....Then on all of your running days,
Those legs will work for you!
To the tune of...These Boots were made for walkin'. (Ear worm... if you are old enough to remember the song! ) Nancy Sinatra!
Happy LEG DAY!!!
You thought it was Tuesday but it is not just any, Tuesday, it is LEG Tuesday!
Why, I hear you ask...well, because the legs, my legs and your legs are so, so important for our running.
We runners all know this, don't we...? Making sure our legs are strong. Helping to improve the way we run, hopefully reducing too, the risk of injury, and improving also, our performance in our runs.
So... what to do.... ? There is so much out there and for many of us, starting out on running adventures, the idea of regular exercise, added to everything else, can be a bit of a turn off.
But, if we have already decided how important it is, especially for new runners, it can still be really hard knowing where to begin!
Having had a good old rummage and research session, I came up with some exercises that appear in all the articles that I read, and by looking at other posts here on the other forums too!
Squats: Calf raises : Lunges: and variations on all of those.
Squats: Squats are part of many leg workouts. They help to strengthen your quadriceps, glutes, and calves,(key muscle groups for runners).
Calf raises: These provide a simple, beneficial exercise for strengthening calves. They help to absorb impact, and provide our propulsion forward, We have had a lot of calf issues lately on the forum, ( I do NOT mean of the bovine kind
Lunges: These help to strengthen and stabilise your lower body. They can also help to improve balance and coordination.
Three exercises, simple but effective.
I am going to explain each set, very briefly, but you can then go and do your own research, to help you maybe, formulate your own little leg routine
Squat:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips.
Lower, slowly, your body, as if you were going to sit, keeping your chest up and your weight in your heels.
Hold for a moment, then push through the heels to return to the starting position.
Calf Raise:
Stand with your feet, hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.
Rise up, slowly, onto your toes.
Lower yourself back down to the starting position.
Lunge:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.
Step forward with one foot and lower your body until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
Push through your heel to return to the starting position.
Repeat with the other leg.
Okay: By doing these simple exercises, and making them part of your own routines, this could significantly help, to improve your running performance, and , hopefully, reduce the risk of injury. It is a start!
As ever, always, always, listen to your body and start slowly. Then, as you get used to the exercise, gradually increase the intensity.
With a bit of perseverance, you should feel the benefits from these exercises, and your legs and your runs, will certainly thank you for it !
Just on these exercises, have a read around the forums. We all have our own routines and we do all feel differently about exercising, but an interesting comment, I have picked up on many, many times is that, if anyone has had leg issues... and had to see an expert to help with them, the expert has always, recommended regular exercises to support the legs! There has got to be some truth in that I feel
Have a read, have a try and maybe, let us know if and when you ARE doing anything to help those running tools that are your legs, or not... and if you have had any issues with them!
Oldfloss x
Running from the knees
Back in Black (running socks)!
Ooh, squats actually work!
