Running A-to-Z: Y is for Yoga for Runners

Hi, friends! Welcome to another edition of Running A-to-Z where I cover a running-related topic following the order of the alphabet. If you missed any past posts you can catch up on letters A-X in the archives. 

This week, as we round out this series, we are on letter Y: Yoga for Runners. Yoga is a great addition to any runner's well-rounded training plan. There are many benefits to Yoga including improved flexibility, balance and strength. Not to mention that a regular Yoga practice can aid in injury prevention for runners. 

I am a personal trainer and a running coach but I am not a Yoga instructor. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel in an area that is not my expertise, I thought I would share the best Yoga for runner resources from qualified Yoga instructors. 

YOUTUBE

One of my favorite Yoga for runners routine is this 20 minutes sequence from Ekhart Yoga. Hubby and I often do this one out in the #shredshed after a run or on rest days. I love that it is quick and effective. You don't necessary have to rehaul your whole fitness program to fit in Yoga, just find 20 minutes a 2-3 times a week. 

Practice this yoga class 1-3 times a week to balance the repetitive action of running on the body. During this yoga routine you work on over-all strength, flexibility and it will increase awareness of your posture as a runner. Also it will help to relax the mind and give you an overall feel good feeling.

My other go to YouTube Yoga is this beginner's Yoga for Runners. It is targeted at beginners but it's challenging enough to leave me sweating after the 37 minute routine. 

Yoga instructor Rebecca Pacheco designed this class to help runners looking for a new cross-training activity, an active rest day, or even those who feel like they're not flexible enough for everyday yoga. The 35-minute sequence works the body from head to toe, with an emphasis on getting a runner acquainted with fundamental yoga poses.

BLOGS

A great resource for Yoga for runners is from Dr. Beth Brombosz! She is an author, yoga teacher, and running coach from Sublimely Fit. My original intention was to share one post but Beth had so many great articles on different poses, the benefits and the potential mistakes, I decide to share her whole Yoga for runners archive. It is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to learn more about Yoga for runners. 

Beth from Sublimely Fit.

Another Yogi blogger sharing her wealth of knowledge is Christine from Love Life Surf. Christine is a certified Yoga instructor and an avid runner. She has a whole series on Yoga for runners that I highly recommend. 

In this post Sarah from The Fit Cookie, a personal trainer. Yoga instructor and runner shares her top four Yoga poses for runners. This is great if you just want to add a few poses to the end of your run.

Do you practice Yoga? I've never been a skilled or graceful Yogi but I definitely reap the benefits of Yoga for runners. 

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Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program. This is an opinion blog. No information in this blog is intended to be taken as medical advice or prescription. Please see your doctor and/or registered dietitian for any health concerns.

Quick Strength for Runners

Welcome to another edition of Workout Wednesday! Each week I share a new strength training or running workout. This week I put together a quick circuit that includes some of the strength training moves that are beneficial to runners. If you run (no pun intended) through this circuit twice it should take you about 15 minutes. If you think you don't have time to include strength moves in your training schedule, I challenge you to add this circuit to the end of an easy-effort running day when you run 40 minutes or less. 

quick strength for runners

SQUAT: 45 SECONDS WORK/15 SECONDS REST

Squats are a great exercise for runners because they help increase the strength needed to run faster on flats, power up hills and lengthen your stride. 

Starting with your feet hip width apart push your hips back and then lower  your body by bending your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor or as low as your flexibility will allow. In the low position, engage your core, squeeze your glutes and push up to standing Take a deep breath in as your lower to the squat and breath out as you explode up to standing. Repeat for 45 seconds before resting for 15 seconds, then moving on to the next exercise.

PLANK ROW: 30 SECONDS RIGHT SIDE. 30 SECONDS LEFT SIDE/15 SECONDS REST

Core strength for runners is very important. Strengthening the muscles that make up your abs, hips/glutes, lower back and pelvis are critical to helping you become a stronger, faster, less injury-prone runner.

Start in a high straight arm plank position with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your legs wider than hip width for stability. Keep your body in a straight line from your shoulders to ankles while engaging your core. Do not allow your hips to hike up or sag down.

With your core tight and your glutes engaged lift your right elbow to row as you bend your elbow up toward the ceiling. 

LUNGE WITH TWIST: 45 SECONDS RIGHT, 45 SECONDS LEFT/15 SECONDS REST

The lunge is a great exercise for strengthening glutes, hamstrings and quads. We add a twist because runners move in only one plane of motion (Sagittal plane: front to back) so it is necessary to gain strength in the other planes of motion. 

With your feet hip width apart and your toes pointed straight ahead, hold your core stable with your back straight Take one large step to lunge forward until your front knee is lined up over your ankle and your back knee is nearly touching the floor. Do not allow your knee to go past your toes. Once you are in the lunge position, twist your torso in the same direction as your front leg. Push back up to standing and change legs. Repeat for 45 seconds then switch legs.

SIDE PLANK: 30 SECONDS RIGHT, 30 SECONDS LEFT/15 SECONDS REST

Move into a side plank position stacking your shoulder, elbow and wrist in a straight line. If this feels good, reach your arm to the ceiling. Hold for 30 seconds then switch sides.

SINGLE DEAD DEADLIFT: 45 SECONDS RIGHT, 45 SECONDS LEFT/15 SECONDS REST

When you run you are essentially balancing on one leg at time repeatedly for the duration of your run. If you perform exercises unilaterally (one side at a time) it will help reduce muscle imbalances, improve core strength & stability and increase runner-specific strength. The single leg deadlift is an ideal exercise for runners.

Standing on one leg, keep your knee slightly bent and perform a deadlift by bending at your hip while keeping your back straight and neck neutral. Extend your free leg behind you in line with your body. Lower until your back is parallel to the floor. With your back straight return to the upright position. Repeat for 45 seconds then switch legs. 

BRIDGE WITH OVERHEAD LIFT: 45 SECONDS WORK/15 SECONDS REST

The hips and glutes generate the power to propel you forward during your stride. This exercise is fantastic for building hip/glute strength for runners. 

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Reach your arms over your head towards the ceiling while raising your hips off the floor so that your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Pause at the top then slowly lower your hips back to the floor. Repeat for 45 seconds. Rest for one minute and repeat the circuit.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

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Running A-to-Z: X is for X-Training

Hi, Friends. Welcome to another edition of my blog series Running A-to-Z where I cover a running-related topic covering the order of the alphabet. I know I've been saying this each week lately, but where has the alphabet gone? These past 24 weeks just flew by and I can't believe this fun little series is coming to a close. It's been a great inspiration for me to find regular topics to write about but also sometimes a struggle. Some letters just didn't have natural running-related topics attached to them (like L, N and J) but I made it work. Stay with me the next couple of weeks as we close out this series. Once we're through I am going to publish the whole thing as a free e-book. If you missed any letters you can catch up on letters A-W in the archives. 

In the meantime we're on letter X. X is for X-Training or cross-training. Cross-training is essential for runners. It means doing other types of workouts besides running that will improve and enhance your overall fitness and help you reach your goals.

STRENGTH TRAINING

I built my whole business around the notion that runners need to strength train, which is a great form of cross-training for runners. 

Running is no-doubt a great exercise. It is fantastic for weight loss or weight maintenance. It builds cardiovascular endurance, not to mention strong quads and calves, but if all that you do is run, it can leave you a little unbalanced in your fitness. Since running moves in just one plane of motion (the sagittal plane, forward/backward) you need to do other workouts to build strength for lateral movements to prevent muscle imbalances. The types of strength workouts that runners should do are completely different than a bodybuilder's workout. A bench press is a chest exercise that probably won't make you a better runner. A push up, also a chest exercise but works your entire core, is a much better exercise for a runner to improve strength. Runners should pay particular attention to core/hip strength. This will help you become a better runner and help prevent injury. Check out my workout archives for a variety of strength training workouts to try. 

YOGA

I love Yoga for runners. The right type of Yoga is the perfect balance (see what I did there?) of strength training and stretching, both important for runners. A "Yoga for Runners" search on You-Tube produces a lot of quick and effective Yoga sequences for runners. I choose gentle Yoga workouts that are mostly stretching and do them on my active-recovery days or after a run.

BIKING/SWIMMING

Both biking and swimming are great low-impact cardio exercises. They are good for when your body needs a break from the impact of running, but you still want to keep up your cardiovascular fitness. Generally speaking if you want to be a better runner, then you should run more. No one ever became a better runner by biking (they became a better biker) but sometimes your body needs a break and these exercises are both great ways to build and maintain fitness when you're not running. 

EXERCISE CLASSES

Maybe I am a little biased because I teach a bootcamp twice a week but I think group exercise classes are a great way to squeeze in some cross-training. A boot camp combines strength and cardio in a full body workout with a boost of motivation from a certified trainer. The group dynamic can make you push harder and have a lot more fun. 

Do you cross-train? What's your favorite form of cross-training? If you can find a couple days a week to squeeze in some cross-training you'll see great strides in running improvements.

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Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program. This is an opinion blog. No information in this blog is intended to be taken as medical advice or prescription. Please see your doctor and/or registered dietitian for any health concerns.

Check Your Form: Proper Running Form Checklist

Running is one of those great sports that doesn't take a lot of equipment, gear or know-how to get started. Most people can strap on a pair of decent running shoes and hit the streets to begin their running journey. The more that we get out there and practice the better we get at it. 

When you run with proper form your body moves more efficiently through the motions. You can run longer and harder with less risk of injury when your form is in check. How's your form? 

You should embrace your natural running mechanics and make any changes to your form slowly over time. If you find that you need to make a lot of changes, choose one at time and practice it until it becomes second nature before moving on to the next correction. Here are six easy fixes to your form that can result in more efficient running.

Running Form

NECK

Keep your neck straight with your eyes looking straight ahead. Avoid looking down at the ground.

SHOULDERS

Shoulders should be back and relaxed. Drop your shoulders, do not shrug up towards your ears.

ARMS

Arms should be at 90 degree angle. Pump arms forward and backwards, do not cross arms over the front of body.

ELBOWS

Elbows should be kept close to your sides, do not allow them to flare too far out to the sides (aka Phoebe Buffay). Don't do this...ha ha.

HANDS

Hands should be unclenched. Imagine holding a single potato chip between your thumb and forefinger.

FEET

Your feet should land directly under your center of gravity, not far out in front. 

So how did you do? Is your form in check?

Have questions? Leave them in the comments or be a part of my new series "Ask the Trainer" and have your questions answered in a future blog post.

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Coach Lea

I am a NASM personal trainer and RRCA adult distance running coach that specializes in strength training for runners. I offer in-person training in the Shredshed, online training and Fit to Run bootcamps. If you are interested in a more in-depth running or strength training plan, please contact me. Have questions? I'd love to help. 

While I am a certified personal trainer, I am not your personal trainer. Since I don't know your exercise abilities, injury background or medical history, please see your doctor before beginning any new exercise program. This is an opinion blog. No information in this blog is intended to be taken as medical advice or prescription. Please see your doctor and/or registered dietitian for any health concerns.