3 exercises to improve your running

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

An excerpt from the book Anatomy of Running, which can help you understand why your body moves the way it does and improve your injury-free performance.

Besides strength training, what else can improve your running technique and running performance? Since there is a neuromuscular component here, the technique of this sport can be improved through special exercises that coordinate the movements of the body parts involved in running.

Designed by Gerard Mach in the 1950s, they are simple to perform and the accompanying shock load is low. These exercises, sometimes referred to as the ABC of running, are used to work out the individual phases of the running stride cycle - the knee lift, hip activity and the push with the supporting leg. By accentuating each phase and slowing down the corresponding movement, training helps to improve the kinesthetic perception inherent in the runner, improve neuromuscular response, and develop muscle strength.

Correct execution of these exercises allows you to pump your running technique, since they are ideal for it, only at a slower speed.

The set was originally designed for sprinters, but can be used by all runners. It is enough to practice once or twice a week for 15 minutes. The main attention should be focused on the correct execution of the movements.

1. A-step

The A-step (this movement can be done while walking or more dynamically - like A-jump or A-run) involves the hip flexor muscles and the quadriceps muscle of the thigh. The leg bends at the knee, the pelvis turns forward. The task of the arms is to balance the movement of the lower part.

The arm opposite to the raised leg is bent at the elbow at a right angle and makes reverse movements forward and backward, like a pendulum. The shoulder joint acts as the center of the hinge. Simultaneously, the other hand moves in the opposite direction. The wrists are relaxed. Do not raise your palms above shoulder level. Concentrate on lowering the swing leg. This movement initiates the lift of the knee of the other leg.

2. B-step

The B-step involves the quadriceps muscle, which straightens the leg, and the posterior thigh muscle group, which draws it down, preparing for the ground contact phase. The movements are performed in the following order: the quadriceps muscle straightens the leg, providing a transition from the A-step position to the most straight position, and then the posterior thigh muscle group powerfully lowers the lower leg and foot, bringing the leg into contact with the ground. When running, the tibialis anterior muscle extends the foot, which contributes to a position in which we touch the ground with the heel at the point of contact.

However, when performing the B-step, the extension of the foot should be minimized so that it touches the ground closer to the middle position. This reduces the shock load on the heel and reduces the likelihood of injury to the forefoot.

3. B-step

In the final part of the running stride cycle, the posterior thigh muscle group dominates. When the foot comes into contact with the ground, these muscles continue to contract, not in order to limit the extension of the leg, but in order to pull the foot up, under the buttocks, which begins the next cycle of the running stride.

This exercise focuses on pulling the foot under the buttock, shortening the trajectory of this movement and shortening the duration of this phase in order to start the next step sooner. Execution is required fast, in jerks. The arm movements are also fast and correspond to the movement of the legs.

The palms rise slightly higher and approach the body more than when performing A-step and B-step. The body leans forward more strongly (about the same as when sprinting). This allows the exercise to be performed correctly.

In the book Anatomy of a Running, Joe Pulea and Patrick Milroy describe the most effective exercises for runners. They are accompanied by step-by-step instructions and color anatomical illustrations that show muscles in action. Detailed drawings will help you understand how muscles, ligaments and tendons work when your body is moving.