Benefits Of Strength And Conditioning Training For Runners
If you are a runner, you have probably asked yourself what else you could possibly do to enhance your running. Also, if you are stuck in the house and you do not have access to a treadmill, you may be one very unhappy runner. Well, you should supplement running with strengthening and conditioning exercises. These have several benefits such as:
Circuit training will benefit your cardiovascular system, especially if you are not an experienced runner. This will give you that extra stamina you need to push through your runs. Circuit training can make your heart rate jump to up to 80% of its maximum because it has very little rest between exercises. This is definitely good for you.
Weightlifting has been shown to have a profound benefit to long-distance athletes. This is because it improves their time to exhaustion and also their neuromuscular coordination,
Power training is definitely an exercise you should think of adding to your routine if you are a sprinter. Sprinting requires a lot of power from the push off at the start line to that endurance needed to maintain speed till the finish line. Power training includes both strength and speed training.
Do you want that explosion of energy for your runs? Try adding weighted squats to your routine. This has also been shown to increase running economy and neuromuscular coordination.
Conditioning also strengthens your muscles to withstand the turmoil of long runs. Long distance running can take a toll on your body. Both your bones and muscles need to be strong to withstand it.
Now that you have seen the benefits of strength training and conditioning, you may be wondering where to start. What kind of exercises should you do? Here are a few:
- Planks – You have heard that almost all movements of your body can be traced to your core. Keep your core tight by doing 45-second planks thrice daily. As your core gets stronger, add the length of time that you hold the plank. These work your core, shoulders and lower back.
- Back extensions – Lying face down on a medicine ball with your core centred on it, raise your thighs and arms off the ground. This works your lower and middle back, glutes and shoulders.
- Kettlebell squats with overhead press – Standing with a kettlebell in your hands in front of your chest, go down into a squat position until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Press the kettlebell above your head and bring it back down to its original position as you stand up. This targets the quads, lower and upper back, glutes, shoulders, and hamstrings.
- Rotational shoulder press – Stand with dumbbells outside your shoulders with palms facing each other, Press them over your head as you rotate to one side. Bring them back to their original position them repeat on the other side.
Not incorporating strength and conditioning training to your exercise routine as a runner can make you more prone to injury. Also, you may take longer to recover from races.
