Hello Everyone!
I hope you’ve had a great week of training and that you’re looking forward to a nice weekend long run! Plus maybe a Parkrun in the mix tomorrow?
Next Monday I have an article all about motivation, with some tips and tricks for what to do if you’re struggling to get out the door.. which believe me happens to everyone! So stay tuned for that.
For this weeks sprint read I wanted to talk about a few ways of working on your strength routine. These are just some simple basic exercises which can be done from the comfort of your own home while you are doing other regular day to day tasks, like brushing your teeth! No equipment or expensive gym memberships required. So no excuses!
Do you do any of these? Or have your own favourites?
This are a few of mine that I try to drop into my day when I can. Perform the given number of repetitions based on your level then take a minute to recover between sets. Photos of me doing these are below to help!
Bridges - Perfect for watching the TV!
Work your hamstrings and hips better stability and stride length.
Beginner - 3 x 10
Intermediate - 3 x 15
Advanced - 3 x 20
Calf Raises - Perfect for brushing your teeth, or in the shower!
Strengthen your calves for improved balance and more pop in your stride.
Beginner - 3 x 10
Intermediate - 3 x 15
Advanced - 3 x 20
Squats - Perfect for when you're cooking the dinner!
Stronger glutes help provide stability and generate POWER!
Beginner - 3 x 10
Intermediate - 3 x 15
Advanced - 3 x 20
Plank - Perfect for reading a book!
Build your core to support your upper body.
Beginner - 3 x 30 seconds
Intermediate - 3 x 60 seconds
Advanced - 3 x 90 seconds
Walking Lunges - Perfect for moving room to room!
Building overall leg strength and help with coordination
Beginner - 3 x 8 (each leg)
Intermediate - 3 x 12 (each leg)
Advanced - 3 x 15 (each leg)
Many runners skip their strength work and don’t build it into their weekly schedule because perhaps it is seen as time consuming or not important or just plain boring! And while my ideas above make it a bit more fun and accessible for all, doing strength work on a regular basis will mean that your body will be able to cope better with the increased load you are putting through it, especially as the miles start building up. It is around now that people start picking up niggles due to weaknesses and imbalances in the body so it is great to help prevent injuries.
Let us know down in the comments what strength work you like to do!
All the best
See you Monday
Keep on getting it done!
Ben
