By Chaz Caiado, CPT
Crescent City Classic is April 23rd! We’re only 14 weeks away, so don’t waste anymore time and start training today.
Running is an easy, fun, and inexpensive way to keep your body healthy, young, and full of vigor. Whether you run to be fit, race, or to test your limits you’ve no doubt enjoyed the feeling of being able to push your body further or faster than you had previously. Unfortunately, many runners can be stubborn and use running as the sole means of being in shape. This often leads to overuse injuries and can ultimately sideline runners from doing what they love…running.
Strength, balance, and technique are key components of the ability to run injury free. Besides the prime movers, there are many muscles that provide the stability needed for running. Often runners lack this stability and incur completely avoidable injuries. This is why I strongly recommend cross training for all of my runners.
The good news is that proper fitness training for runners is not difficult or time consuming. In just one or two 45 minute sessions a week you can adequately get the all the strength and stability gains necessary to stay strong and keep your body balanced.
There are several things to look at when incorporating fitness training for running. You want to first identify the physical needs and purpose for training. You must identify where your strengths and weaknesses are. This is accomplished by finding a professional trained in human movement. Physical Therapists are very knowledgeable and perfectly suited for this task. Once you’ve identified the purpose of the training and identified your specific needs you can develop the appropriate program. Based on a individual findings, we typically recommend a combination of high intensity strength training for whole body strength and functional training to address the muscular imbalances, joint problems, and bio-mechanical issues that affect your running.
The benefits of cross training are all there. We’ve seen incredible changes in runners participating in our strength and fitness programs. They look better, feel better, and perform better. Challenge yourself and go beyond your usual routine to give yourself the best chance for success. Find out more about fitness training for running, it may just be the x-factor you need to get to the next level.
