The Runner's Resource » Stretching for Runners

Does Pre-Race Stretching Make You Slower?

Casey — Wed, 25 May 2011 02:31:49 +0000

Before any race, you will no doubt see most runners engaged in stretching. They will either be sitting on the ground trying to touch their toes, or pulling their foot back to stretch the quads. These runners want to ensure that their muscles are ready to race. But what if pre-race stretching actually hurts performance?

In his excellent and informative book Holistic Strength Training for Triathlon, Andrew Johnston argues that static pre-race stretching will make a runner slower.

As researchers Nelson, Kokkonen, and Arrnall explain it, the stretching regimen placed a proportion of the motor units into a fatiguelike state prior to the initiation of the (event). Placing specific motor units into a fatiguelike state would decrease the pool of motor units available for activation, this loss of motor units from the pool of available moor units could hasten the fatigue and lead to a decrease in performance.

In other words, runners who engage in a complex pre-race routine of static stretching are actually fatiguing their muscles.

Johnston states that diligent stretching is important, but that it must be done after a workout or race, not before. Stretching well after a run helps to “re-set” the muscles to their ideal resting state. Failure to stretch after a race or workout will teach your muscles that their ideal resting state is the state they have been throughout the workout: short and tight.

While static stretching is not recommended before a run, it is perfectly fine to engage in dynamic stretching and drills to warm up the muscles before a run. Dynamic stretching involves constant movements that serve to wake up the body’s muscles, instead of making them fatigued. This will effectively warm you up for the race without causing a decrease in your performance.

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Isometric Exercises for Runners

Casey — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:30:15 +0000

When many people think of muscle strengthening exercises, the first thing that comes to mind is weight lifting. However, squats, bench press, and dumbbell curls are not the only one way to build muscle. Perhaps the most important muscle exercises for runners do not involve lifting weights, but rather only require contracting and releasing muscles, also known as “isometric exercises.”

Isometric exercises involve muscle activation techniques in which the joints do not move. Rather, specific muscles of the body are contracted and released, which causes muscle fatigue and will result in a growth of muscle mass.

These types of “static” exercises are a great way to work on weak muscle areas without putting unnecessary strain on joints. They are especially useful for correcting muscle imbalances in common problem areas including the back, hips, and quads. Here are some common isometric exercises for runners:

Plank Bridge: Lay face down on the floor and prop yourself up on your forearms and toes. Try to flatten your back and hold for at least 20 seconds. Repeat three times. This is a great exercise for your core.
Wall Squats: Lean your back against the wall and slowly lower into a squat so that your quads are parallel to the floor. Hold for at least 20 seconds and stand back up. Repeat 3 times. This exercise is great for the stabilizing muscles of your quads and hips
Calf Raises: Stand on one leg and hold onto the back of a chair for balance. Stand on your toes and hold for at least 20 seconds. Repeat with the other leg. This is a great exercise for strengthening your calf muscles and preventing achilles tendinitis.

Image courtest of Skyflyerke

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Don’t Overstretch Your Muscles

Casey — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:04:14 +0000

Diligent stretching is an important way to prevent injuries, but it can also be the cause of injuries if done improperly. The goal of stretching is to lengthen muscle tissue to increase flexibility and lessen the risk of pulls and tears. However, there is a difference between gentle stretches that are beneficial, and hard, painful stretches that can cause pain. There are many runners who, in an attempt to prevent injuries, actually hurt themselves by overstretching.

The most common problem is when runners stretch while the muscle is still cold. By trying to lengthen muscles in a tightened state, there is a risk of of causing “micro” tears which can stop a training program in its tracks. Therefore, try to jog at least 3-5 minutes to warm the muscles before starting a stretching routine. Additionally, focus the majority of your stretching at the end of run when the muscles are warm.

It is important to distinguish between normal discomfort that is normal when stretching, and the sharp, acute pain that can be the sign of a muscle tearing. Once a runner senses acute pain when stretching, it is absolutely essential that he or she immediately back off. Muscle tears not only cause serious pain in the days following your stretching, but the healing process for a muscle tear can actually lead to a shortened muscle.

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Plyometric Drills for Runners

Casey — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:46:31 +0000

If you go to any local road race, you will no doubt see most of the runners performing static stretching before the start. While static stretching does a good job of loosening the muscles, athletes can obtain more benefits from plyometric drills, which is essentially “active stretching.”

Different from static stretching, the goal of ploymetric drills is to produce fast, powerful movements, and increase the overall explosiveness of the muscles. In this way, ploymetrics not only loosens the muscles, but will improve the muscles’ running power. Some of the popular plyometric drills for runners include:

High knees: Run in place and get your knees as high as possible. Try to land on your toes and increase speed. This drill does a great job stretching the hip flexor, strengthen the legs, and teach balance.
Quick steps: Run forward while taking very quick baby steps. Try to get your feet up and down from the ground as quick as possible. Quick steps teaches the body to relax in the midst of very fast arm and leg action. It also helps develop fast twitch muscles without too much exertion.

Running backwards: Run backwards while landing on the ball of the foot. This drill helps to develop the lower quads and calves.
Kick-outs: This is the high knees drill with an exaggerated “kick out” action of the foot when going down to the ground. This drill not only increases flexibility of the hip, but also the hamstring.
One foot hill hops: Find a hill with a slight elevation and hop up the hill on one foot. This is a difficult drill, and you should not do too many of these too soon. The drill promotes balance and flexibility of the ankle and calves.

This is just a small sample of plyometric drills for runners. There are many more exercises do a great job strengthening and stretching the muscles. I will post some more of these drills in a subsequent post.

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