Written by Paal Drummond, Physiotherapist Volvat Medical Center avd. Nationaltheatret.
It is motivating to feel progress after only a few sessions of strength training. It becomes easier to carry out the training when you know why you train strength and when you feel on the body what effect it has.
As I said in the previous article, you get far with 2 strength sessions of about 15 minutes each, and in terms of time, such a session is nice to complete after you have been out and run. You can also have a strength session a week that is of a slightly longer duration and run this as a combination of strength and condition. Then you can take a short run of about 15 minutes, just to warm up for strength training. Feel free to be more about carrying out such a session, then it will be easier. The exercises mentioned in the previous article and discussed in this can be used and the training session can be organized as a circle training with a short break between each station. Then you get up the breath and the session becomes effective.
This article covers exercises for the back of the thighs as well as exercises to strengthen the muscles around the waist, abdominal and back muscles. As mentioned, the muscles at the back of the thighs, the hamstring muscles, are part of the stretching apparatus and are important for a good push-off during running. Strengthening this will also be injury prevention.
The muscles in the waist are also important to train. Good strength here will help you to maintain a good posture through the running session, and thus the running step will also be more economical and efficient, and the energy will go to the progress. A bad posture with reduced back strain and kink in the hips, is energy-losing and the running step also gets worse.
Exercise 1: One leg pelvic lift with and without ball. Here it is important to lift the pelvis / seat all the way up so that there is a straight line from the knee via the hip and down to the shoulder. Lower both seat halves all the way down to the mat before lifting the pelvis back up. When you can no longer do it, you change legs. 2 series on each leg. If you want more strain, you can put a medicine ball over your hips.
Exercise 2: Hamstring curl with swissball. Lie on your back with your heels on a medium-sized ball. Lift the pelvis / seat up and pull the ball towards you with your heels. Make sure you keep your pelvis up at all times while performing the exercise. Do it in 2 series.
Swissballs can be bought in most sports shops and can be used for more exercises than the above.
The abdominal and back exercises discussed below are probably familiar to many. You can supplement with others, such as sit-ups and back-ups.
Exercise 1: Lying pelvic lift with leg guidance out to the side. Here it is important to keep the pelvis up during the exercise, and when you bring the leg out to the side, you must prevent the pelvis on the same side from sinking. You should simply keep your pelvis level. Made in 2 series on each leg.
Exercise 2: Lateral plank. This exercise is done on a straight arm or from the forearm. Doing it on a straight arm requires some strength and stability in the shoulder. The pelvis is raised and lowered, and you should keep a good hip and back stretch throughout the exercise. One variation of the exercise is to raise and lower the upper legs while keeping you upright. The upper legs are raised and lowered until you can no longer hold the pelvis up. Repeat on the other side. 2 series on each side. This exercise strengthens the muscles on the outside of the hip, as well as the abdominal and back muscles.
Exercise 3: Plank with leg guide out to the side. This is a familiar exercise for many, and it can be done with different variations. This is an example. If this variant becomes too heavy, you can do the usual plank exercise until you have become stronger. During the exercise, it is important not to have too much sway in the lower back and to keep the pelvis up. As the name of the exercise suggests, lie straight like a plank. As the leg is extended to the side, focus on not "dropping" the pelvis on the same side. Imagine a glass of water that should stand completely still in the lower back. 2 series on each side.
As I said before, you do not have to do all the exercises every time, but choose some. And feel free to supplement with other exercises. Variety of exercises is a good idea.
Good luck with the exercises.
Paal Drummond, Physiotherapist Volvat Medical Center dept. National Theater.
