There are obviously way more than two ways to be a faster runner, but below, I’m going to outline two of the ways that will help you become a stronger runner. And if we know anything about those professional runners, they are both strong and have great form. So it’s time we took a page out of their book and ponied up for some strength work and maintenance exercises to be a faster runner. Here we go!
Get faster by being stronger
Getting stronger does not mean getting bulky. Strength means being able to hold yourself upright (with proper form) when you are 15 miles into a long run. Strength training takes on many forms when we are talking about it for distance runners. Personally, I am all about body weight exercises that mimic or are similar to the motions that a runner will be going in. That means you do not need a gym membership and you don’t need fancy equipment.
Sample exercises that are great for general strength training for runners:
- Pushups
- Dips
- Curls
- Pull ups
- Squats
- Lunges
- Mountain Climbers
- Burpees
- Planks
When you aren’t lifting, you should be doing exercises that help you maintain your balance, work on small muscles and ligaments in the lower leg, and prevent weaknesses in your running frame. Below, you’ll see some exercises that can and should be done regularly to keep you in tiptop shape.
Then there are maintenance exercises that you can do to get and stay strong:
- Stability drills (see picture)
Coach on a stability disk - Theraband (see video)
- Bosu Ball
- Stability ball
- Core routines
- Ab routines (8 min abs)
https://vine.co/v/eHH9HE2HI9u/embed/simple
What strength exercises do you like to do? Have you ever done maintenance exercises to keep you healthy?
TrainwithMarc 
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