If you're after a great running workout to do at home then this is the video for you.
We'll run through a few different exercises that are really good that just target the key areas that you're
after and are really super easy to do if you're at home.
My name's Claire. I'm a Physiotherapist from PhysioFit Health.
If you are really keen on getting your legs lovely and flexible
which actually links into this running workout because you need that flexibility before you can
build on those foundations and work on these exercises so I'd strongly recommend flexibility.
Sign up to our Deep Squat Challenge. The details are in the description below. It's 8 weeks.
You will go through each week a set of 3 different exercises for each joint of the body.
So, lower back and down the legs. So, very specific to runners and will be very good at getting
your legs nice and flexible. So, sign up and give it a go.
This first exercise you're going to work on the calves which are really
important to push yourself forwards. All of the exercises are
important in their own way but their calves are one of the main components just to help
give you that push forward and can help with personal bests and improving speed and everything.
So, don't forget the calves. I'd get you holding on to something just so you get used to what
you're doing. You're starting up nice and tall but I'd actually get you leaning forward.
So, that you get all of your weight onto the front of your foot. Onto the balls of your feet.
So, it's easier to kind of lift those heels up. So, that's your start position. All you're
going to do is lift your heels up and then lower your heels down. You're nearly touching the floor.
They feel before you raising them back up again. So, I get you starting slow to begin
with just so you can get used to the raise in the lower but ultimately, you're wanting to be
lifting yourself up really quickly and then lowering down. So, it's kind of a little bit of
a speed 1 with this one but you're not quite touching those heels onto the floor.
Just so that you can get used to the calves working without fully getting
the heel on the floor just helps with a little bit of that running technique.
So, up and down I would suggest 3 x 10 repetitions with this one and start both legs
but obviously you can progress to one leg when you're ready and then switch over to the other leg.
This exercise we're going to work on the quads which is the front of the thigh. I would get you
I'll just turn slightly. I'll actually get you with left foot forwards right foot back behind you.
But you want all of that weight onto that left leg and your body is lovely and upright.
And then you're going to bend your knee and then you're going to straighten your knee.
So, you're thinking about the front of that thigh as you're straightening just takes you
into a Single-knee bend and just starts to work the muscle around the knee. So, nice and
straight forwards. If you really want to challenge yourself you would lift your right leg up and so
you are just on that left leg as you are raising and lowering. So, that's your quads exercise.
Although it will get a little bit of balance and a little bit of other muscles as well so yeah.
This exercise works a little bit more up around the hips.
Left foot forwards right foot is back. So, you're going to bend that left knee, right legs back behind you.
Hips are facing forwards and I want to get you leaning the body forwards because I really want
to get you all of that weight onto your your left leg. So, your movement is as if
you're lunge so you're going to bend your left knee. So, you're going to lower the body down.
You're going to really think about that left glute. So, the muscle at the back of the hip,
working to raise yourself back up into that upright position. So, it's just a slightly different
focus and a tweak on the lunge. So, bending your knee but the really important thing
I want you to work on is straightening. When you straighten up it's using that left glutes to help
you straighten and so it just shifts that focus really away from the knee and the front of the leg.
And a little bit more up around the hip generally speaking, the more you lean forward the more
likely you'll feel it more into the hips and if you are upright, you might find that it's more
like a little bit lower down into the the quad. So, just have a little bit of a play around when
you first try it but ultimately you're wanting the work to be being felt around this hip area.
So, this exercise is really good for working the strength down the side of the body so it gets
those stabilizing muscles around the hips and the pelvis. So, you don't need any equipment for
it. Have a lay down on your side so I'm going to get you propped on your elbow. So, left elbow is
directly under that left shoulder. Your shoulders are facing forwards. Get your hips facing forwards.
And then your knees are bent, feet are a little bit behind you. Just want the knees
ever so slightly in front of the body like not too far in front. And now before you do any movement
I'd get you just focusing on that left shoulder. So, sink into that left shoulder nice and slowly and
then push it away. So, you're really engaging all of those muscles and then sink into the shoulder.
Now typically would get you to do this 5 or 6 times. It's a really nice kind of setting up
routine just to make sure that the shoulders are really engaged when you're in this position.
Because you don't want to leave the shoulders kind of
sinking in so keep engaging those left shoulders. Then when you're ready you're going to pivot on
these knees. You're going to lift your hips up and you're going to sweep that right arm up
and at the same time just push the hips forwards ever so slightly. So, you've got a nice long line
between the knees, the hips, and the shoulders and then you're keeping your feet together
and it's that top knee you're going to bring up towards the sky or the ceiling and back down again.
So, you're going to do your 8 repetitions of your clam keeping that shoulder engaged, keeping
those hips raised. Like I say it is an amazing exercise to do and then once you've done all of
those 8 then you can lower your hips down and then you'll be repeating on the other side.
Those are the exercises that really target all those key areas of their leg as you're running.
We do have a downloadable pdf for you if you just want to have a little bit of a printout for you.
The details are in the description below. Check it out. Let us know if you have any questions.
If you like those kinds of exercises and would like a little bit more variety, we have a Pilates
membership you can sign up to. You have access to a whole load of different exercises from 5 minutes
up to 45 minutes. We do have a lot of running specific exercises so, that's the ones in standing
and leg focused. So, check it out. The details are in the description below and I'll see you soon!