As summer approaches, running and cycling races gradually decrease, entering the off-season. During this period, in addition to exploring other different sports, incorporating strength training into your regimen is also a good choice. Running and cycling are aerobic exercises that heavily rely on the core and lower limbs. Enhancing specific strength training can not only correct posture but also improve muscle endurance and explosive power. Utilizing the summer time to train at home or in an air-conditioned gym can also enhance your aerobic performance!
Strength Training and Aerobic Exercise are Closely Related
Many people often get injured while running, not only because they lack a habit of relaxing but also primarily due to insufficient strength. Running involves forward motion, and if runners mostly run on flat surfaces, they tend to use the same muscle groups. However, during exercise, many small muscle groups need to be engaged. For example, in running, core stability affects the upper body, while the lower body involves cooperation among various muscle groups in the hips, thighs, and calves. Enhancing strength not only stabilizes running posture but also provides good protection for ligaments and joints, making it an essential training to prevent injuries and improve performance.
Strength training can make muscles, joints, and ligaments stronger to handle higher-intensity exercise
Strength training effects vary significantly depending on the weight used and can generally be categorized into maximum strength, hypertrophy, endurance, and explosive power. These modes of training change according to the specific needs of the activity. For runners engaged in aerobic exercise, muscle endurance is the primary focus, while explosive power training can improve speed and acceleration. Increasing maximum strength also benefits running performance, whereas hypertrophy training is relatively unnecessary for aerobic exercise. Therefore, to improve running performance, a regimen focusing on muscle endurance with some explosive power and maximum strength training is recommended.
How to Schedule Strength Training
After understanding the benefits of strength training, it's important to discuss how to incorporate it into regular training. First is the scheduling of time. For endurance athletes, the primary training already requires significant time, and performing strength training with the volume and duration of powerlifting or bodybuilding would be too demanding. Therefore, it is recommended to schedule strength training once or twice a week, for about 45 minutes each session.
Each strength training session can be scheduled for 45 minutes
For example, if you train twice a week, one session can be a standalone workout, and the other can be done after a run. This helps adapt the muscles to function correctly even when glycogen levels are depleted. Of course, this requires time to adapt and practice. Each session should not be too long, as the goal is not to exhaust the muscles or cause excessive damage, but to provide adequate stimulation for positive growth in performance. The main training focus should remain on the original running or cycling, so the schedule should be arranged without affecting these primary activities.
Strength training is a diverse and complex exercise, with many variations depending on different sports and equipment. The author suggests starting with simple movements and, if interested in more advanced functional training, seeking a strength training coach would be highly beneficial.
1. Core Training
The core is a crucial area for any exercise, whether it's running, cycling, swimming, etc. Core involvement is vital for stabilizing the entire body. And when we say core, it's not just the abs but also includes the muscles of the abdomen and lower back. These large muscle groups provide structural stability to the whole body. If core strength is lacking, the body will be unstable during running, leading to increased risk of injury due to compensatory movements.
When people think of core training, they often think of planks. Planks are indeed an excellent exercise, but since running is a dynamic activity, adding movement variations to planks can better suit the training to the demands of running. For example, alternating between elbow planks and hand planks every 30 seconds or performing planks using a yoga ball with movements like forward-backward, side-to-side, or circular rotations.
Planks are a versatile exercise that can produce different effects with various variations.
2. Leg Muscles
Despite marathon runners having very lean bodies, they do not neglect leg strength training. This is a common misconception. Specific training methods are needed to develop muscles, and it's not something that can be achieved by training casually. When engaging in aerobic exercise, it's important to maintain a lighter body weight. Hence, when training legs, heavy weights are not necessary. Squats, lunges, and high-repetition training with body weight alone can effectively train muscle endurance.
When it comes to leg training, people often think of squats. However, since running involves alternating the use of both legs, exercises like single-leg squats and lunges cannot be overlooked. Additionally, incorporating advanced exercises like single-leg deadlifts can effectively target the muscles of the posterior chain.
Single-leg deadlifts require the use of multiple small muscles to maintain balance and stimulate the hamstrings simultaneously.
3. Hip Muscles
The hip muscles, another major muscle group of the lower body, play a crucial role. Normal hip joint movement relies on the muscles of the hips. Many runners do not know how to use their hip muscles properly, leading to various issues such as knee valgus and pelvic instability, which are common precursors to running injuries. The author recommends using bridge exercises to strengthen the hip muscles. To better simulate the propulsion force of running, incorporate single-leg bridge movements. Adding instability, such as using a yoga ball to perform bridges, can provide more stimulation to the hip and posterior leg muscles!
Adding a yoga ball increases the difficulty of the bridge exercise.
Above are strength training exercises that can be done at home. Give them a try! Of course, if you have any doubts about the exercises or are unfamiliar with them, be sure to consult a professional coach to address the issues. Otherwise, the risk of injury from self-operation is high. There are also many training videos available online for reference. Remember to perform the exercises slowly and feel the correct muscle activation to avoid injury and achieve training effectiveness.
If you want to exercise while watching videos, the Bone Magnetic Fitness Phone Mount is essential. With its quick-release band design, it can be used in various scenarios, making indoor workouts easier.
The Bone Magnetic Fitness Phone Mount is suitable for various scenarios such as treadmills, exercise bikes, yoga, and strength training.