Now that we understand why strength training is so important in runners, here are the top 10 exercises to get started on! These will help you work on the single-leg stability, balance, strength, and lower body mobility that all runners need. With any of these exercises do not push through pain if you have 5/10 or more pain on your pain scale. If you are having pain don’t hesitate in reaching out to us as we would love to help you find the root cause and eliminate any pain that may be limiting you from doing the things you love!
Top 10 exercises
Accessory Exercises:
The first 4 exercises focus more on accessory work targeting specific muscles/muscle groups. Start with trying to do these 3 times a week.
- Toe Yoga: x10 for each movement
- Anterior Tibialis Raise: 2×25
- Sissy Squats: 5×5
- Runners Pose: 3×10 each side
Heavy Lifts:
The next 3 exercises are going to be good for heavy lifts. Remember, for true strength gains 80-90% load of your 1RM, 3-4 sets with 1-8 reps, and a 90-200 sec rest period in between sets is needed. With that being said, do not lift heavy on all 3 of these exercises in the same workout. You can split these and incorporate them in different workouts on different days of the week.
Mobility:
The last 3 exercises are for mobility of the posterior chain, quadriceps, and hip adductors (groin muscles). You can do these everyday if you’d like but at least 3 or more times a week is needed to notice a true difference in mobility.
- Elephant Walks: x30 on each leg
- Couch Stretch: 1 min each leg
- Hip Adductor Rockbacks: x15 on each side