3 Strength Builders for Runners

Runners take note, this bulletin is for you. For those of you who don't know about Atomic Athletic Club member, Eric, you need to know that he is basically a runner. He does distance stuff: 10 K's and all the way up to marathons.

Of course, anyone lifting in the Atomic Athletic Club warehouse gym is going to be doing power cleans and deadlifts, but there are three exercises I want to point out that are truly exceptional for any runner, particularly the distance people. If you are a runner, then you want to do round back stiff leg deadlifts, hanging frog kicks with iron boots and hanging leg curls with iron boots.

Round Back Stiff Leg Deadlifts

Standard stiff leg deadlifts (SLD) are tremendous for the calves, hamstrings, glutes and low back. If you are not already doing them, then start. You should also add the Round Back variety. Everyone says that rounding your back is bad, well not this one. Do this at the end of your workout. Where your standard SLD stops at the bottom you gradually and slowly relax your back and let gravity take over. You will be using a much lighter weight than you would with your regular SLD, the point is stretching all the muscles in the posterior chain. It may also help to stand on a plate, or use smaller than 45 pound plates. When I say light weight, I never used more than 135 pounds, even when I was repping out front squats with over 300 pounds (weighing 152 pounds).

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/category.aspx?categoryID=770

Iron Boot Hanging Leg Curls and Hanging Frog Kicks

The key to these two hanging exercises is keep from swinging and really isolate the muscles you want to work. So, if you are hanging from a chinning bar, the only movement in your hanging leg curl is in your knees. Don't lift those knees either. You want to really focus on the hamstrings.

When you do the Hanging Frog Kicks, don't think of it as a kick, it is just that type of range of motion. Think of hanging knee raises, but you will draw your knees apart and your feet in as you raise them. That movement really helps stretch out all the muscles in the low back and works your abs in a way you have probably never felt before. In fact, if you also suck in your stomach during the movement you will really engage the low abs.

Both hanging movements will help you decompress the spine after running. The constant pounding of your feet hitting the ground can be terribly hard on the spine and related supporting muscles, ligaments and tendons. Using the iron boots will also have the added benefit of giving you ankle work at odd angles. I only use weight added to the boots if my “hanging” is done from the dip bars. You won't get as good a spinal decompression on the dip bars, but the extra weight can be nice, especially for sprinters.

Here is a direct link to the Iron Boots:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IBC

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

PS Yesterday, I forgot to add the link for the 2011 Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic. Remember, entrance to the Picnic is FREE. Here it is:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2