If you’re planning to run in Southern Cross Round the Bays in 2025, don’t underestimate the importance of strengthening exercises to reduce your risk of injuries. Preparing well for your running season is crucial to ensure you perform the best you can for the event, and to stay injury free during training.
Davi Stemler from TBI Health Lower Hutt, shares advice and suggests exercises to help you go the distance and avoid injuries.
Exercises
Strength training is a healthy supplement to running. It becomes even more important as the years and the miles add up. Full body training is helpful at all ages. There are loads of different exercises that can be beneficial for your strength and conditioning when it comes to running. It’s important to focus on your legs as they have some of the hardest working muscles in the body. Your quadriceps, hamstrings and calves should be as strong and ready as possible.
Complete these exercises in a circuit, going from one exercise to the next. Do as many as you can over 30 seconds. Repeat the circuit 2-3 times.
Squats
Squats are the basis of any decent leg workout. These can be made more challenging in a variety of ways – by adding weight, holding the squat position longer, or performing a single leg squat.
- Starting with feet shoulder width apart, push your hips backwards, bending the knees to move into a squat position.
- Ensure your knees stay over your toes throughout. If tight calves are a significant limiting factor, try putting your heels on a small book.
Ice Skater
The Ice skater exercise replicates running movements and can be great for building significant explosive power for that last burst needed to get over the line.
- Start in a comfortable stance with enough space to jump laterally.
- Load your jumping side by leaning into your hip, then jump explosively as far as possible to the side.
- Use your arms to assist the movement.
- When landing, and during the ground contact time, the support knee must stay inside the foot
- Try to land softly.
Lunge
- Lunges can be made more challenging in a variety of ways – by adding weight, holding the squat position longer, or performing a single leg squat.
- Start with your feet one in front of another at hip width, and lower the back knee close to the floor.
- The knees should be bent at 90° in the bottom position.
- Keep your balance and lift yourself back up to the standing position.
- This exercise can be progressed by added more weight or by progressing to a scissor lunge, which is similar to the traditional lunge, but once in the lunge position push and jump up and switch feet position quickly. When you land, you are in the same position, but your feet are switched.
Bulgarian split lunge
This split lunge is similar to the normal lunge but forces you to work one leg at a time. Put the back foot on top of a Swiss Ball.
- Flex the front foot to bring the back knee toward the ground.
- Do not travel forward with the body; you should go down and up like an elevator.
- Keep the torso upright at all times.
- Swap legs and repeat.
Single leg calf raises
A large amount of the force needed to push you on comes from the calf muscles while running.
- Stand on a small step next to a chair or table.
- Raise yourself onto your toes without bending your knee.
- Slowly drop back down and stretch your calf by lowering your heel as far down as possible and hold the position between each lift. Repeat.
- Swap legs at the end.
Please note: This is a programme for injury-free weekend warriors with a good level of baseline fitness. If you have any questions, concerns or would like a tailored programme to suit your level of fitness, please consult your local friendly Physio.
TBI Health is a joint venture partner of Southern Cross Healthcare that provides nationwide injury management, wellbeing and rehabilitation services. For more information click here.
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