s (8/16) post.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand relaxed & at your sides. Stand with your feet hip width apart and parallel. ‘Simon’ says take a small step forward – approximately your normal stride length or a tad longer. Transfer most of your weight to the front leg as you hinge forward at the hips. Keep your shoulders back, and core tight (pull your navel toward your spine & keep it there at beginning of each rep) and refrain from rounding your lower back. Your front knee will bend as you do the hinge motion. Lower your torso toward your front knee as far as is comfortable. 

Tension should occur your forward hamstring. Depending upon the flexibility of your achilles and tightness of your calf, the heel of your back foot may raise slightly from the floor. Go with what’s comfortable for you. Reverse the bent over position while pushing back through the ball of the front foot in order to more easily return to standing, feet together. Repeat on the opposite leg. Alternate sides 8-10 repetitions per side. Rest 30 sec to 1 min. If you are comfortable with the motion perform 1-2 additional sets.

If you fatigue or your form, especially keeping your core tight/protecting your lower back starts to falter. Take a longer break, reduce the number of sets, lower your weight, or all of the above. 


Single DB Stepping Lateral Goblet Lunge
Hold a single dumbbell lengthwise in front of your chest with your elbows pointing down. This is known in the kettlebell and strength training world as goblet position. For the beginner set, begin with your feet wide, think twice shoulder width, with your feet pointing straight ahead. Hinge at the hip by pushing your hips back and squat to one side. Both feet should be flat on the floor and the leg that you’re leaning away from should be straight. In order to keep your weight over your heels where it should be, lean your upper body forward as you bend your ‘working’ knee.

Be mindful of keeping your shoulders back (aka proud chest) to keep your lower back flat. Also centering your bodyweight over your heels should help keep your shin on the working leg vertical. In all squatting and lunging motions it’s butt back, not knees forward.

Return to the starting position keeping your feet wide and lunge to the opposite side.

If you’d like to try your hand at increasing difficulty of the motion, begin with your feet together on each rep and step wide laterally. Sequence is – step, lower yourself to the bottom of the lunge (working in a range comfortable for you). Push through the heel to return to the starting position. Perform 8-10 repetitions per side for a total of 2-3 sets.

 

by retoolsf

Running a Fall Marathon? Strength Training May Make You Faster!

Twin Cities, Bank of America, and Marine Corps. If you’re a distance runner, like me, you probably recognize these as a well-known trio among a pantheon of fall marathon offerings. Perhaps some of you are gearing up for a fall race and you’re getting into the high-mileage heart of your training schedule.

A great many runners whom I’ve met and some for whom I’ve provided training advice share something in common. They overlook or eschew lower body strength training because they want to save their legs and not fatigue them with activities other than running. I have been there.

“I’m gonna run a 4-miler today, that’s all the leg work that I need.” Or “I don’t wanna max out my legs, I have a long run on Sunday!”

Sound familiar?

The most important line that I’ll share with you today: Strength training helps you run more efficiently. (So do mobility exercises and core work, but I’ll save these topics for a later date.)

I can sense the furrowed brows and skeptical looks directed at the screen. Stay with me. I’m not going to suggest that you take up high volume, heavily weighted training and then go out and do a fartlek workout or tempo run. You needn’t know what a squat rack is or where to find one in your local gym. What I am suggesting is a reasonable, balance between your paramour, cardio, and strength work. My reasoning goes a little something like this:

The gluteus maximus commonly, your butt or glutes in regular people speak, is part of the biggest single muscle group and a prime mover in the body. We demand a lot of this muscle. We demand that though we sit for hours during work, school, or Netflix marathons and then be ready to immediately “switch on” automatically for a quick 3-miler or an 18 miler on a weekend. The glutes as a whole (the maximus, medius, minimus, & the TFL) move the hips forward, bring your foot down to the ground, and propel the body forward after each footstrike. Of course the hamstrings, calves, and hopefully the core musculature support this motion but the more efficiently the glutes do their job, the more seamlessly the rest follows.

Three key exercises (in my professional opinion) for glute strengthening:
1. Lunges
2. Deadlifts
3. Squats

Over the next week, I’ll be discussing each of these exercises in turn including technique & ways of approaching them as well as presenting i variations. The idea is not to have you spend hours in a gym. It’s even possible that you needn’t go to a gym at all… More on this later.

Happy running, and may the “bonk monster” stay at bay.

-JF