Building a Strong FoundationBuilding a Strong Foundation®®

“Strength Training for the Running Athlete”

Carmen BottFounder, Human Motion.com Inc

carmen@humanmotion.com

What is Building a Strong Foundation?What is Building a Strong Foundation?

Imbalances and InjuriesImbalances and Injuries

Imbalances can present themselves in 3 Imbalances can present themselves in 3 formsforms

1. ligament dominance2. muscle group dominance3. unilateral limb dominance

• Imbalances lead to an increase in joint load due to energy leaks

• Increasing joint load leads to injury

Common ImbalancesCommon Imbalances

1. Weakness and length in hip abductors and extensors

2. Shortness and tightness in hip flexors, adductors and lateral hip rotators

Extrinsic Factors that may lead to injury:Extrinsic Factors that may lead to injury:1. Sudden changes in volume

2. Sudden changes in intensity

3. Inefficient recovery between training sessions

• There is no ‘ideal’ pattern/form of running

• And every runner has their own threshold or tolerance for repeated impact forces

So, what do we do?

Get Stronger! Get Stronger! – Vertical landing forces during running can be

as much as 6-8 times the athlete’s bodyweight during mid-stance . . .

– The basis of ST is to improve

the capacity of the musculo-

tendinous junctions to absorb +

produce force

BSF ExercisesBSF Exercises

1. Standing calf raise - foot intrinsics

2. Negative push-ups – shoulder position

3. Double-leg Raise – Lumbar endurance

4. One arm, one leg lift – Rotational control, glute med strength

5. Kneeling hip hinge – posterior chain activation

Thank-you!Thank-you!

Contact Carmen atContact Carmen at

www.humanmotion.comwww.humanmotion.com