Runners are a unique breed of people. They participate in a physical activity that requires very little equipment and can be done almost anywhere, in any environment. They tend to stay out of the gyms and weight-rooms either because they believe it is not needed or that it will hinder their performance as a runner. This is not completely true in any form. If done correctly, it will actually enhance their performance and decrease risk of injuries.

Some may find this hard to believe, but think about this: you go out running everyday or every other day. Pounding the pavement, putting more and more miles on your body with every step. You make those muscles that are dominant in running stronger and stronger with every stride. By increasing the strength of these dominant running muscles, you cause the contrasting muscles to become weaker. By having one group of muscles at a much higher strength level than weaker ones, you allow the body to create skeletal imbalances. This can lead to structural injuries to the body such as an increased risk of ankle sprains, knee, hip & low back problems, and shoulder & neck issues.

You may be asking yourself how this is true. Let’s break it down so we are all on the same page. As you run, your shoes wear down and cause the foot to strike the ground incorrectly. This causes the muscles of the foot and ankle to weaken in areas which allow the foot to fall inwards toward the arch. This leads to improper alignment of the knee, causing the muscles and structures to absorb the forces incorrectly, resulting in pain or achy knees. When this happens, the process works its way up the body into the hips. With the ankle and knee both crashing inwards, the bones of the hip are pulled out of alignment, causing hip and back pain and improper wearing down of the joint and bones. This in turn causes the hamstrings & glutes to shut down, and the quads to become even more dominant. As the quads and hip flexors become stronger, they pull on the front of the pelvis and rotate it forward. This forward rotation of the pelvis places more shearing force across the vertebrae causing low back pain and potential injury.

Moving into the upper body, the potential problems continue. With the natural position of the runner being a leaning forward motion, the runner tends to allow their head to fall forward. This amplifies the amount of stress placed on the neck, shoulders and upper back. Now, with the neck and upper back being out of position, in addition to the before mentioned lower body issues, you can see how what you thought was all you needed for exercise and fitness, actually is not.

My intention is not to deter you from running, as I do believe it’s a great form of exercise for many people. I’m telling you that (like everything), there are ups and downs to it and if you follow a balanced exercise program you can limit and correct many of the injuries associated with running. You may also improve your performance by staying injury free, which in turn gives you more time and days to train, rather than spending time doing rehabilitation. There are a few key exercises that all runners should perform to keep the body balanced, along with a properly designed stretching program. I’m going to give you my top five that I give all my runners to keep them at their best.

Here are my top five with a description and picture.

1. Bent-Over-Row – Holding a barbell with a prontated grip (palms facing down), bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward (in a bowing motion), bending from the waist pushing the hips back while maintaining a straight back until it almost parallel to the ground. The barbell should hang directly in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the floor and your torso. Keeping the torso stationary breath in as you lift the barbell toward you, keeping the elbow close to the body and bring the mid-back area of the shoulder blades together as if your trying to pinch something between them. Hold this position for a count of one and then lower the bar back to the start position.

2. Goblet Squat - Using both hands, hold the dumbbell, kettlebell, or object by the largest weighted portion and raise it until it nearly touches your chin. Position your body in a squat stance (Feet about shoulder width or a little wider and toes slightly turned out). Squat down until your elbow touch your inner quads and drive you knees out away from the body and sitting back in your heels. Keep your torso straight as you hold this position for a second or two. Make sure your heels remain flat on the floor and you can wiggle your toes if needed as you return to the starting position.

3. Stability Ball Hamstring Curls - Lay on your back with your heels on a Swiss Ball and hands by your side. Pressing your heels into the ball lift your body into a plank where your ankles, knees, hips and shoulder all line up straight. Now, bend your knees bringing the ball and your heels closer to your butt as you push your hips higher to maintain the alignment with your knees, hips and shoulders. Pause and return to the plank position but not to the floor. Progress to a single-leg hold at the top and return to plank with one leg, alternating legs, when ready.

4. Lower Abdominal – Lie on your back with a BP Cuff inflated to 40 mm/Hg under your low back – directly under your belly button. Place your feet, about shoulder width apart, flat on the floor with your knees bent. Draw in your belly button, gently press your low back into the cuff raising the pressure to 70 mm/Hg, and slowly raise one leg up with your knee bent. Return your foot to the floor as you breathe evenly through the movement. Reset abdominal wall, if needed, and repeat for the opposite side.

5. Prone Cobra - Lie face down with your arms at your sides. Inhale as you pick your chest off the floor while you simultaneously squeeze your shoulder blades together and rotate your arms out so that your palms face away from your body. Keep your head and neck neutral and feet or toes on the floor. You should feel this more in your upper back. If you feel it mostly in your low back squeeze your butt cheeks together before lifting. Hold the pose until you need to breathe out and exhale as you lower yourself to the start position. Do 10 to 20 reps.