Ramp-Up Your Metabolism Workout for Runners!

Earlier this week, I posted on reasons why runners may have stagnated in their running and why they might even be seeing some weight gain. As promised in that post, below is a workout perfect for upping your metabolism, increasing your caloric burn, and increasing your lower-body strength. The extra testosterone (men) and human growth hormone (women) produced from these lower-body exercises will also help offset the cortisol release from your long slow runs which will help preserve your muscle mass and keep your metabolism going strong.

Remember that adding this workout along with a speed workout once a week (on separate days) into your running routine will help make you a lean, mean, running machine. Well, maybe not mean, but you get my drift. The lower-body workout is perfect to add to a day you're doing an easy short to mid-distance run.

If you're currently in training for a big race, I recommend holding off on adding the lower-body workout to your routine until after the race. With anything new, your body will go through a period of acclimation and you may even experience a short period of slower running as your body adapts to the workouts and speedwork. Once you do start, stick with it though and your body will recover and get stronger and faster.

Hamstrung?

Seems like lately, many of my running buddies, both local and cyber, are being plagued by hamstring injuries. The problem with hamstring injuries, is that they hurt like hell and take a while to heal. Neither does a runner want to deal with. Telling a running not to run for a few weeks, is like taking their first born.

So why are runners (especially long distance runners) plagued by hamstring injuries so often? Well, there can be many causes—going out too fast and too strong without properly warming up, not properly fueling the body, dehydration, lack of strength in the posterior chain (back, glutes, hamstrings), and being quad dominant. And then there is always the odd injury for which there is no apparent reason for the cause.

From my reading, schooling, and talking with other runners, being quad dominant and having a weak posterior chain are probably the two biggest causes of hamstring injuries. I've mentioned it in previous posts how so often runners do not include resistance training into their weekly routine. Runners often shy away from the gym because they feel they're getting enough exercise on the run. They also don't want to bulk up.

Runners need to change their perception of the gym. They also need to realize that many resistance exercises can be done using body weight or light weights at home. And no, doing resistance training will not turn you into a bulky "Arnold" and no you won't gain an Austrian accent in the process.

A December 2008 Running Times article does a great job of explaining the issue of quad dominance. In a nutshell, quad dominance happens when the "quad muscles overpower the action of the hamstrings in the movement of the leg during a running stride."

Long distance runners log a lot of miles. That constant repetitive action puts an overload on the quads causing them to become more dominant than their antagonist—the hamstrings. When your hamstrings become significantly weaker than your quads, then Running Times says one of two things may happen:

1) Your hamstrings will tear as a result of not being able to take the load developed by the contracting quadriceps and momentum from hip extension
2) You will run slower as a result of diminished power from the hip flexors and knee extensors as the hamstrings have to contract earlier to be able to break the ensuing movement.

Hamstring injuries are slow to heal and often, once you get them, they'll reoccur over and over. The recurrence, however, is usually due to the runner not addressing the real cause of the problem......weak hamstrings. That's where resistance training can play a huge role in overcoming or preventing this problem.

First of all, for everyone (not just runners) strengthening the posterior chain (the muscle groups found on the back side of the body) is most beneficial. Having a strong posterior chain can help prevent a whole host of injuries especially later down the road as we age. The posterior chain mainly consists of the erector spinae muscles (the lower back muscles), the glutes (butt muscles), and the hamstrings (upper backside of the leg).

Exercises that target the hamstrings include:

Dumbbell Squats


Touch-n-Go Squats


Bulgarian split squats


Good Mornings

Deadlifts


Stability Ball Leg Curls


Standing Leg Curl with Ankle Weights

Want More Strength, Power, and Speed?

Ever notice top-heavy "muscle dudes" at the gym? Lots of upper-body muscle and little scrawny chicken legs? Beach muscles (the pecs, biceps, and that six-pack) often get all the attention in a workout. That's all and fine, but doesn't do a runner much good. Actually it doesn't do the average person much good either.

Focusing so much on the "mirror muscles" (you know, the ones you see when you're posing in front of the bathroom mirror in your fruit-of-the-looms) 0ften creates muscle imbalance. This can spell I-N-J-U-R-Y. Ever see big muscle dudes that are hunched forward and have hardly any shoulders? That's because so much focus has been given to the pecs and very little attention has been paid to the trapezius, rhomboid, and lat muscles of the back as well as the shoulder muscles (the deltoids).

Muscle dudes aren't the only ones guilty of muscle imbalance. Runners will often hit the leg extension machine to pump-up those quads and will completely skip working out the hamstrings. Actually more time should be spent on hamstring exercises than quads. Some experts say three times as much. (Note: the leg extension machine is very bad on your knees. Lunges are a much better quad exercise.)

My best advice to help prevent this imbalance and at the same time strengthen your body for running is to take a little time while posing in that mirror to check out your backside. Yes, I said it. Take a look at that toosh...and your back...and hamstrings...and calves. Everyone, (especially runners) need to focus more on the muscles of their posterior chain which includes the erector spinae muscles, glutes, hamstrings, and calf muscles. One of the best ways to prevent injury, improve your posture, and increase your capacity to have more power is to focus a large portion of your workouts on the posterior chain. Check out the clips below from Kinetic Health Online and Expert Village for some great posterior chain exercises.

Don't Run Due to Knee Pain? Read on!

More than not, the reason a non-runner tells me he doesn't run is due to knee pain. "Oh I'd run, but I have bad knees." "My knees just can't take the pounding." It's not just non-runners, though. Former runners will often say the reason they no longer run is due to "bad knees."

Knee problems are often blamed on the constant pounding that a runner does when running. Each time your foot hits the ground the force exerted is about 6 times your body weight. So, if you weight 175lbs, one foot landing in running is taking on about 1000lbs! That's a lot of force! But you know, Mother Nature is a pretty smart cookie. Weren't we designed to walk and run? Okay, maybe she didn't intend for us to run grueling ultramarathons, but shouldn't we be able to handle running 5-10 miles several times a week? The answer is, "Yes!"

So, why do so many of us have knee problems? Well, the problem usually isn't the knee. Knee pain is usually the end result. Earlier this month, I wrote a post on how a tight ITB (iliotibial band) that runs along the outside of each leg can cause knee pain. Muscle imbalance is another culprit for knee pain.

There are several groups of muscles that support the knee. The two main groups are the quadriceps and the hamstrings. The quads are actually made up of four different muscles—Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Vastis Intermedius, and Vastis Medialis. The hamstrings consist of three different muscles—Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, and Semimembranosus. Other muscles that help stabilize the knee (but to a lesser degree) include your calf muscles, the hip abductors (outer thigh), the hip adductors (inner thigh), and as mentioned earlier, the iliotibial band.

Okay, that's a lot of muscles with big names and you're wondering how all of that's related to your knee. Well, remember that song you sang in elementary school—"Dem Bones"? You remember

Toe bone connected to the foot bone
Foot bone connected to the leg bone
Leg bone connected to the knee bone...

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Well, your body actually works like that. Nothing in your body really works in isolation, it all works together. But, sometimes there can be an imbalance which will cause other areas to work harder. When this happens, sometimes pain can occur.

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Often knee pain is the result of such an imbalance. Sometimes a runner can have strong hamstrings that overpower his/her weaker quadriceps. When this happens it can cause the patella (knee cap) to be imbalanced resulting in pain. Because the quads are weaker, they're not able to support the knee which can cause the knee cap to twist and pull.

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The opposite can also be true. A runner can have dominant quads which overpower the hamstrings. Your quads are typically stronger than your hamstrings, but they should only be about 25% stronger. Quads that are stronger than this can also cause an imbalance in the support of the knee cap.

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To even further confuse you...you can have an imbalance within your quads. Remember there are 4 different quad muscles. If the inner quad (Vastis Medialis) is stronger, it can pull on the knee cap. If the outer quad (Vastis Lateralis) is stronger, it can pull on the knee cap. Just tight quads in general can also pull the knee towards one side.

So, now that I've fully confused you, what can be done to prevent knee pain. This part isn't as confusing. Just be sure to do a balanced set of quad and hamstring exercises. Runner's don't often go to the gym and when they do, they may hop on the leg extension machine and pop-out a few sets and think that's good. First of all, I don't recommend getting on the leg extension machine. Research has shone that it puts an awful amount or tension and pressure on your knee cap. Your knee's weren't designed to hold that much weight. Think about it. How many times during the course of the day do you naturally extend your knee with 100+ pounds on your feet? Never. The leg extension machine will be adding to your knee pain instead of strengthening your quads.

Exercises good for strengthening your quads and hamstrings include:

• Body-weight, barbell, and/or dumbbell squats—a squat is great for strengthening your glutes, hams, and quads. The deeper the squat, the more the hamstring/glutes are targeted. A quarter squat will target more quad.

• Body-weight, barbell, and/or dumbbell lunges—lunges are great for strengthening your quads. Lunges can be stationary or you can do walking lunges.

• Body-weight, barbell, and/or dumbbell side lunges—side lunges will help strengthen your quads, adductors, glutes, and hamstrings.

• Deadlifts—Deadlifts are one of the best exercises for strengthening your quads, adductors, glutes, and hamstrings. Be sure to use proper technique. Stand in front of the barbell. Squat down and grab the bar using an overhand-grip with one hand and an underhanded-grip with the other hand (this provides a nice secure grip). Your hands should be positioned just outside your legs when you squat down. Keeping your back flat and your head up, stand up with the barbell while pulling your shoulders back. Slowly return the barbell back to the floor, still keeping a straight back and head up. You don't have to do a ton of weight to get benefits from a deadlift.

• Jumpsquats—this simple exercise can be done with just your body weight or you can hold a medicine ball to raise the difficulty level. To do a jumpsquat, simply descend until your thighs are parallel with the floor, then immediately fire upward using your thighs and calf muscles to jump off the floor. Upon landing, immediately go into your next jump. Try doing 3 sets of 15.

• Stability ball leg curls—this looks really simple, but beware! They are killer for your hamstrings! Simply lie on your back (on a mat) with legs extended and your heels resting on top of a stability ball. Your hands should be beside you resting on the floor. Use your heels to pull the ball toward your buttocks. The ball will roll from your heels to the bottom of your feet. Then slowly extend your legs and return the ball to starting position. Try doing 3 sets of 12 reps.

These are just a few of the many exercises that target your hamstrings and quads. The key is balance. If you do an exercise that targets the quads, follow it up with a hamstring exercise. It's also a good idea to have a personal trainer or your running/workout buddy check to make sure that you're using proper technique when doing these exercises, especially the squats and lunges. A key thing to look for when doing a squat or lunge is that your knee does not go past your toe during the squat/lunge. Also, stand in front of your buddy while he/she does a body-weight squat. Check to make sure his/her knee (one or both) is not turning inward during the squat (this is called Valgus Knee). The knee should remain neutral. Also check and make sure that his arch isn't collapsing inward. This inward motion of the arch or knee needs to be addressed before continuing with your squats. A personal trainer can help you correct this. Proper technique is very important with these exercises.