What Should Your "Offseason" Trail Running Look Like?
With the holidays coming up, snowy icy weather, and recovering from big fall races, winter is the perfect time to get back in touch with strength training and “build the engine”. Strength training has been shown to reduce overuse injuries by up to 50% and improve running efficiency which leads to faster race times.
Rebuttals:
Will it put on unnecessary muscle mass? No, but you probably will improve your body composition (muscle:fat ratio) and improve how your body is using fuel.
Will it take away from my running? Not if you time it right. Ideally lift on non-run days, allow a 6 hour buffer between the run/strength, or strengthen after an easy/short run.
What should I even do? We've got you covered!
1) Deadlift
Use a kettlebell, dumbbell, barbell, or heavy bag of dog food and aim for a weight that leaves 2 good reps in the tank but no more.
Improves hip stability, glute and hamstring strength to improve your energy absorption and push-off.
2) Single Leg Heel Raise
50% of our power in running comes from our calves, so build them up so you can power up hills with ease.
3) Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
Single leg quadriceps strengthening builds up the shock absorbers of the leg and helps you flow on the downhills.
4) Standing fire hydrant:
The glutes not only support our legs, but also help steer where/how we land. Get a heavy looped resistance band and make sure you are rotating as well as extending the leg behind you. 8-10 reps to fatigue.
If you’d like to learn more about off-season training and how to design and perform a strength program to improve your running resiliency, please follow the link below to schedule a consultation call to discuss how we can help.
If you are currently struggling with an injury or unable to perform in the activities you enjoy. Please follow the link below to schedule a consultation call to discuss how we can help you.