Reader

I hope this newsletter finds you well and settling into Fall. I don't know about you but I'm ready to get on the other side of this pandemic. To say that the past several months have been challenging personally, professionally, and athletically would be an understatement and I know I'm not alone!

One of the things that I spend a lot of time discussing with the athletes, who trust their physical therapy and performance coaching needs to me, is the importance of self-honesty and appreciating your unique ecosystem and the associated stressors or loads. This has become ever more so the case in 2020. As much as we want to always "be on the gas" with training, I think we've come to learn that the pandemic has imparted a yellow-light if not red-light time on all of us in many ways. As such it's critical to recalibrate to safeguard against potential burnout and injury while simply enjoying the act of exercising.

Although we likely all find ourselves in different situations, now is a time to focus on consistency of training while prioritizing certain aspects of life that often take a backseat or fall by the wayside. When folks ask me about how I'm approaching training given the ambiguity and uncertainty of 2021 and beyond, the answer is actually quite simple...I'm focusing on being loose but consistent with exercise while also layering in more resistance training, which as a Master (>35 y/o) endurance athlete is fast becoming front and center as I desperately try to stave off the aging process. This also happens to be a great time of the year to prioritize resistance training because our training volume in terms of running or swim, bike, and run is generally much less.

In light of this, I thought it would be helpful to introduce and discuss a few exercises that I generally prioritize in working with runners and triathletes. To accomplish this I'll take the approach of "The Prisoner's Dilemma." Basically this boils down to, "What would I do as a runner outside of running if I could only train 3x/wk for a total of ~15'?"

Before laying out the exact exercises, I thought it would be best to start with the performance demands of running so we know where to focus our time and energy. Thanks to Dorn and colleagues, who published on this exact topic, we now know which regions are front and center which include the following:

*Calf muscle complex CMC (esp the soleus) - did you know that ~50% of the energy during the running gait comes from the CMC

*Quadriceps - the quadriceps plays an integral role during the running gait from a braking standpoint.

*Lateral hip (esp the GMed) - plays an integral role in lower extremity function & helps to control the position of our pelvis during stance.

In the image below, BW stands for body weight. Also, the lower number in the range listed for each muscle group represents running at 7:42 min/mile while the higher end value corresponds to the forces while running at 20mph or 3 min/mile pace. Needless to say most of us will fall out of the latter category ;-)

In addition to the soleus being the powerhouse of distance running it's also worth noting that the calf muscle complex (CMC) is preferentially affected by the aging process. In effect, older runners, especially those who are in their 5th and 6th decade and beyond, can lose considerable ankle power with 80 year olds predicted to lose nearly 50% (YIKES). This is why we tend to see shorter stride lengths and a higher cadence or perhaps even "shuffling." These changes are oftentimes further compounded among runners who have a past medical history remarkable for an Achilles Tendinopathy or strain of the CMC. If you click the link below you will also be able to access a document that goes into much greater detail about information and key facts that I want every runner to know about the Achilles tendon.

CLICK BELOW FOR THE DIGITAL PDF

​Achilles Tendinopathy What Runners Should Know Finito.pdf​

So enough technical speak :-) Without further ado, here are the exercises that I encourage runners to prioritize for the sake of consistentcy, longevity, and performance. While the exact set, rep, and weight recommendations will ultimately be determined by one's experience with resistance training and their respsective goals, my aim is to work runners up to complete 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps with relatively heavy loads (ideally 70-85% of a 1 rep max - 1RM).

In terms of where to plug these drills into an overall training program, I would suggest aiming to complete them 2x per week ideally on non-running days. If you have no other choice but to do them on the same day that you run, I would pick a relatively lighter running day and do the drills immediately post-run. Lastly, remember that with any resistance training program that the loads need to be progressive otherwise the body will habituate and they will no longer create an adequate stimulus to elicit adaptation.

---

Rearfoot elevated split squat - this exercise is designed to specifically challenge quad strength. To further bias the exercise towards the quad we can have the runner assume a relatively more upright torso (see vid #2 below) as opposed to hinging forward a bit which will distribute the load more between the hip and knee as seen in the first video (this is how it's classically taught). Once you become proficient with bodyweight look to incorporate some external resistance in the form of a heavy houselhold object or grab some dumbbells.

---

Skater toe taps - this exercise effectively targets the lateral hip musculature, namely the gluteus medius and minimus. I've also included a second video to highlight how this could be turned into a drill matrix to further challenge runners. While there are several bands that can be used for this drill, I exclusively recommend using the ones from performbetter.com that can be found HERE.

---

Single leg calf raise - while there are a number of different exercises that can be used to strengthen the CMC, this is likely the most practical as all one needs is a step/bench/platform and you are in business. I would also suggest propping a hardback book or bumper plate under the forefoot so your heel is slightly below parallel as we are trying to target a speficic range to get the most of this exercise (20 degrees of dorsiflexion to 10 degrees of plantarflexion to be specific). The leg on the bench is really not doing anything aside from augmenting your balance so you can focus on strengthening the target tissues/region.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this and please reach out if you have any questions or if there is anything I can do to help you. I hope all else is well.

WISHING YOU HAPPY, HEALTHY, & STRONG TRAINING!

Yours in Health,

Chris