Running is an activity that many people practice for its great benefits both psychologically and physically. Despite this, at Vitónica we are almost certain that a large percentage could get much more out of it if they did running-oriented strength training.
Performing strength training does not only mean increasing muscle mass, that is, hypertrophying it, but also improve the force that they are capable of exerting per unit of time and, therefore, the power.
What to consider when choosing exercises
It is important to know what the main patterns are when running, which are practically flexoextension of the foot, knee and hip. In addition, we have to keep the core as stable as possible in order to improve our running economy.
The foot
The foot is an important point, since it is the only contact surface between the body and the ground.
It is very important that the toes always point forward.Hey let our steps be parallel to each other. If this is not done, we run the risk of adopting harmful postures and making movements that make us lose distance.
It is also important to know the type of tread. If we cushion with our heels, we will lose a lot of time during the race, because it will not allow us to push off when necessary. We have to focus on cushioning with the foot, which allows us to run faster.
Knee
It is important after each step, that the person’s knee extends almost fully because it reduces the impact on the joint and allows us to achieve a greater distance with each step. We will also focus on keeping the knees not too high.
The log
When we run we have to activate the gluteus maximus muscle, which allows us to lift the hips and thus have a greater stride width. We should not jump while running, because if we do, we will spend part of our energy and time going up and not moving forward.
If we raise our center of gravity, the effect on our joints will be greater.
Head
The head must be perfectly straight in relation to our body. If we lean forward, we will cause a shear force in the neck and lower back, which will cause pain or even injury.
Seven strength exercises to help you run
squats
Although there are many ways to hold the bar, it should be on the rear deltoid. We do this by moving our elbows back slightly and a slightly narrower grip where our palms rest.. With the support bars in place, we let the rack back up two steps. It is better to do this so that later, at the end of the exercise, we have racks in front of us and it is easier to rest the bar again.
After taking two steps back, you have to place your feet slightly outwards, at an angle of about 30 degreess, slightly broader than the shoulders. Some people use a larger or smaller amplitude. The important thing is that we are comfortable and stable.
In this position we begin the descent by bending our knees, but always keeping your back straight and preventing the knees from sinking inward.
Dead weight
Regarding the direction of the toes, you should know that in general, when you take off, toes are slightly open to help lift, and toes forward lead to lockout. This is because the hips are capable of exerting more or less force depending on the position of the feet.
Before lifting weights, you must lower the scapulae, activate the lats to bring the bar closer to the body, apply tension to stay tense and take a deep, sustained breath. Don’t think about lifting the bar off the ground, as this will cause you to sprint and lift your hips prematurely. Instead, consider keeping your chest up and pushing your feet into the ground. This will make it easier for your spine to stay upright.
Hip Thrust
We place the bench against the wall so that it does not move. We sit in front of a bench with our knees bent so that when we raise our hips they form a 90-degree angle and our feet are hip-width apart.
With the base of the scapulae on the bench, We place the bar above the hips, at the height of the pubis, below the iliac crest. We grab the bar with both hands so that it does not shift and do not rotate, we extend the hips so that the body forms a straight line to emphasize the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps.
lunges
We will stand up, with the legs open to the width of the hip and the arms on both sides of the body. The technique is simple: we take a long step with our right leg forward and bend both knees until they are at a 90 degree angle (The reference is usually that the left knee, the one of the leg that is behind, is about to touch the ground). To return to the starting position, we strongly push the ground with our right foot and return to it. It is a unilateral exercise, so we must do it with both legs, alternating one and the other.
face-pull
As we have mentioned before, it is important to maintain a good posture while we go running, so the Face Pull will be of great help to us.
To do this we only need a pulley that we will place at chest height and a rope grip. We take a step or two away from the pulley and pull to our face. When performing the exercise we must make a good scapular retraction and we will notice the isolated work of the trapezius.
During this exercise, the elbows must be located throughout the tour taller than dollspointing backwards and upwards, to achieve a good scapular retraction.
dumbbell row
Although pushing exercises are not so important, pulling exercises are because they help maintain posture and, as we know and have commented on many occasions, posture during running is of vital importance.
The back must respect the neutral curvature of the spine in all its parts. That also includes the neck, which must follow the line of said column. To do this, look at a fixed point on the ground.
keep the core activated and chest out throughout the movement keeping the torso without any rotation. When the dumbbell reaches our side, try to squeeze a little more, making your scapula meet as much as possible with the other, which remains static since the other arm does not move.
Plank with touches on the shoulder
Planks are an excellent exercise when it comes to working the core.although it is possible that you have already mastered this exercise or that you have gotten tired of always doing the same planks.
To do the plank with touches on the shoulder we will start with a high plank position. With the left hand we will touch our right shoulder so that for a moment we remain with three supportsand later we will do it with the opposite extremities.
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