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When you can’t get out for your training run due to weather or other obligations, there are other options. In the video below I explain how to switch up those missed run sessions with a cardio strength training workout designed to keep you on track.

Avoiding Injury and Making it to the Starting Line

Often the key to long distance running is not about getting to the finish line, but rather making it through your training injury-free in order to get to the start line of the race!

This is a valuable lesson I learned quite a few years ago when training for my first marathon – after many months of training, I was almost sidelined by a nagging knee injury.  Several trips to the doctor and physiotherapist later and it was discovered that very weak glute muscles – muscular imbalances – were causing my knee problems.  With physio and the development of a strength training program to focus on developing these muscles I was able to make it to the start line of my first marathon and also learned a very valuable lesson when training for future races:

Strength training as a cross-training activity is an absolute must.

Best Exercise for Developing Your Posterior Chain

In the video above I talk about injury prevention through the development of your posterior chain, and show you the single best exercise for developing a strong posterior chain for power and endurance in your running.

When runners focus on running as their sole training activity, they tend to overdevelop their hamstrings and quads. The glutes should be the powerhouse of the hip extension but often the hamstrings take over the movement which, over time, can lead to a variety of issues for runners – the main injuries cited being related to the knees, hips, and hamstrings.

My best tip for avoiding injury is to prevent these muscular imbalances from occurring in the first place through a supplementary strength training program that focuses on development of the posterior chain.

I hope you enjoy watching the training video above as much as I enjoyed making it for you!  If you have a comment or question or just want to say “hi” I love to hear from you! Just drop me a note in the Facebook comment box below.

Similar to a warm-up, a proper cool-down is essential to any exercise program or workout.  As tempting as it is to plop on the nearest couch or floor when you have finished your workout, a proper cool-down is very important.

What is a Cool-down?

A cool-down will only take you 5 to 10 minutes, but the benefits are great.  You’ve worked hard for 30 to 45 minutes, take a few minutes to allow your body time to recover.  Just as you warm-up to prepare your body for exercise, it is equally as important to cool-down to allow your body to return to a pre-exercise state.  A cool-down is a short period following a work-out in which you take the time to allow your body to slowly return to its pre-exercise state.  It typically involves light cardio movement (such as walking or a very light jog). [Read more...]

Bodyweight exercises are strength training exercises that do not require free weights.  As the name suggests the individual’s own weight provides the resistance for the movement.  Movements such as the push-up, the plank, the squat and the crunch are some common bodyweight exercises.

Benefits of bodyweight training:

• bodyweight training can be done anytime, anywhere and without any equipment making it a very valuable tool for building strength and fitness.  It can easily be combined with other programs and in short bursts throughout the day.
• bodyweight training trains the body to be more stable, especially at the joints. Since bodyweight training trains major muscle groups in an integrated fashion it allows you to train multiple joints at once, which is how the body really operates in our environment.
• Finally, bodyweight exercises reduce the likelihood of an injury which may be caused by lifting weights that are too heavy.

Kettlebells, which originated in Russia, are heavy cast iron bells with a handle.  They are used by athletes for functional strength development and by fitness enthusiasts for adding variety to their training.

It is the design of the kettlebell that makes it unique.  When you grip the handle the weight is displaced differently than that of a dumbbell (free weight).  This weight displacement causes you to work harder.

Though kettlebells have been around for more than a century, they are making a comeback not only in the strength conditioning of athletes, but also in everyday fitness programs for people of all fitness levels.

Unlike regular resistance training with machines and dumbbells (free weights) which involve slow and controlled movements, kettlebell training is based on using momentum and quick, explosive movements to work the body. [Read more...]