For Runner’s: At Home Strength Assessment (With Video Demo’s)
3 min read
Why this is important?
24% of runners state their reason for running is to “get in shape”. What these individuals fail to realize is you must be fit to run, you don’t run to be fit. This leads to 80% of runner’s wrongly attributing their injuries to external factors including shoes, orthotics, and training plans while failing to acknowledge that the real issue is a lack of requisite qualities needed for running. Just because you have the ability to perform an action, does not ensure efficient performance.
At Home Strength Assessment for Runners:
Lateral step down
Stand on an elevated surface that is 12”
Slowly lower your opposite leg as to tap it on the ground without putting much weight through it
You should feel your quad and glutes working
We scale this up to 15 reps on each side before progressing
2. Side plank
Set up in a side plank position with your legs straight
You want to lift your hips as high as you can while keeping them forward
You should feel your obliques and side of your hip working
We scale this up to 45 seconds before progressing
3. Single leg elevated calf raise
Find a surface that is about 2”
Allow your heel to drop below the level of your toes before pushing up as high as you can
You should feel your calves working
We scale this up to 30 reps on each side before progressing
4. Wall sit with calf raise
Set up in a wall sit position with a yoga block between your knees
Once situated, come up onto your toes into a mini calf raise
You should feel your quads and calves working
We scale this up to 60 seconds before progressing
5. Single leg pogos
Pogo hop on one foot, trying to be as elastic off the ground as possible
You should feel your calf working
We scale this up to 30 seconds on each side before progressing
Conclusion
These are requisite capacity screens that we take all of our runner’s through. Most come in unable to complete all 5 screens, even though these are just the start. Build your capacity in these 5 exercises to the suggested baselines and you will have created a great foundation to build your running performance and capacity on! If you are interested in hearing about how we can bridge the gap between where you currently are and where you are trying to go, schedule a free discovery call.
