A Runner Lifting #1

I'm finding ways to blog more than once a week. I needed to find a subject I could speak to weekly. I found the answer and will take away a very common question I get. How do I work out, and how does one lift to improve running/reduce injuries?

Weekly I'll share a workout and break it down. Let's get started….

16JAN

Purpose: Start building a base after recovering from the race. Weights will be real light, and I'm focused on a few things….

Quality of movement: Things might be stiff after running a 100k. Focus on moving well, mobility, and feeling loose before added load. A lot of this is done in warm-ups. I do some foam rolling, light stretching (mix of dynamic and static), and running drills (a-skips, arm swing drills).

Creating and absorbing force- Jump as high as you can. To do so, you're creating force through the ground. Now, as you land, your body is absorbing that force. If you land and it sounds like a bag of rocks hitting the ground, you're not absorbing the force too well. I call it ninja skills if you can land without making a sound… I have drills I like to do this which I’ll share later. I get long winded…

Now to the workout…

1a)Deadlift 4 sets of 8,5,5,5 - My weight topped out at 135lb

1b) TRX inverted rows 4 sets of 12

2a) Pull-ups 3 sets of 5 

2b) Romanian deadlifts 3 sets of 6

3a) Plank press 3 x 20 seconds

3b) Hanging leg raises 3 x 12

4a) Ball slams 3 sets of 5 - 60%-70% effort

4b) Battle rope 3 sets of 20 seconds

Like I said, nothing fancy. As I ease back into running, I do the same thing when lifting after an event. My goal is to feel minimal to no soreness tomorrow. Back to my purpose and intent. Movement quality.

Remember, you don't have to be utterly sore after every workout. There's training to get sore, and there's training for performance. Those two will overlap at times, just not now for me. More to come….

Much love