Marathon Training Tip #6: Strength Train


What do most runners do
to train?  Run.
The majority of
distance runners started running because they love to run.  There are many health benefits to running and
it is also convenient to just walk out the door and run.  Often overlooked or ignored by runners is the
importance of strength training. Complimenting your running program with
strength training will improve your performance and also reduce your risk for
injury.  
Here is a TRX series of exercises that
will help strengthen your total body with exercises specifically selected to
address weaknesses typically seen in runners. 
They will help strengthen the core, upper body and lower body and should
be performed 2-3x per week, with a day of rest in between.
Note:
Do not perform any exercise that causes or increases pain.

Warm Up

Squat/Row to Heel Raise
Hold the TRX handles with arms bent and your feet shoulder width apart. Sit back
into a squat keeping your heels on the ground and extend arms. Stand back up
pushing through your heels and pulling with your arms. Once fully standing
raise up on to your toes. 
2×15

  


The Workout

Power Pull
Hold the TRX handle in single handle position with one hand.  Keep elbow bent at the start and feet shoulder
width apart.  Extend arm holding handle
and drop back into a squat.  Reach back
with your other arm towards the ground. 
Return to the start position by pulling with your arm and driving up
with your legs. 
2×10 each arm

Alternating Side Lunge
Hold the TRX handles and stand with your feet together.  Take a large step out the side keeping toes
pointed straight ahead. Bend the knee that you took a step with pushing hips
back and sitting into a side lunge position. Return to the start position and step
to the other side.
2×10

Balance Lunge with Knee Drive
Hold the TRX handles and stand with your
feet together.  Step back into a reverse lunge.  For a challenge: keep the back foot off the floor in a
balanced position!  Stand up on your
stance leg driving your knee forward into a march position.  Do all repetitions on one side then the
other.
2×10 each

Bridge with Hamstring Curl Series
Lay on the floor with your heels in the TRX cradles (handles should be about 12” off
the ground). Raise your hips into a bridge position.  Keeping hips level draw one knee in towards
your body.  Extend leg out and repeat
with the other leg. Repeat with both legs. Lower body back to the floor.
2×10

Watch Meaghan demonstrate all the TRX Strength Training for Runners exercises…

Bonus! Runner’s TRX Core Circuit

Complete the three exercises in a row
without rest.  Try the circuit 3 times.
Mountain Climbers
Start in a push up position with your feet in the straps. 
Maintain a flat back as you march knees towards your chest in an alternating
pattern.  As the knee comes in towards
your body your hips should rise slightly. 
10x
Three Position Crunch
Start in a push up position with your feet in the straps.  Maintain a flat back as pull both your
knees towards your chest. Return to the start position and pull both knees in
towards your right elbow, return to the start position and pull both knees
towards your left elbow. Repeat the series of 3 movements 5x.
Pike
Start in a push up position with your feet in the straps.  Keep your legs straight and drive your hips
towards the ceiling as you pull your feet towards your hands. 
10x
Blog post by Eric Chandler.

About
Eric Chandler

Eric joins the Cape Cod Rehab Running
Team with a background in Exercise Science. He is a Certified Strength &
Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), certified in Part I & Part II of the
Burdenko Method, a Certified Functional Movement Screen (FMS) Specialist, and
has also been training in the TRX Suspension Training Method. Eric looks for
his clients’ strengths and uses those strengths to help them get the most out
of each session. A recreational runner, Eric has served on many of the CCR
Flyers Cape Cod Marathon relay teams as has a goal of breaking 20 minutes in
the 5k.

Flexibility Training on the TRX

Flexibility can and should be
trained as part of your routine, just like training for strength, speed, or
power. The American College of Sports Medicine just released new guidelines for
flexibility exercise.
            “Flexibility
Exercise
Adults should do flexibility
exercises at least two or three days each week to improve range of motion.
Each stretch should be held for
10-30 seconds to the point of tightness or slight discomfort.
Repeat each stretch two to four
times, accumulating 60 seconds per stretch.
Static, dynamic, ballistic and PNF
stretches are all effective.
Flexibility exercise is most
effective when the muscle is warm. Try light aerobic activity or a hot bath to
warm the muscles before stretching.”
But why stretch with the TRX
straps? Because there is nothing this simple piece of equipment can’t do! That
is why!
•    The TRX will act as a “partner” allowing you to try out the PNF style of
stretching. There is where you contact and relax your muscle to allow for a greater stretch.
•   
It
will help assist you into greater ranges of motion, deepening your stretch.
•   
You
can stretch multiple areas with one exercise. Who does’t love to
multitask! 
Stretching on the TRX as part of a
flexibility program can help to diminish many of the aches and pains you
experience after a tough workout or sitting at a desk (or on the couch) all
day. Building greater flexibility also:
•   
Improves circulation
•   
Improves
range of motion
•   
Improves posture
•   
Decreases
joint stiffness
•   
Decreases
muscle tension
•   
Promotes
awareness of body in space
•   
Facilitates
relaxation
Don’t just leave the gym after your
workout.  Grab the TRX straps and do a quick stretching routine while your muscle are
warm. Or even plan an active recovery day to do a 20-30 minute stretching
routine!
Here are 5 stretches you can do
with the TRX. There are a ton more, so ask a trainer if you need help
stretching in a particular area!
  

Hamstrings

Lower the straps all the ways
down and covert to single arm mode. Sitting on the ground, place one heel into
the straps. Keeping your back and legs straight slowing walk yourself forward
away from the anchor until you feel a stretch in the back of your leg.


Hip Flexors

Raise the straps so they hang
around knee height. With your back to the straps, place one foot into the loop.
Your knee should comfortably rest on the ground. Lunge out to 90 with the free
foot and press forward through the hips to hold the stretch.

Calves

Don’t forget your calf is made
up of two muscles and both need to stretched! With the straps still in single
arm mode, stand up and place one heel into the loop and straighten out your
leg. Pull back on the strap until you feel a stretch through the upper part of
your calf. To target the lower portion of you calf, bend your knee while still
pulling back on the strap.

Chest

Revert straps back to double arm
mode. Grab a hold of each strap and walk away from the anchor. As you get
further away, let you arms stretch out to the side until the are in line with
your shoulders. Step out with one foot and lunge your body forward while
keeping your chest up.

Back

Holding onto the straps, slightly lean
back with arms extended and shoulder blades engaged (think like you
are trying to squeeze them down and together). This is the starting position.
Slowly let your shoulder blades relax. As a result your arms will be pulled forward by the
straps. Keeping your body in a straight line, round your upper and
hold the stretch. To target your lats, hinge at the hip letting your back
flatten out and rotate to one side then the other. 

Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.

TRX Training for Runners

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Everyone can
benefit from TRX suspension training. It is a great way to develop
core strength, as well as stability in joints and muscles. The TRX is easy
to use and can be set up almost anywhere, which makes it a great piece of
equipment to add to your workout routine. You chose how easy or how tough your
workout will be by simply changing your body angle or the length of the straps
making it a great tool for beginners as well as seasoned athletes.
TRX training for runners will allow you to focus on building up your running performance and get you
ready to take on longer runs and can actually help to improve your running
time. If it’s done right, a TRX workout can elevated your heart rate as much a
normal run would. This makes it a great tool to mix
up your workouts helping to decrease risk of injury and help with recovery.
Suspension
training can help to target key areas that benefit runners. It mobilizes the
thoracic spine, increases hip mobility, and engages the glutes, which are often
ignored by runners. A strong core is important for runners and TRX training is
a great way to build up strength and stability in that area.

Try a TRX workout and see what it can do for you.
Your workout should be designed with runner-specific exercises to improve your body’s strength, stability, and
flexibility. Here are some different exercises that engage the core and work on
building strength throughout the whole body. Aim to do 8-15 reps of each
exercise and make sure that you can maintain good form and posture throughout the
entire motion.

Sprinter
Start



Face away
from anchor point. Step forward with right leg. Lean into TRX at approximately a 45-degree angle. Drive off
front leg and bring rear knee forward. Return to start position. Repeat with
other leg.



Suspended
Lunge


Face away
from anchor point. Place one foot into both foot cradles at once, toes in.
Plant left foot approximately three feet in front of anchor point. Lower
hips into lunge position. Suspended leg will move back.  Pressing down on heel of grounded foot,
return to start position. Maintain balance and upright body posture.  Repeat with other leg.


Hamstring
Curl


Place
heels in foot cradles directly under anchor point. Lie on back with arms at sides and palms flat
on ground. Use core and glutes to lift hips into a bridge. Draw
heels toward hips while lifting hips and squeezing glutes. Return to start
position with control.



Squat Rows


Face
anchor point with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold handles with arms extended.
Lean back and walk feet forward to appropriate resistance angle. Lower into a
squat. Stand up
from the squat keeping shoulders pulled down and back. Pull body toward anchor
point using back and arms. Return to start position with slow, controlled
movement.


Did you know that it’s been 10 years since the TRX burst into the fitness world in 2004?  How do you incorporate the TRX into your training?

Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.

Plan. Progress. Perform with the TRX!

Progression is
essential to keep seeing improvements from your workout. When your
body becomes used to a work load, you plateau, stop seeing results and can
even lose what you’ve been working so hard to gain.  Progressing exercises on the TRX is super
simple if you understand the three principles behind suspension training.  

Pendulum 

The pendulum
principle is based on the fact that the straps will always travel back to a
neutral position, hanging straight down from the anchor. Gravity will work with
you or against you based on where you position the straps when you are
performing an exercise; they can be positioned in front of, behind, or at
neutral. This principle applies to most ground based exercises where the straps
are being moved to perform the exercise. The TRX Crunch is a good example.
Progression
1:  Starting with your feet behind
neutral.  This will make it easier to draw your knees forward, since gravity will be
working with you to bring the straps back to their neutral position.

Progression 2:
Starting with feet at neutral. You have to work harder to pull the straps away
from neutral during the motion of the crunch but as you release, gravity will
assist you in brining your feet back to a neutral position.

Progression 3:
Starting with feet in front of neutral. You have to fight against gravity to
keep the straps from going back to neutral as hold your plank and try to draw
the straps even further from their neutral position as you perform the crunch.

Vector
Resistance

The principle
of vector resistance has to do with body weight vs. body angle when performing
exercises. Take the TRX row for example; as you increase the angle of your body,
the resistance (body weight) you need to work against is increased, making it
more difficult to perform the exercise. The progressions with this principle are
simple; starting close to a vertical position will be the easiest, then
increasing the angle of your body and difficulty more and more until you are nearly
parallel to the ground.           

Stability

The stability
principle focuses on your center of gravity and base of support. As your
base of support gets smaller and your center of gravity shifts outside its
normal position, your body will become more unstable, making it more difficulty
to perform the exercise. By simply changing your foot position you will
increase or decrease you base of support and difficulty of the exercise. There
are four basic foot positions to progress through.
Progression 1:
Staggered stance. Place one foot in front of the other and hip width apart.
Progression 2:
Wide stance. Feet set outside the hips.
Progression 3:
Narrow stance. Feet set hip width apart or less.
Progression 4:
Single leg stance. Body weight is placed solely on one leg.

Vector
resistance and stability can be manipulated separately or together. Increasing
the resistance (body weight) and creating an unstable environment will generate
a greater challenge for you when performing your TRX exercise.
Blog post by Catie Furbush CSCS.