Busy Bodies: Give your running routine some power

By KELLY GONZALEZ

Published 01/17/10

Remember the glory days when you first started running?

It was exciting and challenging. You adorned yourself in new gear, Googled running tips, programs and races, achieved a new personal record at every race, and best of all, the excess pounds just melted away.

Well, time has trickled by, the peace you once achieved during long weekend runs has become more of a chore than meditative movement, new gear has worn your wallet thin, those personal records are at a standstill, and no matter how many miles you run those last 5 pounds seem to have applied for permanent residency.

When you feel powerless in your training, stuck in the same old routine year after year, at a dead end with nowhere to go, what do you do?

To be frank, most people do one of two things:

Just keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results.

Quit.

Running excessively won't necessarily offer the results you're seeking. In fact, it can leave you injured and unable to run at all. Quitting definitely won't solve the problem, and may cause damage not only to your fitness level, but also your overall health and mentality.

You can increase your performance without increasing your mileage. By adding explosive resistance training to your weekly program, you can break up the monotony, run stronger and faster, and break through plateaus whether it's regarding performance or physique.

There have been numerous studies regarding the positive effects of explosive resistance training on endurance sport performance. It not only improves strength, but also running economy, which means you use less oxygen at a higher intensity, allowing you to run faster and longer. One study found that supplementing 33 percent of endurance training time with explosive activity such as sprints and plyos (light resistance exercises performed quickly) in elite male cross country runners' programs for nine weeks enhanced 5-km time and running economy without a change in VO2 Max. This form of training makes the muscle fibers stronger, which reduces your risk of injury, and increases neuromuscular function, meaning your brain is better able to recruit the muscle fibers to do the work; all of which equals a faster pace without the discomfort.

Plyometrics (plyos), a form of explosive resistance training, are an excellent way to increase performance. Plyometrics involve a rapid eccentric contraction (lengthening of the muscle) followed by a concentric contraction (shortening of the muscle). This improves power by exaggerating the stretch shortening cycle during ground contact. This mechanism allows you to create more force each time your foot strikes the ground, improving running economy.

Plyo exercises such as bounding, single leg hops and jump squats are not just for sprinters and field athletes. They are an excellent addition to an endurance athlete's program. A study at the Australian Institute of Sport found that the "addition of plyos improved running economy by 4.1 percent in highly trained distance runners when compared to a control group undertaking similar running training without plyos." The plyo group completed a nine-week intervention completing three 30-minute sessions per week, including gym sessions that included general strength training exercises at about 60 percent max and plyos such as squat jumps, fast feet, hops and jumps.

Besides a new personal record in your next race, explosive resistance training can help you say goodbye to excess flab. Working at a higher intensity and using your muscles in different ways forces the body to work harder, and thus burn more calories.

The bottom line is that strapping on your shoes and running the same pace for the same amount of time/distance is good for you, and burns calories, but your body is so used to it that it won't provide the progressive results you may be seeking regarding body composition.

You may never be sore after running a daily 8 miles, but after two sets of eight jump squats and 8x30m sprints, you may feel the effects.

By adding strength and power into your training routine, you can run better by running less, and perhaps even sculpt a better physique just in time for warmer weather.

Contact Kelly Gonzalez at kelly@kellygonzalez.com

POWERFUL EXERCISES
Scissor jump

• Start in a standing lunge position.

• Explode upward and switch legs in mid-air, returning to standing lunge position with the opposite leg now forward.

• Repeat as quickly as possible for set number of repetitions or until fatigue.

 
Standing long jump to sprint

• Stand with feet hip-width apart.

• Come down into a squat position.

• Jump as far ahead as possible.

• Upon stable landing, take off into a sprint for 20 to 30 meters.

 
Explosive push-up shuffle

• Begin in push-up position.

• Stagger arms so one arm is near your rib cage.

• Push up with force and switch hand placement in mid-air, bringing opposite arm back near the rib cage while the other hand lands in line with the shoulder

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