Home Exercises for Better Running
Considering the fatigue involved in running and the hours spent training for a marathon, the idea of having to include some additional and different exercises might be a bit of a nuisance. However, by omitting strength and core work altogether, you increase the risk of injury, and your body will never be in top condition. Whether your goal is simply to run for relaxation or to participate in a race, it is a good idea to dedicate a few hours of your weekly training to strength and core training.
The good news is that you don’t need to do many hours of training: a short routine such as the one below, to be done two or three times a week, will help strengthen your body enough to cope with the demands of running and make you a better runner.
Why Train at Home?
Strength training is essential for runners. Endurance running puts stress on joints, ligaments and tendons due to repetitive impact, so strength work is essential to help the body handle it all. In addition, injuries are often the result of imbalances, so core work helps to compensate for any muscular imbalances. Ultimately, the stronger you are, the more power, speed and endurance you will have – it’s as simple as that.
Often, runners almost forget about core work. We cannot stress enough the importance of working this part of the body. The core is the central point of the whole body: if it is strong, everything else is strengthened, your posture improves, and you can run faster and for longer.
We explain the exercises that every runner should do at home.
- Squats
Time 60 seconds
Stand with your centre of gravity above your heels. Keeping your back straight, sit down and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then raise with your heels until you reach a vertical position.
- Crab Walk – Walking like a crab
Time 60 seconds
Sit with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your palms on the floor behind you and raise your hips so that your hands and feet are supported. Keep your hips elevated as you take three steps to the left on your hands and feet, then three steps to the right.
- Lunges with rotation
Time 60 seconds
From a standing position, take a big step back with your left leg and lower down to bend both knees to 90°. Then twist your torso to the right, twist back to the centre and push yourself back to standing. Then repeat, but with the right leg and with a rotation to the left.
- Jump squats
Time 60 seconds
Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Drop down into a squat and then rise up hard so that your feet leave the ground, jumping as high as possible. Land softly and repeat.
- Plank
Time 40 seconds
Lie on your stomach on your forearms and toes, with your body in a straight line from head to toe. Hold this position.
Repeat the exercise doing side planks.
- Knee bending plank
Time 60 seconds
Get into a plank position, then bring your right knee towards your right elbow and hold for two seconds. Then return to the plank position and repeat on the left side. Continue to alternate.
- Glute bridge
Time 80 seconds
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips to form a straight line between your shoulders, hips and knees. From this position, slowly come back down to the floor. For the first 60 seconds continue to raise and lower the hips as above, then for the last 20 seconds keep the hips elevated and gently move up and down.
You can switch up this exercise by lifting one leg each time you come up and doing all the effort with the other leg.
- Knees-to-chest jump / skipping on the spot
Set 3 Time 30 sec. Rest 30 sec
Run in place, raising your knees above waist height.
- Step-ups
Time 60 seconds
Get on a bench or chair, (make sure it is stable), and then lower yourself down, alternating feet with each repetition. Keep your torso upright as you climb. Attach weights to the sides, if you have them.
- Crunch with bicycle
Time 30 seconds
Lie on your back with your hands near your temples. Lift the shoulders and legs off the floor, then bring one knee to the chest, twisting the torso to bring the opposite elbow towards the knee. Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite limbs. Do the crunches quickly to make the most of the 30-second interval and be careful not to lift your head.
- V-shape
Time 40 seconds
Lie on your back with your legs together and straight. Raise your legs as high as possible and then lift your torso to form a V-shape with your body. Hold this position. If this is too difficult, you can try a modified V-position, bending your legs.
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