Now that I have been getting back into the training slowly but surely, I always believe in building the body in the repair stage. Not only is nutrition extremely important during this phase - lots of protein and general fresh foods, but the gym really comes into its own during this stage.
Granted I do gym work all year round to supplement my running and to keep the body fit, strong and injury free in general, but this is always secondary to my running. Over the next few weeks I intend to build the mileage slowly again while focusing more on strengthening and stretching. I have also fallen in love with the tapping out of the cortices since being introduced to it by my lovely massage therapist, but more about that in a later piece.
It amazes me how people think that because one is able to train and complete a hard ultra marathon, that one is bullet proof and should be expected to be up and training hard again the next day. THIS IS WRONG! And will not only cut your running career short, but will also ensure that you spend a lot of time recovering from injury.
Even when reentering the gym, I am reluctant to go massively overboard and will only stick to the routine and amount of repetitions that I am comfortable with.
Asked about a very simple weights routine that is good for running, the below is what I do year round - generally setup as a circuit and performed 4 times with 10 - 15 reps in each set:
1. Warm-up through stretching and dynamic stretching and about 15 minutes on the bike.
2. Decline pushups off of a gym bench (or chair at home) - sometimes I do these as Spiderman pushups.
3. Alternating leg lifts (seated on a bench) to encourage full range of motion in legs.
Tricep bench dips
4. Bicep curls with light weights (runners don’t need bulk)
5. Bicep arm swings with light weight (in the motion of running) - concentrating on the backwards thrust yields best results.
6. Full range situps performed on the exercise ball.
7. One legged squats off of the bench - these are my favourite for building balance and preventing the dreaded ITB injury.
8. Warmdown again through stretching and dynamic stretching.
I also perform full range calf raises on the calf machine (3 sets of 10) and hamstring curls using the Swiss ball or the machine.
2. Decline pushups off of a gym bench (or chair at home) - sometimes I do these as Spiderman pushups.
3. Alternating leg lifts (seated on a bench) to encourage full range of motion in legs.
Tricep bench dips
4. Bicep curls with light weights (runners don’t need bulk)
5. Bicep arm swings with light weight (in the motion of running) - concentrating on the backwards thrust yields best results.
6. Full range situps performed on the exercise ball.
7. One legged squats off of the bench - these are my favourite for building balance and preventing the dreaded ITB injury.
8. Warmdown again through stretching and dynamic stretching.
I also perform full range calf raises on the calf machine (3 sets of 10) and hamstring curls using the Swiss ball or the machine.
Used intelligently and in conjunction with your running, this simple program can and will help you to remain strong and injury free.
Running together (while staying injury free) - stride for stride on a life changing ride! -- Sean Muller
No comments:
Post a Comment