3 (more) Exercises to Improve Injury Resistance:
Hopefully you’re finding the first part of this blog series helpful in fighting off those nagging running aches and pains…if you haven’t read it yet you can find that post here.
Let’s up the ante and get a little tougher with our next circuit of three. Don’t worry, you don’t need much to make these hurt (in a good way). Just a little body weight and a lot of grit.
What use’d to be a punished in gym class is actually a great way to build strength in your quads so you can handle the pounding of steep down hills. These will have your legs screaming while helping you ward off those pesky knee aches.
How to:
Find an empty wall, lean up against it with your upper, middle, and lower back up.
With your feet hip width apart, slide down the wall until your quads (front legs) get about parallel with the ground. This should resemble what the bottom of your squat looks like.
Keeping your feet flat; drive them into the ground and towards the wall. This should almost feel like your statically holding a leg extension.
Hang out there for about 30 to 60 seconds…or until your legs can’t take any more.
If you can hold for 60 seconds no problem with two legs, try adding some weight to your lap or lift one leg and try one at a time. That’ll make this really TOUGH :) and more running specific.
This side plank variation is one of my favorites for getting the best of both stability worlds: Abductors and Adductors. We tend to give most of our love to our abductors (if you’ve ever had physical therapy you know what I mean). But your adductors need to be strong too. They help stabilize your knee/hip when running just as much as your hips do. Try this to balance them out.
How to:
Find a bench or chair with a wide enough bottom to fit both your bent knees and shins.
Lying on your side with your elbow under your shoulder like a side plank and with both knees bent, put one shin/knee on top of the bench and the other under it.
Come up into a side plank position, pushing your top knee into the bench.
Now squeeze your bottom knee that’s under the bench into it at the same time, like your trying crush it with your thighs.
Hold here for 15-30 sec. Then switch sides.
Once you can conformably hold for 30 sec each side; extend your legs and push through the shins or edge of your feet instead. The further down your prop your legs, the harder it will be.
This is a great mobility exercise for your hips and a great stability exercise that incorporates your adductors/abductors, hamstrings, and calves/shins. You’ll legs will burn as your try and keep your stability.
How to:
Face a wall, placing both hands at shoulder height and width. With your arms fully extended, keep this distance throughout the exercise.
Bend both knees slightly, then lift one leg and drive it backward like you’re trying to push the wall behind you away with your heel. You should hinged at your hips, with a slight tension in your hamstrings and butt. Your torso will be parallel with the ground.
Using your hands for support, rotate internally and externally back and forth over your stance leg as you keep your shoulders and hips moving together as one.
You’ll feel a nice stretch of your inner leg as you rotate out and a stretch of your outer hip (just above where your pocket would be) as your rotate in. This is a great stretch for those feeling tight IT bands.
Take your time through the reps, slowly moving in and out of each internal and external rotation.
Do 5-10 reps each leg
When it feels easy using the wall, takes your hands off. Cross them over your chest, and try to do it free standing.
