Back to the future

BUILDING BACK STRENGTH
There was a little bit of discussion on Sunday's post about using the "taper" days of the half marathon training plan to help with fatigue that you might be experiencing in your back and core on longer runs. Yesterday’s post was about how relatively easy it is to relieve shoulder and upper back tension through foam rolling.  Although it requires more effort, another action you can take is to strengthen your core.

The core muscles includes those of the back, which, as part of the posterior chain, helps balance runners’ usually quad-dominant strength. The back muscles work to straighten and extend the spine, keeping us upright and allowing us to lean forward slightly by flexing at the ankles, in good running form, rather than bending at the waist. There are other muscles in the posterior chain to be strengthened, but in your taper the core/back exercises will be emphasized.
 
Jason Fitzgerald of StrengthRunning has made “The Standard Core Routine” with video demonstration of a workout. Concentrate on performing the Planks and Bird Dog this and next week, and Dead Bugs (see updated RESOURCES page with links to Dead Bug demonstrations, with and without a stability ball).

IF YOU’RE NOT FOLLOWING THE TAPER for an upcoming half marathon, and want to build more core strength, you might check out Jason’s other article that demonstrates “11 Plank Exercises That Build Core Strength For Runners”.

RUN HAPPY!

http://strengthrunning.com/2012/01/the-standard-core-routine-video-demonstration/

http://running.competitor.com/2016/04/training/11-plank-exercises-build-core-strength-runners_149016