Running a marathon is all about strength, endurance, stamina, and performance. You cannot expect to win or even finish a race without conditioning your body to function at its best. Because of this, the inability to cover distances at an acceptable speed could be very frustrating to any athlete. In the aim to avoid such a scenario, strength training for runners was eventually created.
This program is made up of physical exercises other than running that can keep a marathon participant up and fueled to finishing the race. Designed to tone the different parts of the body, they must be observed with utmost perseverance for you to reap its rewards.
Kettlebell Long Cycles: Kettlebell long cycles are great for helping you develop strong hips, glutes, core muscles, shoulders, and overall cardiovascular conditioning. What you will need here is a single bell of moderate resistance. This lifting exercise shall be executed in an open space.
Cycling: Cycling strengthens quadriceps, shins, calf muscles, and hamstrings. It is a strength training workout that reduces the athlete's susceptibility to injury. This is due to the fact that cycling strengthens the connective tissue of the hip, knee, and ankle regions that are often overused when running.
Swimming: Every sport seems to recommend swimming exercises because they bring positive impact to the whole body. Repeated strokes in water builds muscular strength and endurance and improves flexibility of the body. Moreover, swimming relieves fatigued muscles and improves an athlete's breathing and oxygen-holding capacity .
Deep Water Running: Running in water gives the muscles the good kind of strain that it needs to avoid the jerks and shocks they might experience on the ground. In fact, this type of workout is also advisable for other athletes especially those trying to recover from physical injuries. The gears needed here are belts and vests that can hold you in the water.
Use Of Elliptical Trainer: Elliptical trainers are used in the strength training for runners because they allow movements that make the major muscles of the body work simultaneously just like what happens in an actual marathon. With just one equipment, you can experience movements in skiing, hiking and mountain climbing among others.
Use Of Rowing Machines: Exercising on this equipment can result to strengthened quadriceps, buttocks, hips, and upper body. When the lower body is getting tired towards the end of the race, having a strong upper body could be very beneficial. When you have properly trained in the rowing machine, your arms, necks and shoulders would be more than capable of 'carrying' you when your almost drained to cross the finish line.
Running On A Hill: Running on a flat terrain engages the same sets of muscles. This can make your body capable of doing just the easy running that can't keep you competent in a marathon. Strength training for runners on hills can engage other muscles like quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. This can help you run longer distances at shorter speeds and win the race of your dreams.
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