The ABCs of strength training

By Amy O'Brian

January 25, 2009

Grace and endurance are likely the first things that come to mind when thinking about the feather-light runners who are first to sprint across the Sun Run finish line every year.

The elite runners glide across the pavement seemingly without effort, their slender legs reaching easily for every next step. Their heads barely moving and their torsos remaining upright, they betray little sign of exhaustion.

But their sinew and style has not come without effort. Strength training is key to the performance of any elite runner. And it is a smart addition to the workout routine of a new runner, too.

A trio of exercises known as the ABCs — or running drills, or marching drills — can be done before, after, or in between runs to increase strength, improve technique, and ultimately, make you run (or walk) faster.

“The exercises come from the top sprinters in the world, who do them so beautifully and so incredibly fast, with great power,” said Lynn Kanuka, who won a bronze medal for the 3,000-metre run in the 1984 Olympics and is now the InTraining Program Director for SportMedBC.

“Newcomers to the sport can do these exercises as a warm-up and do them nice and comfortably. Or you can do them with huge gusto as a strength component after a workout, for runners that are wanting to run faster.”

The only slight drawback to the exercises is that — to begin with, at least — you won’t look like a graceful elite runner as you do them. They might help you get that result in the long run, but to do the drills, you’ll have to put aside any insecurities about looking goofy or awkward.

The drills involve a lot of standing up on tip-toes, swinging your arms with great exaggeration, and pawing the ground like a horse.

But they work.

“You’ll run more efficiently, finish stronger, and see improvements more quickly,” said Aaron Case, a chiropractor who is sitting on The Vancouver Sun’s online Ask an Expert panel.

“It’s a form of injury prevention as well.”

Case says the drills train muscles to “fire faster” and helps train the legs to work more efficiently.

The ‘A’ exercise is a high-knee lift that is done while up on tip-toes, with wide swinging arms. The idea is to take tiny marching steps forward, while lifting the knees up to a 90 degree angle, and driving the arms hard, with elbows reaching shoulder height at the back. Beginners are advised to start slowly, doing the drill for just 10 seconds initially, and work up to more repetitions and quicker movements. Eventually, you can add a skip or run to the drill to increase its difficulty.

“Instead of leaving your foot on the ground too long at the back and over-muscling, using your calf too much and leaving your foot on the ground too long, it trains your hip flexor to bring your leg through quickly so that you can get it back in that circle again,” Case said.

“A lot of your speed is how quickly you can take your steps. Not how long your stride is but how quickly you can take your steps. And so it gets you to get your foot back up front so that you can get it back down again.”

The ‘B’ exercise, also known as the foot stomp, is the toughest of the three, according to Case.

In Kanuka’s written descriptions of the exercises, she says the ‘B’ drill is similar to the motion a horse makes when it’s pawing at the ground.

“Imagine you have a large barrel placed in front of you, and you must step up and over that barrel,” she writes. To finish the exercise, you’re supposed to “snap” the foot back down to the ground. Like the first drill, the horse-pawing drill can be made more difficult by adding a skip to the movement.

To round out the ABCs, there’s a butt-kick drill that is almost as simple as it sounds. Lean forward slightly, kick your heels up to hit your butt, and swing your arms.

The drill creates flexibility in the quads and strength in the hamstrings.

As with all new exercises and workout routines, the ABCs should be approached with some level of caution, so as not to create bad habits or cause injuries.

And while Case says these exercises — plus lunges, grapevines, hip hikes, and core planking drills — are great tools for building strength and endurance, he warns against doing too much.

“You can get into trouble by doing too much,” he said.

“Remember that you still have to run.”