Participation in running is most probably at an all time high. It’s a very accessible form of physical activity, and even if there are a lot of technique changes that some people need to optimise their running, it’s not an activity that requires much thinking regarding execution.
With that, running is still a form of physical activity that applies stress to the body, so when not managing the workload and not combining with a structured S&C program, it can lead to issues such as stress fractures, muscle strains, tendon issues etc. Even though running is a very accessible form of exercise there is so much going on biomechanically, and if we’re looking to improve our running performance, then we need to understand what’s going on from a biomechanical perspective so we can know what qualities we need to measure and train.
When putting together a S&C program for someone regarding run performance, these are some of the considerations I’ll have and look to achieve:
Increasing force output – increasing our ability to produce force through strength training will help increase tissue resilience to stress, like the braking forces when our foot contacts the ground, and the ability to create higher outputs means a lower energy cost to the forces we are creating, meaning more efficient running so a longer time to fatigue.
Developing Isometric strength hamstring – hamstrings will contribute to hip extension when we’re running but they also work isometrically where force transfer through them when our foot contacts the ground, poor isometric hamstring strength can mean more energy leaks, leading to compensations, poor mechanics, higher injury risk due to compensations and a quicker time to fatigue.
Developing Plyometric capability – high plyometric ability allows for quicker ground contact times and more efficient running through utilising what we call kinetic energy through more tendon usage as opposed to metabolic energy from not being able to utilise our stretch shortening cycle. More metabolic energy means fatiguing quicker, whereas high plyometric ability leads to quicker and more efficient running.
Increasing joint stiffness – ability of muscles to co contract is an important part of being able to develop plyometric capability. Muscles co contracting and creating a stiffer joint help utilises elastic energy which due to the visco-elastic properties of the tendon which as mentioned before means more kinetic energy used and less metabolic energy used.
Developing limb disassociation – being able to move your arms and legs without compensating through lumbar or thoracic spine leads to more efficient movement, meaning less energy and a better ability to get into the right biomechanical shapes.
Developing anterior oblique sling strength and functionality – our muscles move in a coordination fashion to help produce force and transfer it to create certain movement patterns that are more efficient. The anterior oblique sling is composed the external and internal obliques, the adductor muscles and the fascia (connective tissue) that connects the adductors to the abdominals. These soft tissues work together to help create stability, transfer force and either create or control rotation, all things that are important in running. Working this sling is usually underutilised but importance to help develop strength in a very functional pattern of running. Which again will lead to more efficient running, which again means less compensation and more efficient running.
I’ll follow this up with another post with some exercises that develop the physical qualities above in the near future.