Running can take an extraordinary amount of hours per week to make larger gains.
In the pursuit of these gains and increasing running hours per week, you find yourself short on time to do what got you here in the first place—cross training!
Strong legs + Strong Engine = Strong life
You’re finding it *much* more difficult to drag yourself in the gym now that you are smashing 7+ hours on the tarmac. Which is understandable, you’re most likely an amateur runner/athlete with a life. But we don’t want the hard work and strength you built during your initial cross training period on low mileage to go to waste.
Instead, we need to keep supporting it without added stress on your body. In other words, we don’t want your running ability to regress in these key training weeks because you lifted too hard in the gym. “Support” is key here in these weeks/months leading up to a race.
The way we support our muscles without the added stress on your body is to incorporate isometrics holds.
Isometrics holds work because they contract a muscle (or group) without the added lengthening process an eccentric movement does. For example, a common isometric hold is a plank. This isolates the core and forces you to contract your core to remain stable, while not moving any other part of your body.
There are three phases in an exercise: the concentric phase where muscles shorten, the isometric phase, and the eccentric phase where muscles lengthen. The isometric phase occurs between the muscle's contraction and its subsequent lengthening.
Let’s dive into some of the best isometric exercises for runners “in season” or during extended high mileage periods.
I’ll start off with a bonus exercise one from the beloved
(X Link), who is 50% of ‘I’m Hurt Now What’ Physical Therapy. Read their Substack here: .
Runners with knee pain, please try this. A great isometric hold.