If you want to run faster, be healthier, and be stronger, you need to train your core using runner-specific techniques.
1. The importance of core muscles in running
More than twenty years ago, you would be hard-pressed to find top runners spending energy training their abdominal muscles. Today, it has become an essential part. "Our coaches hammered home the importance of our core muscles," says world champion hurdler Lolo Johnes. "We've always been training in this area." That's because scientists and coaches now know that if you don't have a strong core, Without core muscles - the muscles of your abdomen, lower back and buttocks - you won't be able to run your best times. They provide runners with the stability, power and endurance they need when climbing hills, making final sprints, and maintaining the most efficient running motion for long periods of time. "When your core is strong, everything else benefits," says Greg McMillan. He is a running coach in Flagstaff, Arizona and has coached many top professional and fitness runners. "No matter what type of running you do, your core muscles are the foundation for everything you do."
The key is to train your core like a pro. Experts have pinpointed how various movements in running rely on your glutes, obliques and abdominal muscles - which all sit underneath your six-pack. They already know how important core training is for runners to run faster, reduce pain, and endure long distances. The best part is, they've designed these workouts with runners in mind.
All runners - whether they are running for recuperation or top athletes seeking peak performance - can benefit from this detailed training approach. “When the muscles required for running are trained, and the muscles in your hips and trunk work together, you’ll be injured less often and enjoy your run better,” says Phil Wharton. He is a musculoskeletal therapy specialist and a partner at Wharton Performance Group in New York and Wharton Health Experience in Flagstaff.
Effective core muscle training is not easy. But all you need is 15 minutes a few times a week - it will be a great investment and you will getGreat rewards. Just ask Lolo Jones (Translator's Note: The aforementioned hurdles world champion). Even when she's not in season, she does core training three times a week. So when she competes, she will be well equipped to maintain her status as America's top hurdler. "When my core strength is at its peak," Jones said, "I can run more efficiently and maintain that extra edge."
2. How the core muscles work for you during running
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Accelerate
When you lengthen your stride or increase your cadence to speed up, you need your lower abdominal muscles (including the transversus abdominis and rectus abdominis)--and lower back muscles--to work for you. The stronger and more stable these muscles are, the more power and speed you can achieve when you push off the ground.
Uphill
The gluteal muscles and lower abdominal muscles support the pelvis, which is connected to the leg muscles required for climbing uphill. If your core muscles are strong enough, your legs will have a stable surface to draw strength from, allowing you to climb more powerfully. When you step forward, your hip flexors, such as your rectus femoris, pull your pelvis upward. When you push off the ground, you need force from your gluteal muscles and hamstrings.
Downhill
When you're hurtling down a hill, you need strong butt muscles to help absorb the impact and offset the forward momentum. Downhill brings you the enjoyment of speed, but if your core muscles do not have enough strength to control your movements, your quadriceps and knee joints will bear extra weight, which may lead to fatigue and injury. Even injuries.
Endurance
When you're in the final stages of a race, a strong core helps you maintain proper form so you can run most efficiently, even when you're very tired. strongLower abdominal muscles and lower back muscles, such as the erector spinae, make it easier for you to stand upright. If your core is weak, you may just shuffle and slouch in the final stretch, putting too much stress on your hips, knees, and shins.
Turn
Any time you need to turn—around a corner on the track, dodging potholes, or running on undulating terrain—the obliques provide stability and help you stay upright. If your core is weak, your body may lean during turns, causing the joints in your legs and feet to bear too much weight or be overstretched.
3. 15-minute core strength training specially designed for runners
Fortunately, effective core training doesn't require a lot of time or equipment—just a few key moves performed correctly and over time. This program was designed by Greg McMillan, an Arizona running coach and exercise scientist. He has produced many world-class athletes. This program is designed to strengthen the muscles runners need to climb hills, make final sprints, endure long distances, and avoid common injuries. Do two or three sets of these moves before or after your run, three times a week.
IV. Common mistakes in strength training for runners
1.Superman
Targets: Transversus abdominis (deep abdomen) and spinal cord muscles (lower back).
Action: Lie prone with arms and legs stretched out. Lift your head, left arm, and right leg about 5 inches off the ground (Translator's Note: 1 inch = 2.54 cm), hold for three seconds, then lower. Then repeat this movement with your right arm and left leg. Do ten reps on each side.
Note: Don’t raise your shoulders too high.
To increase the difficulty: raise both hands and feet at the same time.
2. Arch bridge
Target: Gluteus maximus and hamstrings.
Action: Lie on your back, bend your knees at 90 degrees, and place your feet on the ground. Lift your hips and back until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Then let it go. Repeat 10 to 12 times.
Note: Contract the gluteus maximus at the highest point of the movement without letting the spine sag.
To increase the difficulty: As your hips lift, straighten one leg.
3. Swinging legs
Target: oblique muscles
Action: Lie on your back, bend your knees, and lift them above your hips, with your ankles parallel to the ground. Lift your feet and stretch your arms outward. Rotate your legs to the left so that your knees are as close to the ground as possible (but not touching). Bring your knees back to center and do the same movement to your right. Do 10 to 12 reps on each side.
Note: Do not twist your hips or rely on inertia. Use your core muscles to initiate this movement, then slowly swing from side to side.
To increase the difficulty: straighten your legs.
4. Lift the trunk
Target: Transversus abdominis and lower back muscles
Action: Lie prone, support your body with the front of your arms, place your elbows under your shoulders; keep your knees and feet together. Lift your torso, legs, and hips so that your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Hold for 10 seconds. Lift your right leg up a few inches, keeping the rest of your body still. Lower your right leg and repeat with your left leg.
Note: Keep your abdomen tight and don’t let your buttocks sag.
Increase difficulty: extend time. Each time you lift one leg, hold it for 15 to 20 seconds.
5. Lift the trunk sideways
Target: obliques, transversus abdominis, lower back muscles, hips, buttocks muscles
Action: Lie on your right side, support your upper body with the front of your right arm, and place your left arm on the left side. Lift your hips, still supporting your body weight on your forearms and right leg, and raise your left hand upward. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.
NOTE: Keep your arms in position and don't let them droop.
To increase the difficulty: Use only your right palm to support your upper body, not your right forearm.
Mistake 1: Doing the wrong exercises
"The biggest mistake runners make in strength training is to directly do those movements such as "bend your knees and rise up" in bodybuilding training." Greg McMillan said. For most runners, the standard knee bend at both ends is ineffective because it does not provide the deep training required for mile after mile of running.Stability core muscles.
Correction: Do exercises that target the muscles a runner needs. Try trunk raises or sideways trunk raises, which strengthen the obliques (which sit on either side of the torso) and the transversus abdominis (which wrap around the torso like a corset). These muscles stabilize your core and help your body turn, minimizing wasted motion and making your running more efficient.
Mistake 2: Training methods remain unchanged for a long time
Even if you use the correct movements to train your core muscles, practicing certain fixed movements for a long time may reduce the effectiveness of your training. "You need to constantly challenge your muscles to get better results," says running coach Sam Murphy. He is also the co-author of Running Well.
Correction: Mixed training. Adjust your training method slightly to make it harder. Try using one leg for stability, or changing the position of your arms. At the gym, use props such as stability balls, balance plates, unstable platforms, etc. to make your core muscles have to work harder to keep you steady. As a rule of thumb, McMillan says, adjust your training regimen every six weeks or so.
Mistake 3: Completing strength training in a hurry
Correction: Slow down. Actions such as torso lifts require holding a position for 10 to 60 seconds to continue exercising your muscles. Even when doing moves that require multiple repetitions, try to do them smoothly rather than quickly. "It's something to be aware of," says renowned musculoskeletal therapist Phil Wharton. "Don't do it hastily, you must do it right."
Mistake 4: Ignoring the muscle groups you can’t see
"Runners generally have weaker back muscles, so they often neglect them," says Paul Frediani, a New York-based triathlon coach. "But when you're running, especially for longer periods of time, the muscles in your lower back and along the sides of your spine are very important in providing stability and support."
Correction: In every core strength training session, include at least one movement that works the lower back and gluteal muscles. Movements like bridge and superman work the muscles that support and protect the spine.
5. Strong core muscles, healthy runners
Your core is like a power plant. If it's not strong enough, "you won't have enough power when you run." Tim HildEn said, he is a running mechanics expert, physical therapist, and athlete trainer at the Sports Medicine Center in Boulder, Colorado. "Then there will be a lot of useless movements, which will reduce your performance and even lead to injuries." Here are three areas where weak core muscles can lead to injuries.
Lower back
When your leg takes a step, your vertebrae bear most of the momentum. If your core muscles are not strong enough, the impact will be more severe, resulting in lower back pain. Strengthen these muscles with moves like Superman.
Hamstring tendon
"If your core is not strong enough, your hamstrings often have to bear extra force," says Villanova track and field coach Marcus O' Sullivan. With all this extra work, you make your hamstrings shorter, tighter, and more susceptible to injury. If you want to strengthen your hamstrings and gluteal muscles, use arches, sprints, squats, etc. to train.
Knee
Without a strong core, you have difficulty controlling the movements of your torso, so your joints bear extra force every time your foot strikes the ground. This can lead to pain below the knee, patellar tendonitis (a sharp pain inside the knee), and iliotibial band tendonitis. Trunk lifts and side torso lifts strengthen the transversus abdominis muscles, resulting in a more stable core.