Monday/Wednesday routine

Below is a description of the various exercises we do as part of our Monday-Wednesday routine.

Core Routine

Side Crunch

Lie on your left side with your legs on top of each other with your knees bent a little. Loosely cup your head with your right hand. Crunch up as high as you can go, keeping the movement in the lateral plane as much as possible to work the obliques. Do both sides.

Superman

Lie face down on the floor with your arm stretched out directly overhead (like Superman flying, hence the name). Raise your arms and chest off the floor and hold it there for 2 seconds and squeeze. Lower back to the ground and repeat.

Swimmers

Lie face down on the floor with your arm stretched out directly overhead . Raise your right arm, and left leg off the floor at the same time and hold it there for 2 seconds. Lower back to the ground and repeat with the opposite arm/leg.

Jackknife Sit-Up

Lie on the floor on your back. Place your arms straight back behind your head. Bend at the waist while raising your legs and arms to meet in a jackknife position. Lower arms and legs back to the starting position. Keep your elbows and knees locked.

Butt-Ups

Begin a pushup position but with your elbows on the ground and resting on your forearms. Your elbows should be bent at a 90 degree angle. Arch your back slightly out rather than keeping your back completely straight. Raise your glutes toward the ceiling, squeezing your abs tightly to close the distance between your ribcage and hips so you end up in a high bridge position. Lower back down slowly to your starting position. Repeat. Don't let your back sag downwards.

Reverse Crunch

Like on the floor on your back. Put your hands by your sides with your feet up and your thighs perpendicular to the floor. They should not go down lower than this during the movement. Using your lower abs, roll your pelvis backward to raise your hips off the floor. Your knees will now be over your chest. Return slowly to the starting position.

Side Bridge

Works your obliques and helps stabilize your spine. Lie on your side and support your body between your forearm and knee to your feet. Hold position until time has ended. You’ll repeat this on the other side. We will eventually increase the time from 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Side leg lift

Working from the side bridge position (above), lift your upper leg as high as possible and then bring the leg back down and return to the starting position. This is one repetition for one leg, you’ll be repeating this for the other leg as well. The exercise works both the IT band and glutes.

Bicycle Crunch

Lie on the floor on your back with your legs up and bent at the knee - as though you’re prepared to do a regular set of crunches. You will be doing two motions at the same time, a bicycling motion with your legs and oblique crunches with your upper body. While still lying down, place your hands alongside your head with your elbows up. Start by bicycling your legs. As your legs bicycle, pull forward with your upper body – twisting your right elbow over to your left leg/hip. Drop back down and repeat by pull forward and twisting your left elbow over toward your right leg/hip. Continue for an appropriate amount of time. This exercise works the obliques, hip flexors, back and develops coordination.

Mon/Wed leg strengthening routine

Standing Thigh resist (work in pairs)

Stand upright. Raise your knee while a teammate provides resistance against your knee as it rises. When the leg reaches a right angle, lower the leg back to the ground and repeat. This exercise works the hip flexors.

Seated Ankle resist (work in pairs)

Sit down on the floor with your legs stretched out. Have a teammate provide resistance against your foot as you bend at the ankle and attempt to move the foot forward. Switch to the other foot and repeat. After working on both feet, do the same thing with each foot again, but attempt to move the foot backward. Do the same, moving each foot to the right, and then again, moving each foot to the left. The intent here is to strengthen the ankles, which can lessen foot contact time in races.

Prone Hamstring bent-leg resist (work in pairs)

Lie face down on the floor. Lift your foot, bending at the knee, with a teammate provide resistance against your foot as it comes up. Stop when the bent leg reaches a right angle. After one set of this, do the same with the other leg. This exercise works the hamstring.

Prone Hamstring straight-leg resist (work in pairs)

Lie face down on the floor. Lift your foot with your leg remaining straight, and have a teammate provide resistance against your foot as it comes up. After one set of this, do the same with the other leg. This exercise works both the glutes and hamstring.

Mon/Wed upper body strengthening routine

The exercises below intend to strengthen various arm, shoulder and chest muscles in a running-specific manner and aid in arm speed development.

Fast Arm Swings with weights

With weights in hands and stationary body, swing arms in a running motion as quickly as possible until time ends. Works shoulders and bicep/triceps.

Bicep curls with weights

Stand upright and hold weight in one hand. Start with arm down. Once you begin, bend at the elbow and raise the weight until it touches your chest or shoulder. Continue as fast as possible until time is over, and then switch to other arm and repeat. Works biceps.

Pushups

Standard pushup. Do as many as possible for a specified time. Maintain straight body, bending only at elbows. If you’re unable to continue or begin, then hold the starting position until time is over. Works chest, bicep/triceps and shoulders.

Chair (bar) dips

Lie back, facing upright with heels on the floor and legs straight. Both hands should be on the seat of a chair or bench, supporting body weight. Lower body, bending only at arms, and then return to original position. Continue as fast as possible until time is over. Works shoulders and triceps.

Tuesday/Thursday routine

Below is a description of the various exercises we do as part of our Tuesday-Thursday routine.

Strengthening Drills

Alphabet legs

Stand (preferably barefoot) upright. With straight leg, raise leg and with the foot “write out” the alphabet (cursive, lowercase letters). When done, switch to other leg. This exercise develops balance.

Toe crawl

Stand upright either barefoot or in socks. Use the toes (only) of both feet to move the body forward until reaching a specific distance. This exercise works the lower leg.

Leg cycle

Stand upright either barefoot or in socks. Lift leg and go through a full leg cycle while standing on other foot. Use running arm motion while bringing knee up and then back until moving knee passes the stationary knee. This exercise develops balance.

Seated Flexed leg raise

Sit upright against wall with legs out. Flex one leg and lift about 6 inches. Rotate foot left to right and continue until time is over. Exercise works the patellar tendon.

Cat back-Sway back

Bend at waist with hands on knees. Arch back upward and hold for 2 seconds and then downward and hold for two seconds. This is one repetition. This exercise works the back.

Side to Side (Straight) Leg swings

Stand upright and swing (straight) leg as far as possible to the outside and then the inside. One swing outside and then inside is a full repetition. This exercise works the adductor (inside) and abductor (outside).

Front and Back (Straight) Leg swings

Stand upright and swing (straight) leg forward and then backward as far as possible each way. This is one full repetition. The exercises works the hip flexor (forward) and glutes (backward).

Get on stairs or a series of steps for the next set of exercises . It’s not necessary to use more than 4-5 steps.

Reverse step-ups

Stand upright with back to stairs. Reach back with one foot and place on step. Elevate body up onto step bending at the knee and using only the upper leg to elevate the body. This exercise strengthens the upper leg and muscles that stabilize the knee.

Hip raisers

Stand upright but sideways on stairs with one foot on step and the other foot hanging out. Lower outer foot and then raise back, bending only at hip. Down and then up is one full repetition. This exercise works the IT band.

Calf-toe raisers

Stand upright on steps or stairs with toes on step and heels hanging out. With one foot only, raise as high as possible on toes and then lower as far as possible. This is one full repetition. Exercise works calves.

Shin-toe raisers

Stand upright on steps or stairs with heels on step and toes hanging out. With one foot only, raise as high as possible on heels and then lower as far as possible. This is one full repetition. Exercise works shins.

Saturday/Sunday routine

Below is a description of the various exercises we do on Saturdays and Sundays as part of our general warmup.

Side to Side (Straight) Leg swings

Front and Back (Straight) Leg swings

Stand upright and swing (straight) leg forward and then backward as far as possible each way. This is one full repetition. These exercises work the hip flexor (forward) and glutes (backward).

Leg cycle

Cat back-Sway back

Bend at waist with hands on knees. Arch back upward and hold for 2 seconds and then downward and hold for two seconds. This is one repetition. This exercise works the back.