I’m prone to some pretty clumsy falls whilst running, but this year I’ve been determined to exit my ‘clumsy girl era’. I’m making an effort to strengthen my lower body and my running has never been better. I’ve noticed my recovery time has improved and touch wood, there’s been no injuries this year – we love!
I’ve learnt that strength training is essential in ensuring my body has the right support in the muscles needed for running. As someone who is prone to knee and lower back injuries it has been super important for me to strengthen my calves, glutes and core to prevent extra strain on these areas. And as a bonus my strength training has also helped with my posture!
Strength training can be less stressful on our cardiovascular systems, and when you’re training with resistance it strengthens the muscles, bones and joints that you need to feel (and perform) at your best All of which are super important for running!
I recently ran my first-ever half-marathon, which I honestly don’t think would’ve been possible if I wasn’t focusing on my strength training. Even if you’re working up to your first ever 5km run, it’s so important to incorporate at least one strength session each week.
Here’s one of the low-impact strength workouts that has helped me feel strong, empowered and motivated to keep kicking my running goals.
Warm up
The best way to prevent injury for any activity you’re doing, is to warm up. It can be SO tempting to skip your warm up and dive right in, but taking 5-minutes to warm up can do you a world of difference. Here’s my go-to warm up for a lower body workout:
- Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out. Lower your body into a squat position, keeping your knees aligned with your toes. Push through your heels to stand back up, engaging your glutes and thighs throughout the movement. Add in a booty band to increase the burn!
- Reverse Lunges: Step one foot backward, lowering your body into a lunge position, while keeping your front knee aligned with your ankle. Push through your front heel to return to the starting position and repeat the movement with the same leg. Swap sides.
- Mountain Climbers: Get that heart rate going by starting in a high plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line. Continue alternating between legs in a running motion, pulling belly button to spine.
10-minute low-impact workout
In this low-impact workout with Brooke, 10 minutes is all you need to fire up those glutes. We’ll be moving for 40 seconds on, with a 20 second rest for each exercise. You’ll be feeling the burn in no time, trust me.
We’ll take you through two rounds, with five exercises in each. All you need is a long resistance band and a short booty band. But you can totally do this workout without the bands if you wish!
Click on the pic to get started!
Round 1
Pop that short booty band on and let’s focus on that glute activation. You can expect to see:
- Banded squats: focus on pushing the band out as you squat and not letting it draw your knees in. You want the band sitting just above your knees and to drive up through your heels as you push out of your squat.
- Banded duck walks: for a funny name, they’re a not-so-funny exercise. Focus on dropping low and walking up and down the length of your exercise mat.
- Clams: lying on your side, you’ll take these clams nice and slow and keep up that resistance on the band. Remember, feet stacked on top of each other. You’ll work through this on both sides.
- Glute bridges: remember to keep your feet stacked just beneath your knees and squeeze those glutes at the top! Raise those hips and push out on the resistance band.
Round 2
- Crab walks: Move that booty band to around your ankles and focus on low side steps.
- Banded deadlifts: these are a great intro to deadlifts if you’ve never tried them before! You’ll need the long resistance band for this one. The biggest tip is to bend until you feel it in your hamstrings before coming back to standing.
- Firehydrants: from a four-point kneeling position, focus on pulling out your knee to the side, alternating sides.
- Plank step outs: if planking on your hands isn’t for you, you can also do these on your forearms. Step in and out with your feet and keep a focus on keeping your hips in line with your body.
RELATED: A 20-minute Pilates workout to support your running
Cool down
It’s time to give those glutes a BIG juicy stretch after your hard work! Here’s some cool down stretches to lengthen out those legs.
- Glute stretch: In a seated position, rest one ankle of opposite knee. Relax both legs and, if you can, lean torso over to deepen the stretch. Switch sides.
- Calf stretch: Start in a downward dog position with your wrists directly beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Push your hands into the floor, Drive your heels towards the floor and peddle your feet.
- Hip flexor stretch: Place one knee on the floor with the other foot flat on the ground out in front of your body, keep the upper body upright while you squeeze the glute of the leg your stretching. Think about pulling the pelvis under and forcing your hips forward at the same time.
