RUNSMART

Pronation, pronation, pronation… a recent buzzword associated with all bad things running.  With so much attention paid to this word, what does it mean and why is it important?  Do you need to control your pronation?  Should you pronate?

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One of the biggest buzz words over the past 10 years.  We train our “core” because somewhere along the way we read an article or were told “You needed a stronger core.” But why?  Other than being stronger overall, how does a stronger core help you run faster, more efficient, and with less injury?

Few understand the endless benefits of a stronger core.  Can you answer these questions?

What constitutes your core?

How do you train your core?

How does have a stronger core help me run?

I think these are harder questions to answer than most realize.  Most think of the core as your abdominals and maybe the hips, but what about your pelvis, pelvic floor muscles, thoracic spine, lats, & pecs?  Your core doesn’t consist of muscles only.  In fact, the thoracic spine is one of the most important aspects of your core. It contributes a huge chunk of rotation in your spinal mobility and allows us to get our shoulder churning opposite of our hips.  What about your pecs, did you ever consider your chest muscles to be “core muscles”?  Sure, we don’t want to sit down and hammer out bench press to improve our pec strength, but core is more than just strength—it speaks to mobility too.

We often tell runners they need to run from their shoulders to their hips.  It’s a balance between having mobility and stability, having too much or too little of one can dampen your ability to perform at your best.  Your thoracic spine and pecs aren’t about stability and strength, in fact, your thoracic spine is one of the most stable areas in your body.  They’re usually lacking mobility.

Which brings us to question #2 –How do you train your core?

Enormous misconceptions are attached to this question; most runners hammer off crunches or planks to help stabilize their spine or get rip-roaring 6 packs.  If we look at the vastness of the core (pecs to hips), we find that most runners only train their mid section and in doing so, they are usually doing it incorrectly anyway.  To answer the above question—we train our core with the way our muscles function!

Our abdominals are made for controlling pelvic tilt and low back extension.  In running this equates to preventing the pelvis from tipping forward as we push off.  What does that mean for you? Crunches have little to no use in teaching your body how to decelerate the pelvis.  Have you ever performed thoracic mobility exercises or pec stretches recently?  Remember, core is about mobility too.  You don’t need to be one of those “I lift things up and put them down” guys (see the Planet Fitness commercial here).  For a complete core program you should be working the mobility aspects of certain areas: pecs, lats, and thoracic spine to name a few.

Question #3 – How does a stronger core help your run faster, more efficient, and with less injury?

Proximal stability for distal mobility, a saying that has long been used by health professionals to prevent injury in everyday activities.  When we run our force production comes from our extremities moving and applying force to the ground (distal mobility). To do that effectively they need to be anchored from above (proximal stability).  Now if you don’t stabilize from the core, the force applied to the ground at push off is dampened by movement of your spine and pelvis.  Think of it as needing a stable base to pull/push from in order to generate force.  Imagine playing tug-a-war, you’re on ice & your opponent is on grass.  It’s pretty obvious that you won’t be able to stabilize your anchor point in which you are pulling from (your feet).  You will be lacking proximal stability, which, in turn, will prevent you from maximizing distal mobility (pulling on the rope).

We actually see this all the time, runners with poor lower abdominal control fail to stabilize their pelvis at push off, which equates to tremendous loss of force production through the foot.  There are undoubtedly hundreds of similar scenarios while you run. So again, how does having a strong core help you run fast, efficient, and injury free?  Proximal stability for distal mobility.

Happy Running!

You get back from a long, hard, run on your quest to have your best race ever.  You read somewhere that ice baths are a great way to reduce soreness and improve recovery.  You fill the tub, throw in your ice, and stand there contemplating… You hop in and slowly lower yourself in.  As you inch closer to your waist line knowing the worst is yet to come… the thought may have crossed your mind, “Is this worth it?”

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We all love to run. Some run to clear their head, some to compete, and some for the health benefits… but we can all agree that burning calories is a huge plus when it comes to being active.

What most don’t understand is how to maximize your benefits and calories burned during a run.  Without delving two far into math or physics, I can tell you that two individuals of similar make up and fitness will burn nearly the same calories for a given distance.  If you walk 5 miles or run it.. you will roughly burn the same amount of calories.

If you delve into your high school math or physics books you fill find the formula for work:

W=FxD or Work = Force x Distance

Work is measured in calories burned… but note that there is no measurement of time here –just distance.  If you run 5 miles or walk it, your relative calories utilized are the same!  So why run you ask?  Well if you can burn 500 calories in 30 minutes instead of an hour, wouldn’t you?  Work is a factor of distance, not time.

However, there are ways to burn more calories post run.  The concept is termed “Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption” or EPOC (“ee-pock”).  The idea is that your body will expend energy as you recover from a run.  You will literally be burning more calories throughout the day because you ran.  So let’s look at maximizing our calories burned!

A study published in International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism investigated the body’s response to exercise recovery and the aforementioned “EPOC”.  The human body is an amazing machine.  It continually fine tunes itself to be efficient, whether at a global movement level or cellular level.  Your recovery from exercise is no different.  The researchers found that over time, you will burn LESS during recovery if your relative intensity stays the same.

Are you a runner that run’s the same pace day in and day out?  We’re talking paces within 10 seconds of each other no matter the distance?  Well, unfortunately, that efficient machine you call your body fine tunes the recovery process for the stresses induced for that pace (or intensity).  So overtime, you will burn less “post exercise” as your body becomes more efficient at recovery.

Want to burn more energy throughout the day/night?  The study found a greater EPOC value for runs at higher intensities.  So rather than logging mile after mile in your comfort zone, try picking up the intensity with a tempo run or interval workout.  In addition to burning more calories throughout the day, your speed will improve.  After all, you have to run fast to run fast!

Happy Running!

Calf compression sleeves can be seen in every race these days.. but is there any research to back up their claims of faster running… is it worth squeezing these tight garments on for a run?

I always try to have a “useful until proven wasteful” mentality for anything in life… but I have to admit that when seeing calf sleeves at races I usually roll my eyes and mumur something under my breath.  The industry has grown immensely over the past year and it’s doubtful you won’t see them at your next race, whether it be 5k or IRONMAN.  So do these things work, if so.. are they suited for recovery only or are there benefits that make the awful tan lines worthy?

A term used through the literature is running economy or the energy required for a given submaximal running speed.  All the research seems to indicate there are no beneficial effects to running economy, or simply put.. wearing calf sleeves for all submaximal running does NOT save you energy.

Who cares about energy anyway, right? Does it make you faster.. that’s what we/you care about.  A study conducted at a German University found 1.5-2.2% performance improvement as expressed in speed for runners using CONSTANT compression sleeves (more to come).  Whoop-de-doo (sp?).. 2.2%? Well lets put that in terms you can understand…

If you run a race at 8.0mph (7:30 / mile).. a 2.2% improvement would bump you up to 8.1 mph… a 6 second per mile improvement… now that’s something those tan lines would be worth! Literally 2 1/2 minutes over the course of a marathon by just donning a pair of calf sleeves? Sweet! (Not to mention 7:24 sounds much better that 7:30.. as 7:24 is usually rounded down to 7:20 anyway )

What’s the catch you ask?  Well this research was slightly flawed.. the study participants ran their comparison run (with the sleeves) second.  Who wouldn’t be motivated to beat their first time trial?  The study did cite other research indicating similar improvements when donning these tight and goofy sleeves, so it does shed some light that their might be a benefit.  **Note that the study was done with “Constant Pressure” sleeves.. meaning that it wasn’t a “more pressure to less pressure” sock as it climbed from foot to knee.. look at your labels before purchasing!

It was well noted throughout the research that runners who utilize calf sleeves reported less delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in their calfs following hard runs.  The research was divided in when to utilize the sleeves.. but one thing is for sure, if they (the sleeves) aren’t worn during the run, they should be donned right afterwards. In fact, one article published from a French University found increased tissue oxygen saturation (more O2 in the blood = faster recovery) when wearing compression sleeves before and after exercise!

So I guess I should stop “sheesh”-ing runners who don their calf sleeves for a run… they might help improve speed up to a reported 6 seconds per mile and have repeatedly been proven to decrease lower leg muscle soreness after hard efforts of running.  Who would of thunk?

Happy Running!

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Calf Raise Your Way to Injury

Time and time again we instruct users on what exercises to AVOID at the gym.  Well, here’s another one we can toss into that pile.  The ever utilized “calf raise” machine at the gym.  This linear up/down contraption may seem like a great way to get stronger, but like most machines… it doesn’t promote function nor is it specific to running.

We mentioned in a previous blog that there are two calf muscles.  The gastrocnemius (gastroc for short) muscle is the most superficial of the two and is most associated with the word “calf”; however, it’s partner in crime, the soleus, plays a significantly larger role in running.

For simplification, I can assure that when your knee bends, the gastroc goes on slack and your soleus is put on stretch.  So let’s think about the running motion.  Your foot advances under you (fixed to the ground) as your shin glides over your foot.  What does the calf raise machine promote?  Well think about it… as you push the weight up, your shin is staying still and your foot is moving… the exact OPPOSITE of what happens when you run.

You can see a couple things in the image to the left.

1.  The knee is bent, which means the gastroc is not necessarily the main contributor here.  The solues is!  Remember, when the knee bends, the gastroc goes on slack!

2.  The foot is fixed and the shin is gliding over the foot.

What does this mean users of the calf raise as a means to strengthen their calf?  Well first of all, the calf muscle they’re training is the wrong one of the two, as most calf machines promote a straight knee.  Second, you’re training the foot to move on the shin, not shin on foot.  Jumping sports mimic the calf raise machine more than anything.. and still yet, there’s better ways to train this muscle group for that population.

Add this to the growing list of useless machines that are provided as means to make us stronger & faster.  We always look to train MOVEMENTS, not muscles.. but that’s a story for another day.

Happy Running!

When we think of stretching we often think only of sagittal plane (forward and back stretching); however, this can be less optimal for runners. Again, think function! When we are running, we have three planes of motion happening:  sagittal (forward and back), frontal (side to side), and transverse (rotation). Therefore, we should consider stretching in all three planes. Most conventional stretching routines do not take into consideration the dynamic nature of running and instead choose static positions.

Lets look at a look at an example.

When running our foot hits the ground, but after that it will stay stationary and the leg (tibia) will move over it. When our calf is tight we will bring our heel up early (see picture) as our shin glides over our foot.  We need to consider stretching both the soleus and gastrocnemius, the 2 muscles of the calf.

Both muscles are important to running and need to be stretched in all planes to give us our best shot of staying healthy. One of the most common stretches for the calf (mainly the gastrocnemius) is pulling up on the toes to dorsiflex the foot.   The first issue we have with this stretch is it’s sagittal nature (up and down stretch).  It doesn’t incorporate side to side or twisting movement (frontal and transverse plane respecitively).  Second, when we pull up on our toes we are moving the foot on the tibia which is backwards to running as we described above.  Remember, the shin moves on the foot, not vice versa.

DOH! We have been doing it all wrong! When we are looking at stretching all the muscles of our leg for running we need to consider that we stretch in all THREE planes and not just sagittal. We need to use our hips as drivers to make our “standard” stretches better for running. Also don’t forget that running is DYNAMIC NOT STATIC. Consider performing stretches from now on dynamicly with tri-planar movement.

Happy Running!

Most can tell you that their cadence should hover around 90 steps per leg per minute, but they’re not sure why.  Let’s start there.

Your cadence gives a glimpse into your run form, but does not warrant direct “cadence work”.  A higher cadence is indicative of a shorter step length on the front & back end of your stride.  A huge benefit of a higher cadence is the contribution of the “mysiums” and elasticity of muscles.    What are they mysiums [my-see-ums] you say?  It’s a term referring to the 3 layers the cover your muscles.  Their importance matters because they are highly elastic when stretched rapidly.

When you quickly stretch a muscle then contract it, the muscle can produce more force than contracting the muscle alone.

Want a real example of this?  Jump.  Notice how you lower your body FIRST then explode upward?  The lowering of the body puts these mysiums on stretch (stores energy) to help you launch upward.

Now let’s talk a little physics… when you store energy for a prolonged period of time, what happens?  It loses its energy as the surrounding environment “zaps” it away.

So let’s take the above example again… squat down to jump, but pause for 10 seconds.  Even in this short period of time you will lose major vertical on your jump.  The stored energy in the mysiums is lost as the ground and surrounding tissues absorb this stored energy.

Back to running…  As our body loads through midstance (foot is directly under your body) the mysiums are put on stretch and the muscles are loaded.  The longer we stay there (slower cadence) the more energy “leakage” we have and a diminished push off force is applied.

Not what you normally think of when discussing cadence.  Feel free to wow your friends and bring up the “mysiums” on your next run.  Now, there are other benefits to a higher cadence (less braking, decreased compressive forces, etc.), but why do I say it doesn’t warrant direct observation?  Your cadence is directly related to your running form.

Here’s a test, can you increase your cadence without running faster?  Try it on a treadmill to control for speed.  If you can’t raise your cadence without moving forward on the treadmill, you’re doing it wrong (sorry).  Your cadence SHOULD NOT depict your run speed, your effort should.  Whether it’s a 10 minute mile or a 6 minute mile, your cadence should be relatively the same for any given speed.  You need to change your stride to improve your cadence.  Instead of staring at your Garmin screen, start working on run mechanics and run form– land with the foot under your body.

If you don’t reach way out in front with your foot, you cut off a significant “mysium dampening” portion of your stride, improving your cadence, speed, & efficiency.  Get on and off those feet like you’re on hot coals!

Happy Running!

We have a saying at RunSmart… “Not all exercises are treated equal”

Your strength and flexibility should mimic sport.  A basketball player shouldn’t have a strength program of a runner, or vice versa.  In our experience most strength programs mimic that of a body builder or sculptor.

Ask yourself the following question the next time you hit the gym… “Does this look like or feel like running?”  Most health club machines are designed to isolate muscle groups..newsflash… muscles don’t function in isolation.  All muscles fire in a sequence or chain.  So why not train them as so?

Here a few machines to steer clear of the next time you pump iron.

Leg Extension

So tell me… does this machine look like running?  Unless your sport is to giving killer rides to toddlers as they sit on your feet, the knee extension machine is OUT.  The knee extension machine is also harmful to your joints.  By anchoring all the weight at your ankles and forcefully straightening them you introduce a sheer force to your knee.  Sheering = bad.  Your quad muscles don’t fire in isolation (the way this machine is designed to treat it).  How does this muscle function during running??  As you accept body weight through midstance, you hip, knee, & ankle decelerate the body as it hits the ground.  Notice:  the hip, knee, & ankle do this (no isoloation).

Hamstring Curl

I think it’s obvious that this picture doesn’t look or feel like running. The hamstrings (plural) help decelerate the pelvis as the foot hits the ground.  Your body functions on the ground not laying on your stomach.

Hip Abduction Machine

See the above question: does this look like or feel like running?  Sure, you can sculpt your buns with this machine, but does it do anything for your running?  Probably not.  If you haven’t figured it out from this post.. your foot functions on the ground.  It’s true, your glute medius (1 of 3 glute muscles) is a hip abductor–meaning it kicks the leg out to the side; however, it’s true function is to stabilize the pelvis when your foot in under your body.

Abdominal Twister Machine/Sit-ups

The infamous sit up! Yes!  Sculpt out a 6 pack worth washing laundry on… once your done with that, try strengthening them functionally to be less injury prone.  The TRUE function of the abdominals is to control rotation and extension of your lumbar spine.  You only use your abdominals in a sit up situation when rising from bed and lower yourself into bed at night.  Yep. That’s it.

This is a two part blog that is backwards from the title. We started with NOT that! portion.  Next, we will pick one of these machines and show you a replacement exercise.  We will hold a poll on our facebook page to choose which exercise we want to replace.

Happy Running!

Often time we do not think of running while sitting at your desk, in front of the computer, or at home on the sofa. We should definitely be thinking about our sitting posture though.  Think about it, we wake up, sit and eat breakfast, sit in our car & drive to work, sit for 8-10 hours, drive home (sitting), eat dinner (sitting), watch a little TV (you know), then boom!! let’s go for a run!

<— Look Familiar??

The thoracic spine can play a big role in the mechanics of our running form and can be influenced by our sitting posture. As runners we often will forget about our thoracic spine (mid-back) and upper body and concentrate on our pelvis and legs.  We do actually move our trunk during running, and therefore, we should be considering it. When we sit we will often slouch in our chairs that can result in weakness and tightness throughout the thoracic spine. It is not the initial being in bad posture that is the problem……it is staying there! We will get tight through the thoracic spine when sitting with slouched posture and that will no longer allow our thoracic spine to rotate fully to maximally engage your core to “snap” you through to your next step.  Look back at our last blog entry for more on this “What should I Do with my ARMS??

Also, by increasing your thoracic curve (mid-back curve) with slouching, we will decrease our lumbar curve (lower back curve). This decrease will cause problems with the length of some of the muscles in our legs, especially the hip flexors (Iliopsoas) and hamstrings.  With the hamstrings & hip flexors shortening our running form is affected with regards to our stride and muscle endurance. Lastly, by slumping forward we can affect the shoulder by changing the scapular (shoulder blade) mechanics. When we slump forward our scapula will wing out and forward tip, which increases your risk of overuse shoulder impingement (COUGH COUGH TRIATHLETES/swimmers!).

We will often see runners coming into our clinic with this type of injury because they are using too much arm motion in there form because of poor thoracic mobility. You should be considering your sitting posture, therefore, and how it is affecting your running EVERYDAY. By improving your posture and improving your thoracic mobility (through specific exercises – Look for our future DVDs available early this year!) you can help shave time off your runs in the future!