Upper-Body and Core Workout for Runners

Like yesterday's Lower-Body/Core HIIT, this Upper-Body/Core HIIT workout is perfect for runners. A HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout doesn't take much time, but gives a lot of bang for your bucks. The workout consists of 6 exercises-3 core and 3 upper-body. Complete each exercise for 20 secs moving from one exercise directly into the next exercise, taking no rest in between. After completing the 6th exercise, take a 1-minute rest break, then repeat the HIIT in the same fashion for a total of 5 rounds. The whole workout takes only 20 minutes. This format jacks up the heart rate ramping up your metabolism. The exercised selected in this workout target the core and upper-body muscle groups that help support and ensure good running form. The only equipment needed is a mat (or carpeted area) and some light dumbbells. Give it a try! Tomorrow I'll post some great lateral movement lower-body exercises that help prevent injury and increase stability and balance, all important to good running, so check that one out too! Check out my other workouts for runners on YouTube.

Lower-Body and Core Workout for Runners

This Lower-Body/Core HIIT workout is perfect for runners. A HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout doesn't take much time, but gives a lot of bang for your bucks. The workout consists of 6 exercises-3 core and 3 lower-body. Complete each exercise for 20 secs moving from one exercise directly into the next exercise, taking no rest in between. After completing the 6th exercise, take a 1-minute rest break, then repeat the HIIT in the same fashion for a total of 5 rounds. The whole workout takes only 20 minutes. This format jacks up the heart rate ramping up your metabolism. The exercised selected in this workout target the core and all the major muscle groups in the lower body. The only equipment needed is a mat (or carpeted area) and a medicine ball. Don't have a medicine ball? No problem, use a large detergent bottle or fill an empty 1-gallon milk jug with water to use as  your weight. Give it a try! Tomorrow I'll post an Upper-Body/Core HIIT for Runners, so check that one out too! Check out my other workouts for runners on YouTube.

Running Strong As You Age

I hear it all the time...."I'm just not running like I used to." It's a given. We all age and as we age the activities we do may change and the ones we stick with doing may not have the same intensity as they once did, but there's a lot that one can do to keep that intensity alive as long as possible. Actually a lot longer than you might think.

I'm 45 and silly me thought that as I got older, the competition would begin to wane. Oh contraire! The exact opposite is happening. I used to place in the top three in my age group quite frequently at local races, but that's getting harder and harder to do. Once I moved into the 45-49-year-old bracket, the competition got a lot tougher. There are a lot of fast runners in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

What's the key? Well, the other day, a client of mine mentioned how surprised he was to learn how muscle-specific different sports can be. He's a runner in his 50s and he's a really good runner. He's coming to me to improve his upper body and core strength and endurance. He is right, different sports can be pretty muscle-specific. It's not until you try a different sport or do some general fitness training that your realize maybe you're not in as good a shape (overall) as you thought.

Soccer is probably one of the best sports for full-body conditioning. You're using just about every muscle in your body as well as moving your body through the three different planes of movement--frontal (lateral movements), sagittal (forward movment like running), and transverse (rotation and twisting). It also involves a great deal of cardio from the constant moving around and running involved in the sport.

Runners tend to think it's all about their lungs and their legs and while those are major aspects of running, that's not all there is to running. A strong core and upper body is also needed to ensure powerful movement in the legs and in maintaining good running form. Youngsters in their 20s and early 30s tend to be involved in multiple activities--golf, tennis, soccer, softball, Frisbee football, volleyball, working out at the gym, etc. Because of this variety of activity, the upper body gets a good workout without the individual realizing they're strengtheing their upper body and core. Then somewhere in our late 30s, 40s and 50s, due to work, family, just life in general, many of the activities fall by the wayside. Somehow many manage to hang-on to running. Maybe it's because we can fit it in whenever. Maybe it keeps us sane. Maybe it's because it's cheap. But, over the years, that core and upper body fitness begin to wane. Don't use it; you lose it. Probably wasn't that obvious because as runners we tend to be lean. But lean doesn't always mean fit.

A runner needs muscular endurance in the upper body and core just as much as in their legs. You're swinging your arms just as much as your legs are moving forward. There's no resistance to your arm movement other than some air, but they're still moving. If your upper body doesn't have muscular endurance then a domino effect can begin to happen. First the arms fatigue causing you to round your shoulders and slump. This puts more stress on your core. If your core is not strong, then it will begin to fatigue as well, causing even further decline of your running form. By now your legs are taking the full brunt of the domino effect. Not only has the core stopped providing a strong support and power system for the legs, now the legs are having to deal with poor running form and soon fatigue will consume the legs as well. What's that I see? Could it be? Yep! The dreaded WALL! You're about to smack right into it.

Not only can you hit that dreaded wall, you can begin to suffer from injuries like calf pulls or strains, issues with your Achilles heel, IT band problems, pulled hamstrings, muscle cramps...the list goes on. Sound familiar? Are you beginning to have issues in your legs that you never experienced when you were younger? Could be specific to your legs, but it could very well be related to something higher up--a weak core and/or upper body.

So, what's an older runner to do? Invest a little money in an exercise mat, a medicine ball (or a set of dumbbells or weight plates) and work that core! Whatever the resistance form you choose, it doesn't need to be very heavy. An 8lbs, 10lbs, or 12lbs medball will do fine. 10lb, 15lb, or 20lb dumbbells will work nicely too. Use the core workout and your new toys to work that core. If you don't have a medball most of the exercises can be done with just body weight, a dumbbell, or a weight plate). Do the workout 2 or 3 times a week and you'll be well on your way to a much stronger mid-section. Check back in with the blog on Sunday for an upper body workout for runners.

Note: Remember, if you have any upper-body health-related issue or this is the first time you've attempted an upper body workout, it's recommended that you check in with your doctor first to get his/her approval.

Marine Corps or Bust!

Around this time last year, I was working on my training plan for my fall '09 marathon—Marine Corps. My plan was to run Marine Corps with two of my running buddies—Andy and Kelly. A bunch of us from my running group were training using the F.I.R.S.T training method which consists of three hard running workouts a week (intervals, tempo, long run). Then there are two days of very specific cross-training. The training started out fine. It was hard, but we were all doing really well.

Around this same time, I began a 6-month personal trainer diploma program at NPTI (National Personal Training Institute). The program met 4 days a week from 9:30AM to 2:30PM and I had an hour commute each way. The program was very demanding in that we worked-out/trained 2 hrs each day. So you've probably already put 2 and 2 together and have surmised, that the marathon just didn't happen for me last year. There wasn't enough steam left in the engine for my runs after working-out and training at the gym. I decided that if I was going to go to the expense of the travel, food, and lodging, then I wanted the race to be more than just a fun run. I just couldn't justify spending that kind of cash without some larger outcome like a BQ. I was hoping to PR for Boston. So, I put my marathon plans on hold until this year. That was a really hard decision for me to make, but it was the right one.

For a long while, I had a rhythm of running one marathon (maybe two) each year. But that hasn't been the case the past few years. My last marathon was the Chicago '07 (yep, the year of the heatwave). Ended up being a good race (time-wise), considering the heat, dehydration, and a terrible calf cramp. In 2008 I ran The Ridge to Bridge Marathon in Morganton, NC. The first 14 miles are down a mountain! Unfortunately, at mile 15 I started having stomach issues caused by a mild ulcerative colitis flare-up brought-on by a recent flu shot. So, by mile 19, I was toast and rode with the EMTs back to the start. My two buddies (Andy and Kelly) both set PRs in that race and Kelly even BQ'd! And you already know what happened in 2009. So, fingers crossed, all will go well for fall 2010 at Marine Corps and I'll get back on track with my marathons.

I think just about all of my friends that used the F.I.R.S.T program last year, PR'd in their fall '09 marathons. It's a really good program, but a tough program and one I highly recommend you do with others for support. This year however, I'll be basically training on my own, so I'm thinking I'll use a custom-made RunnerDude training program. It will involve speedwork, tempos, and long runs, but not in quite as rigid a format as F.I.R.S.T. Also, I'll be packing in more miles and running more days a week than the F.I.R.S.T. program.

My speedwork will be comprised of Yasso 800s. I'll start out with 4 x 800s and by the end of the training, my goal is to be up to 10 x 800s. Bart Yasso, developed this method and discovered that if you want a 3:00 marathon then run your 10 x 800s in 3 minutes. If you want a 4:00 marathon, then run your 10 x 800s in 4 minutes. Between the 800s, you jog for the same number of minutes it took you to run your repeats. I'd heard about the Yasso 800s, but had never specifically tried them in training before. My recent interview with Bart Yasso renewed my interest in them and I've decided to use the Yasso 800s as my interval workouts in my Marine Corps training plan.

I also plan on running a weekly tempo run which will be run at just below my 10K pace. Both intervals and the tempo runs are great methods for upping your VO2Max. This increases your body's ability to better utilize the oxygen it takes in, getting it to the muscle where it's needed to make energy to keep you moving and fight off fatigue.

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During my weekly long run, I plan to throw in some at-race-pace running segments. I'm a firm believer that (for the most part) the long run needs to be run at a slower pace to help build muscular and cardio endurance. But, I also think it's important to experience running at-pace during the long run in order to give your body experience running at the expected pace you'll be striving for during the actual race.

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Core workouts will also be a mainstay during my training as well as some light resistance training for muscle endurance maintenance.

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I finally broke down and bought a Forerunner 405CX. It was on sale for $100 off and it also included a $50 rebate. Decided I couldn't beat that. I'm looking forward to having varied running routes during my training. Being able to track distance no matter where I'm running will really be fun and liberating. (Only problem is that the flash drive that came with it doesn't work, so tracking my running data is a no-go at the moment. Garmin's been slow in the help department. I gotta get back on them again.) I'm excited and looking forward to getting started in the next week or so.

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Keep me on my toes and check-in with me from time to time to see how my training is going!

Runner's Core 10 x 10 Circuit Workout

An often overlooked but vitally important key to successful running is having a strong core. Whether you're a beginning runner or a seasoned runner, having a strong core will support good running form, delay the onset of fatigue, and produce more energy output for your legs.

When "core" is mentioned, abdominal muscles are usually what come to mind along with the image of airbrushed Calvin Klein models. Pretty rippled ab muscles aren't what we're shooting for here. Now, if you get them in the process, that's a bonus, but I'm talking more about strengthening all the muscles in and around your torso—obliques, lats, transverse abdominis, erector spinae, as well as the rectus abdominis (the abs).

Crunches are often what come to mind when core exercises are mentioned. While the trunk flexion motion of a crunch may produce pretty surface abdominal muscles, it doesn't do a lot to provide for a strong core, mainly because the movement is not a very natural movement. How many times a day to you bring your head up to your knees? Probably not very often. But, how often to you reach up, reach diagonally, turn from side-to-side, reach down, reach down diagonally? My guess would be hundreds of times. To build a strong core you need to move your core through a wide-range of natural movements, moving through all the planes of motion.

Below is a 10-exercise workout that includes a variety of simple core-strengthening exercises using a medicine ball. The workout is designed as a circuit. A circuit is a series of exercises that you complete consecutively with no rest in between. This circuit is a 10 x 10, meaning that there are 10 exercises for which you each complete 10 repetitions. If you don't have a medicine ball, no worries. A light dumbbell will do or even a laundry detergent bottle! Take a look, try it out and let me know what you think.

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There's More to a Strong Core Than a Crunch

A few days ago, I posted how sitting all day can cause "office-chair-itis"(sitting keeps your hip flexors in a flexed position causing you to feel stiff, even bent over when you try to stand after sitting for a long while). Several exercises and stretches were given to help relax and free-up those hip flexor muscles.

All that talk about hip flexors made me remember that another reason people often get sore hip flexors is from over use. Can you guess one cause of over-used hip flexor muscles? I'll give you a clue. Guys like to do these to get rid of that beer gut before the beach season and the gals like doing tons of these before trying on that bikini. Any ideas? Okay, okay, I'll tell ya. CRUNCHES! Crunches will help give you that defined six pack, but actually a crunch or situp really works the hip flexors just as much if not more than the abs. Stand up. Bend over. Stand straight-up again. You've just flexed your hips. Same motion as laying on the ground and lifting your torso toward your knees, isn't it?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing crunches, but they shouldn't be your only source of core work for two reasons. First, because crunches work the hip flexors just as much (if not more) as your abs, you can run the risk of over use and then injury of the hip flexors. Think about it. If you're a runner logging 25-50 miles a week and then on top of that you're doing hundreds of crunches a week, you're working those poor hip flexors of yours to smithereens! Secondly, if crunches are your only source of core work, you may end up with pretty abs, but you won't have a very strong/solid core. The core has a front, a back, and two sides. If all you work is the front, you're going to create a muscle imbalance. Some individuals who do nothing but crunches have actually caused themselves to hunch forward. The abdominal muscles are so tight and the back and side muscles are so weak that the torso is pulled forward, giving a hunched appearance. There's not equal strength in the opposing muscle groups to counteract this pulling motion. So they slump. Probably not the look they're shooting for.

Core work should have a balanced approach that involves all the core muscles—the erector spinae muscles, obliques, lats, transverse abdominis, and rectus abdominis (the abs). Specific exercises can be used to target each group, but you can also get some great workouts hitting all those groups simultaneously using simple equipment like a medicine ball. Planks are a great isometric exercise for core strength and all you need is a mat!

What you want to shoot for are exercises that are functional. What that means is you want exercises that mimic the types of movement that you make is real life. Think about it. How often do you crunch your torso toward your knees each day? Probably not very often. But how often do you twist, turn, reach straight up, reach up diagonally? Pretty often, huh? Everyone can benefit from a stronger core. Your core is the source of energy for your legs and arms. If your core fatigues, then so too will your appendages. This is very important to runners. If you run with a weak core, you run the risk of fatiguing much sooner during an endurance event. Once your core is fatigued and you begin to lose good running form, then everything else will begin to fall apart.

Good news is that solid core work doesn't have to be an every day event. Actually research shows that your core will benefit from a little rest in between workouts. Every other day is a good routine to shoot for, but if you're just starting out, try two times a week (not on consecutive days) and then work your way up to every other day. Another thing to keep in mind is that even if you're not doing an official "core workout" you can still get in good core muscle work during your other workouts. When you're doing those dumbbell curls, make sure your core muscles are engaged and taut. When you're doing a deadlift, engage those core muscles. When you're doing tricep kickbacks, engage those core muscles. Not only will you get a good workout of the core muscles when doing this, you'll also improve your form for those "other" exercises.

For some core workout ideas, check out the video clips below.