Must Have Moves For Runners


Things change, it is unavoidable. Conditioning ideas 20 years ago are now regarded as obsolete. As an endurance athlete it is impossible to think that standard gym work and relentless pavement pounding will guarantee top conditioning results. What you will get is a physique and mindset that function separately and poorly.

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It is essential for all athletes to have a good base of conditioning at all times, if you are following a good periodised training programme you should have time set aside for this essential training component. Referred to as G.P.P (general physical preparedness), this form of training is a must if you want to remain injury free, well conditioned and functionally fit.
Sports specific training is without a doubt compulsory, but with this training comes repeated specific movement patterns, repeated energy demands and repeated neuromuscular stimulation. Without any other form of conditioning this assault on your body will eventually lead to over-training, decreased performance and injury.

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Retaining your VO2 (volume uptake of oxygen) is essential, I am not telling you to not run, I am offering alternative conditioning methods to keep you injury free, enhance your running ability and keep you on top of the competition.

Circuits are a excellent way of keeping up your fitness levels and they are a perfect excuse for stimulating multidirectional movement patterns and working many of the stabilising muscles in your torso and lower body that get overlooked when you run. With this in mind, I have listed my top 10 must have exercises that will stimulate mind, movement and muscle.

Circuits are high demand but they are an excellent active rest and recovery component. Performed the day after a long run to about 70% max of you VO2 upper and lower body combinations can flush out lactate build up and aid with recovery. If you don’t fancy the circuits offered intensity, train at a lower percentage or work each exercise through a traditional reps and sets scenario.

I am aware that not all of you have the access to a medicine ball, but a football, basketball, or even a rugby ball will suffice. It does not necessarily have to be heavy, but obviously if you desire a more intensive workout a heavier ball is preferred. Initially the co-ordination of the movement patterns is all we are after!

Skipping is another excellent conditioning exercise that can help immensely with running. As you run, you absorb one and a half to three times your body, as you skip the replication is as good as it gets. Increased co-ordination, balance and unrivalled cardiovascular function are amongst the many benefits that can yield from skipping. A versatile tool, the skipping rope can be easily stored and can be thrown into any situation, a warm up before running, a circuit station or a workout on its own. If you haven’t got one, get one.

Swimming is a superb active rest activity and offers no impact, giving your over worked muscles a well-deserved rest. It will boost your cardio capacity and if you have easy access can act as part of your circuit day, a cool down after a long run or as a workout itself. Swimming is well advised and has long served as one of my favourite all round conditioning components.

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One subject I have not touched on but is essential to all movements and all sports is core strength. Core conditioning is not a few sit-ups here and there, sit-ups stimulate your ‘six pack’ (rectus abdominis) and they do nothing for your deep core muscles. The deepest muscles within your core are the multifidus, the pelvic floor and the transverse abdominis, together they stabilise your lower back (lumbar spine) thereby stabilising other bones in your skeleton.

Building a strong core will make it easier to maintain an upright posture and ultimately delay the onset of fatigue over long distances, running demands a strong torso but not for just balance and posture, as the core of the entire body it provides the necessary foundations from which the legs can generate the power to run faster and farther. The core provides the essential link between the upper and lower body, lack of use and/or misuse will have an effect on your overall muscle function, running capability and biomechanics.

Search out reliable sources and aim to improve your exercise armoury, there are many different combinations, training tools and scenarios available. Mix your exercises up and head for surprise instead of predictability. Use your G.P.P sessions as active rest or just a change of pace (excuse the word play), enjoy them but train intelligently. Don’t go hammer and tong at exercises you have never used before with movement patterns that you are not accustomed to.