The TOP 5 Essential Exercises For Runners – Watch This Video for Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement

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This past Sunday I watched, as I do every year the NYC Marathon. It’s truly an iconic fixture of New York, and given that lots of may family members, students and clients have trained with me to run it (my husband ran the NYC Marathon in under 3 hours in 2003). I thought it would be ideal to share the 5 ESSENTIAL exercises every runner MUST do for healthy knees, activated glutes; to avoid injuries and help performance (crush that mile time).

The GLUTES are the POWER HOUSE of the body and if you don’t engage them as a runner (or any athlete for that matter) you will suffer over-use injuries like knee pain, back-pain or even shoulder and neck pain because of a poorly functioning kinetic chain.  A poorly firing posterior chain (specifically your glutes – AKA butt muscles) will limit your performance and create a whole bunch of problems, aches, and pains.

Want to know more of the ‘technical science’ and biomechanics of glue activation (read below the video).

But, learn more or not, this video will illustrate the 5 exercises that will help ‘fire’ at your glutes and engage the posterior chain, this way all of the right muscle will be activate and working during your runs!

 

*In each exercise it is essential that we engage the glutes at the very top of the motion – squeeze and activate your butt muscles!

Add before running as a ‘warm-up’:

  • 2 sets of 20 Banded Hip-hinges
  • 2 sets of 20 elevated bridges (with band is ideal, or at least without)
  • 1 sets of 25 good kettlebell swings

Add into your Strength & Conditioning (workout routine)

  • 4 sets of 20 Banded Hip-hinges
  • 4 sets of 20 elevated bridges (with band is ideal, or at least without)
  • 4 sets of 25 good kettlebell swings
  • 4 sets of deadlifts (long bar or kettlebell or dumbbells) -8 to 10 max rep
  • 4 sets of single leg toe touches a side (15 each leg)

*Not a runner? 

These are great for martial artists, any athlete playing any sport that has them jumping, pushing off or running in any way. Or anyone that is sendentary (sitting for most of the day)

Also great to build a strong lower body and firm booty.

The Science

Most importantly for kettlebells, the posterior chain includes the muscles of the hamstrings, glutes, and back. The muscles that make up the calves and other muscles that run along the back of your body are also included in the posterior chain.

Most people have huge difficulty with the hinge—and the hinge is the primary motion of the kettlebell swing! The hinge is difficult for many people because most of us sit for so much of the day. By sitting, we inhibit muscles, and they become inactive. Not being able to hinge properly means not being able to properly engage the posterior chain of the body, particularly the glutes. Instead, many kettlebell users try to use their knees and lower backs to do all the work. It’s no wonder that knee replacement surgery has overtaken hip replacement surgery as the number one procedure of the baby boomer population.