20 June 2009
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Running Stretches and Exercises
Stretches: IT Band
Lean into each stretch for 15 to 20 seconds, then switch sides.
Wall Banger: Stand with your right side about six to 12 inches from a wall. Squat
and lean your upper body to the left until your right hip touches the
wall. "It stretches the IT band and strengthens the glutes," says Nancy
Cummings, Ed.D., assistant professor at Florida Southern College.
Side Stretch: Stand with your left foot crossed in front of your right, and lean your
upper body to the left with your hands overhead. Lean as far as you can
without bending your knees.
Backward T Stretch: Stand, feet together, facing a wall about six to 12 inches away. Hold
your arms to your sides like you're forming a T. Without bending your
knees, reach down and back as far as you can with your right hand.
Exercises: IT Band
Do independent of running so your muscles aren't fatigued during this program.
Leg Lift: Strong hip abductors help prevent strain of the IT band. "There's less
torque on the band because you're decreasing the amount of hip
abduction," says sports-medicine specialist Sharon Flynn, M.D. Lie on
your side with your elbow on the floor. Lift your upper leg up about a
foot and return to the starting position. Do 20 to 30 on each side.
Four-Way Kick: Attach your ankle to a cable machine (or use a resistance band). Face
the machine. Kick your leg backward 20 times. Rotate 90 degrees and
kick to the side. Repeat in all four directions (when you're facing
away from the machine, kick forward). Start with two sets of 20 in each
direction on each leg, and work up to three sets of 50 in each
direction.
Lateral Step Up with Kick: Stand with your left side next to a step that's eight to 12 inches
high. Step up with your left foot, driving the right foot in the air so
it's even with your waist. Step back down and repeat. It strengthens
the lateral muscle of the quad to help protect the knee, Cummings says. Do two sets of eight to 12 repetitions on each side.
Hip Lift: Balance on your right foot (use a wall for balance). With your left
knee bent, drop the left hip and lift it up. "Let the hip drop, and try
not to bend the left leg," says Stephen Pribut, D.P.M., a sports
podiatrist in Washington, D.C. "You'll feel it in the glutes." Do 15 to
20 times on each side.
Step Down: Stand on a step on your right foot. Lower your left leg toward the
floor, making sure the knee of your right leg is centered over your
foot. "With the step down, you're putting more focus on the glutes,"
says Matt Schneider, athletic trainer and physician assistant at the
Boulder (Colorado) Center for Sports Medicine. Do two sets of 10 on
each.
Hips & Thighs Exercises
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The Prone March (Never Get Hurt, pt. 1)
Repeat 15 times with each leg....
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Prone Drive (Never Get Hurt, pt. 2)
Alternate legs and aim for 15 reps on each side....
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Side Lift (Never Get Hurt, pt. 3)
Side lifts help prevent issues with your IT band and patellofemoral pain. Repeat 15 times on each sid...
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Inverted Bridge (Never Get Hurt, pt. 4)
The inverted bridge engages your deep core muscles as you strengthen the gluteus medius. Aim for 30 r...
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Hip Hike (Never Get Hurt, pt. 5)
Hip hikes mimic proper flute function during touchdown while running. Continue lifting and lowering f...
Knee Extensors: Sit on a chair with a rolled-up towel under the knee of the exercising leg. Angle the toes in slightly and extend the leg straight out. Lock the knee and hold for a three-count; this exercises the medial head of the vastus medialus, the knee's shock absorber. Slowly lower the leg.
Hip Flexors: Lie on the floor, with the exercising leg straight out, and the nonexercising leg bent with your foot on the floor. Lift the exercising leg from the hip, ending at a 90-degree angle with the heel pointing toward the ceiling. Slowly lower. Repeat with foot angled to the outside, then to the inside.
Hamstring Curl: Lie facedown on a flat surface and, bending at the knee, bring the exercising foot up toward your buttocks; slowly lower the leg. Turn the foot toward the outside and repeat; then turn the foot toward the inside and repeat.
Hip Extensors: Lie facedown over a table or bed, pelvis at the edge, feet on the floor. Relax your nonexercising leg to a 90-degree angle at the knee; it should stabilize you but not support you. Keep the exercising leg straight and turn it in at the hip. Lift the leg up to the point where it is parallel with your back. Slowly lower.
Hip Abductors: Lie on your side on the floor, the exercising leg on top. Bend the nonexercising leg 90 degrees at the hip and knee. Rotate the foot of the exercising leg down (inward) to isolate the outside hip muscle. Keep the leg straight (it will feel like it's behind you) and raise it as high as possible. Slowly lower.
Hip Adductors: Lie on your side on the floor, the exercising leg on bottom. Place your upper (nonexercising) leg on a chair or table at a height of about 20 inches off the floor. (Your leg should be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor.) Slowly bring your exercising leg up to meet the other leg. Slowly lower.
Hips & Thighs Stretches
WALL STRETCH: Stand with your hands against a wall with your left foot approximately two to three feet from the wall. Keep your left leg straight, your right leg bent, your feet pointed straight ahead, and heels on the ground. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, switch legs, repeat two or three times, and switch sides. Exercise physiologist Janet Hamilton suggests doing the stretch several times a day; stretching only postrun may not be enough to loosen really tight calves.
FOAM ROLL: Rolling your calf over a foam roller after running can help break up microadhesions--where muscle tissue sticks to the outer fascia--that cause pain, says Matt Schneider, certified athletic trainer and certified physician assistant at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. Sit on the floor with your right calf on the roller. Cross your left leg over your right, resting that ankle on your right shin. With your elbows supporting you, lift your glutes off the floor and shift your body to slowly roll your right calf along the roller. Repeat on your left leg.
SHIN LIFTER: Lie faceup on a hamstring curl machine, and place your toes under the footholds. Flex your feet toward you to work the muscles in the front of your lower legs. An at-home alternative: Sit on a chair or the edge of a bed with your feet hanging down, not touching the floor. Put coins in a sock and rest it on the top of your foot. Raise and lower your foot, flexing at the ankle.
HEEL/TOE WALK: Walk across a room with your forefoot off the ground. Then walk back on your tiptoes. These exercises will strengthen your compartment muscles. "When these muscles are stronger, they can withstand more stress," Schneider says. "You want to build up these muscles so that they--and not the bone--take the brunt of the impact of running."
SEATED CALF RAISE: The gastrocnemius is easy to target with standing calf raises. But you won't reach the soleus, unless you work the calf with a bent knee. You can do that with seated calf raises using a machine at the gym (or by sitting in a chair, and putting some resistance like a dumbbell on your lap). Raise the weight up to a count of three, but then lower it slowly to a count of five to really work the muscle.
COMPARTMENT STRETCH: Standing up straight, bend one knee and bring your heel toward your glutes (like a classic quad stretch). But instead of grabbing your ankle, hold the top of your foot. "Holding your foot is the key to stretching the compartment," Dr. Rouzier says.
Feet & Ankles Stretches
Because the feet and ankles are so vital to our ability to run, it's important to take the time to strengthen and stretch them. Matt Schneider, certified athletic trainer and certified physician assistant at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, recommends doing the following exercises three or four times a week.
THE MONOPOLY GAME:
Put 10 small objects on the floor--like marbles or Monopoly pieces--and place a small cup nearby. Using your toes, pick up the pieces one at a time and put them in the cup. Do two sets of 10 with each foot. Compete with your spouse or kids to see who can do 10 in the fastest time. "That's just so you don't get bored," Schneider says. "Strengthening your feet can be only so exciting."
THE DRUNK FLAMINGO:
Standing on stable ground, balance on one foot with your eyes open. Once you can do that for one minute, try it with your eyes closed. Master that and then move to an unstable surface--like a mini-trampoline, foam block, wobble board, or Bosu trainer. "Balancing helps strengthen your ankles and feet as well as your core," Schneider says.
TOE TUG:
Loop one end of an exercise band around a sturdy table leg or bedpost. Sit with your legs straight in front of you, and loop the other end around the top part of one foot. The band should be anchored straight in front of you, and it should be taut when your foot is pointed away from you. Pull your toes toward you, keeping your leg straight. Go as far as your ankle will let you. Release slowly, returning to the starting position. Do two sets of 20 on each leg.
BENT-KNEE WALL STRETCH:
Runners often forget to stretch the soleus--a muscle deep in the calf that attaches to the Achilles. "Doing a calf stretch with a straight leg hits the gastrocnemius, but that's only half the battle," Schneider says. Here's how to target the soleus: Stand with your palms against a wall, one leg forward, one leg back. Lower into a "seated" position with legs bent. Lean into the wall until you feel it in your back calf. Hold 30 to 45 seconds then switch legs.
NEGATIVE CALF RAISES:
Stand on a step with your toes on the edge and your heels hanging off. Push up with both feet into a calf raise. Lift one leg off the step, and lower your other leg so that your heel drops below the step. Take at least 10 seconds to lower it all the way down--that's the eccentric part of the move and has been shown to help prevent Achilles tendinitis.
PLANTAR STRETCH:
Sit down barefoot and cross your right leg so that your ankle rests on your left thigh. Hold your toes and bend them back toward your shin, stretching the plantar fascia. A study showed that people suffering from plantar fasciitis had a 77 percent chance of returning to full activity within three to six months after performing this stretch. Researchers suggest that you do the stretch 10 times at least three times a day (once or twice a day doesn't produce as strong of an effect).
