One of the greatest things about working on RunnerDude's Blog is the hundreds of people I've gotten to know who are scattered all over the country and the world. The blog has a growing readership in Canada, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. There are people I stay in contact with on a regular basis that seem like they're right next door, when in reality they're an ocean away.
One such person that I've come to know is Tommy Matthews. I first discovered Tommy on Twitter and soon discovered his website and his workout videos at ExtremeKettlebellsTV.
Tommy is the Managing Director of The Optimal Life Fitness (OLF) Group, OLF run educational courses across Europe, Australia and South Africa. As well as running the OLF Group Tommy still has his passion for training people and can still be seen on many of OLF’s educational courses, working hands on with personal trainers to further their development.
Tommy Matthews
Tommy’s skills and knowledge in training have come from years of working with some of the world’s top fitness professionals, kettlebell athletes and strength coaches. He’s trained with arguably some of the greatest kettlebell lifters ever, master of sport Valery Fedorenko and the all time great Pantelai Filikidi, who is master of sport in four different sports. Tommy was one of the first two lifters in the UK to complete the AKC certification. Before his work with the AKC in Greece he spent some time with Steve Cotter, which is where he got his interest for kettlebell sport. He has now trained with Gregor Sobocan and was lucky enough to spend some time with Steve Maxwell. Tommy’s passion for learning from the best transfers to his own teaching where he expects only the best from his clients and students. His belief that the body is designed to move and lift translates to his style of presenting; fast, dynamic and exciting!
I asked Tommy if he'd create a Kettlebell Workout for Runners. Being a great sport, Tommy, did just that. He's created a simple but extremely effective workout for runners that's great for the novice to the elite. Thanks Tommy!
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
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.
