139 | BE FIT | Total Fitness Tuesday: Stronger Lower Body for Stronger Runs


Welcome to Total Fitness Tuesday!  It has been a while since I did this link up but I really enjoyed it so much that is back.  So make sure you link up your favorite posts.  To learn more about the link-up, click on the image above.  Now, on to today's post!

https://thegoodlifegirl.com/2013/05/total-fitness-wednesday-1-welcome.html

Training for the half marathon teaches me a lesson every time I lace up my shoes and hit the road.  Not big life changing lessons-- but adjustments, noticing little pains, what pace works better for me or not.  But so far one of the biggest things I have noticed is that I have weak glutes and hamstrings, and now that I am on a regimented program, I have noticed it more.  Especially AFTER the runs and stretching.  My hips get tights and sore, and foam rolling helps but not much.  This was one of the concerns I brought up my trainer and in addition to body weight exercises and stretched, she gave me two strength training exercises that in three weeks I have come to love:


BARBELL HIP THRUST ON A STABILITY BALL

This exercise is really good but also challenging because while the focus in on the glutes, you engage your legs and your core thanks to the stability ball.  When I first performed this exercise, I was expecting it to be challenging because of the barbell resting on my hips, but what is really challenging is having to engage your core to remain stable on the ball and THEN raise your hips.   There are many variations of this exercise but because I am still trying to get my back strong, I like resting my long upper body on the ball for support. 

 

Here is how you perform it:

Step 1:  Get a stability ball that will support your upper body while allowing you to lower your hips low to the ground.  Then place the barbell on your hips.  For now I use a barbell that is 60% of the maximum weight I can lift because I do 3 sets of 14 reps, and want to be able to get a good workout while maintaining my form. 

Step 2: Once you have a good position, lower your hips to a semi-squat position, then elevate the hips back to the starting position. As the hips go up try to squeeze your glutes by raising your hips a little bit past the point where you started-- hence the tilt. As you squeeze, you will also really feel the burn also in your quads and hamstring.  Continue your repetitions until completed. 

WHAT I'VE FOUND:  Since I started incorporating the hip thrust into my workout, I have noticed that when I run I have a bit more power and I feel like my glutes are more engaged than before, which is probably why I haven't had any issues with my IT Band {more on that later}.  This is also a good option to the dreaded hip bridge which requires you to lift your hips while you are on your back with your feet on a stability ball.  Again since my back is not that strong yet, this works out better for me. 
The second exercise that has helped me is:

 DUMBBELL STIFF LEGGED DEADLIFT

This is an oldie but goodie that for some reason I stopped doing for years not realizing the importance of hip/running relationship. The big benefit of this exercise is that it lengthens the glutes & hamstrings {instead of shortening as a leg curl would do}.   The motion of the exercise while lengthening also lowers the chance of you pulling a hamstring.  Furthermore because it engages the core, you also will improve your posture {if done correctly} which will help you when that run gets hard and you feel like slumping as you get tired.

Do not ask my I'm smiling because I was dying by the second set.

Here is how you perform it:
To perform the Stiff Legged Deadlift:
  1. With a slight bend in your knees, move your feet shoulder width apart.
  2. While keeping your balance on your heels, inhale and lower the weight down toward your ankles.
  3. Slide your hips back as you lower the weight, until you feel you can no longer move your hips further.
  4. Exhale, and move back toward starting position, by moving your hips forward.
As shown in the video below, you can use a dumbbells to do the Stiff Legged Deadlift.
- See more at: http://popworkouts.com/stiff-legged-deadlift/#sthash.05Bm7gQ1.dpuf
To perform the Stiff Legged Deadlift:
  1. With a slight bend in your knees, move your feet shoulder width apart.
  2. While keeping your balance on your heels, inhale and lower the weight down toward your ankles.
  3. Slide your hips back as you lower the weight, until you feel you can no longer move your hips further.
  4. Exhale, and move back toward starting position, by moving your hips forward.
As shown in the video below, you can use a dumbbells to do the Stiff Legged Deadlift.
- See more at: http://popworkouts.com/stiff-legged-deadlift/#sthash.05Bm7gQ1.dpuf

To perform the Stiff Legged Deadlift:
  1. With a slight bend in your knees, move your feet shoulder width apart.
  2. While keeping your balance on your heels, inhale and lower the weight down toward your ankles.
  3. Slide your hips back as you lower the weight, until you feel you can no longer move your hips further.
  4. Exhale, and move back toward starting position, by moving your hips forward.
As shown in the video below, you can use a dumbbells to do the Stiff Legged Deadlift.
- See more at: http://popworkouts.com/stiff-legged-deadlift/#sthash.05Bm7gQ1.dpuf
STEP 1:  Get a pair of dumbbells and then stand straight up, with a slight bend in your knees.  Position your arms in front of you, making sure the dumbbells are close to your body with your palms facing your body.  

STEP 2: Bending at the waist slowly lower your upper body towards the floor until you feel a light tension on your hamstrings.  Notice I highlighted the word "light"; the point here is to reach a point of light tension NOT touch the floor.  

STEP 3:  Pushing through your heels, slowly lift your back upward until you reach a complete upright position.  

Some things about this exercise that help:  
  • You will engage your hamstring and lower back which is why I like to keep the motion of this exercise slowly. 
  • Maintaining the slight bend in your knees and keeping your back flat as you perform this exercise is essential.  I like to imagine a piece of flat wood on my back as I perform this exercise to help me keep a straight back.  Sometimes I feel myself slouching and have to adjust.  Again, why I do it slowly.

WHAT I'VE FOUND:  I really enjoy this exercise because it is helping me develop hamstring and lower back strength while also working the glutes.  I have noticed that when I run, I am more stable when in motion.  Also, the times I have done sprints, I notice more engagement of these areas than before, especially when it comes to muscle explosion at the start of a sprint.

So, these are the two exercises that have really helped me in improving my glutes/hips/hamstring strength.  I have additional exercises that are part of my lower body routine but these two are the ones my workout is built around.  The point of these exercises is to gain strength.  With more  strength, we handle the conditions of a race better; actually life in general as these are muscles we engage on a daily basis.   

For running specifically, the ultimate gains aside from strength is 1) an increase on the stride energy as we run enabling us to run longer with less fatigue and 2) Injury avoidance.  A big number of the injuries runners sustain are because of weak glutes and hips.  And if you are a runner, you can tell really fast whether or not you have weak or strong glutes.  Unlike other body areas where you may get shin splits or the lovely plantar fasciitis, the glute is surrounded by other muscles so if you have a weak bum, you may not feel it in the glutes but it will manifest somewhere else like the dreaded IT band or hip bones.  And we all know how much fun that can be... NOT!  So to my fellow runners, if glute workouts are not part of regime, consider incorporating some of these exercise.  

I hope you incorporate these exercises into your workout routines.  If you already do, how do you like them?  Have you noticed any improvements or any issues? 


13 comments :

  1. Hey Maria ... Just bought myself some LITE sneakers for walking ... the ones I'd been wearing left me feeling like I had cement boots on. I'm hoping that this is good motivation for getting out there on a more regular basis. And stop making excuses why I'm not walking more.

    ;-}

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    1. Linda, good for you! So glad you got yourself a pair of shoes that feel comfortable. Makes all the difference. Let me know if I can be of assistance. :)

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  • Love it! I already do deadlifts, but that first exercise is new to me. Thanks for sharing! #wowlinkup

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  • awesome post, definitely will incorporate hip thrusts into my routine #wowlinkup

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  • Let me say I LOVE deadlifts. It is almost like a great STRETCH for my hamstrings. I have weak hamstrings too. The prone hamstring curl machine is my enemy...UGH! #wowlinkup

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  • I really want to start exercising to increase flexibility. Thanks for sharing your motivational post at the Healthy Tuesday hop. :)

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  • Love this post! Stopping by from WOW link up! :-)

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  • I do the pelvic tilts on the ball with my clients and sometimes I add an elastic band above the knees and when the client lifts up, they bring the legs apart to work the glutes as well as the hip abductors. Add a small ball between the knees and when the client lifts up, they press the knees together to work the glutes and the hip adductors. I like Romanian and stiff legged dead lifts. Thanks for the exercises and stopping by from the #wowlinkup.

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  • wow what a workout I personally love my stability ball though in rehab when I first was introduce to it I hated it. Now I do my sit ups on it and sometimes I just sit on it for fun. My physical therapist would be proud. As for this workout not sure I could do the dead lift but the hip thrust maybe. thanks for the great workout.

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