Well, I've known for a long time that strength training is important to runners but, quite honestly, when I hear the word "strength training" I think of weight lifting. And, honestly, I HATE weight lifting. I'll do it if I have the accountability of meeting a friend at the gym or something of that nature but, in general, I hate it. The thing is, strength training isn't necessarily about weight lifting. The reason it's good for a runner to have good core strength is it helps greatly with injury prevention. And, like me, if you have a 20-lb difference from one side to the other, you are going to get injured! And the "injury list" is THE LAST place a type A triathlete like myself wants to be!
This past weekend as I sat at my USA Triathlon Level 1 Coaching Clinic I realized I have become "THAT GIRL!" I've allowed these imbalances to continue on for so long that now it hurts to run. And, it wasn't until this weekend that I had an "ah ha!" moment! My moment came when I realized that I don't need to make an extra appointment to a chiropractor before I feel better and I don't need to go get a massage (although, I still may do that!) to feel better. All I need to do are some simple functional movement type exercises to begin to build my core strength and prevent some of the pain I'm experiencing.
I'm almost embarrassed to write that above statement. As a coach, I tell my athletes all the time about the importance of strength training. Yet, I don't put my words into action! But, let me be super clear...TODAY IS A CHANGING DAY for me!
So, I quickly googled to find some good core exercises that will help me build my glutes, hamstrings, and all the other related muscles around my hips & back (where I know my pain starts). Know what I found? It doesn't take long to do these exercises but...guess what...IT HURTS (in a good way!). It just made me realize the truth of the matter...I have an EXTREMELY WEAK CORE and I need to do something about it...FAST!
I'm sure there are some videos out there that are much better than this one but this is where I'm starting! These exercises can be done daily but I'm going to at least do them three times/week starting right NOW!
4 comments:
I've started to do functional strength over the winter as I've focused on my run - and it's amazing how strong I feel! Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing!
I know someone who could help you with this. :) In all seriousness, ask whatever questions you want. You know my feelings on core & overall body strength!
For a second I thought you meant you had become Marlo Thomas.
If you miss the reference. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Girl
Try "pistols" for exercise, or find a 30" step, and do one leg at a time from the ground to a raised knee position. I can show you these - they are excellent for hip/core balance. I had to learn these after tearing my piraformis 4yrs ago.
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