Implement these 6 core training rules into your program to see big improvements in your PB and reduce your risk of injury.
- Do not balance on Swiss balls or Bosu balls
The “functional core exercise” of balancing on Swiss balls was a stupid trend that really only benefited circus trainers who could balance on balls to get people’s attention and then sell them basic training programs. The truth is that for runners this is totally unnecessary. When designing a functional training program, it is the trainer’s job to determine if he needs what are known as leaning or righting reflexes.
Tilt reflexes are used when moving across an unstable surface. So if your sport requires you to move across an unstable, moving surface (like sidewalks at an airport or standing on a Swiss ball). As you can see, running doesn’t use this type of reflex, so while balancing on a ball may seem cool, it’s a complete waste of time.
Righting reflexes, on the other hand, are when you move across a stable surface, like running on the road. Therefore, all core training should be done on a stable surface for optimal transfer and results in your sport!
- Maintaining your center of gravity on your base of support
Running requires what is known as dynamic posture, which means the ability to keep your center of gravity over your base of support as you move. Not doing it when moving (walking or running) is commonly seen in falls in the elderly and is just one of the reasons you want to make sure your core training doesn’t just involve static plank-type exercises.
If a runner fails to maintain their center of gravity over their base of support, the risk of injury is greatly increased.
- Widespread engine compatibility with runners
The most functional exercises for any sport use movements that have a high carry-over to the sport. For runners, the best core exercises are those that are based on 4 muscular subsystems of the core muscles that work in a coordinated way to produce locomotion (running or walking). These 4 subsystems are;
- Deep Longitudinal Sling System
- Posterior Oblique Sling System
- Anterior Oblique Sling System
- Side sling system
- Open/closed chain compatibility
If you push against an object you can’t move, like a chin up, it’s a closed chain exercise. If you can pull something towards you and overcome the resistance, the chain is open. Therefore running is a closed chain activity.
This is very important for runners because muscle recruitment and joint movement is task specific, so your selection of core exercises to improve your running must be equally task specific to achieve the functional result you want.
- Improve relevant biomotor skills
Every exercise you do in your training program has biomotor skills (these are strength, agility, power, endurance, flexibility, coordination, balance, and speed). An exercise is more functional when the biomotor profile correlates closely with the weakness of the runner’s body or when it more closely resembles the task being trained for.
For example, when considering running, it is important to train the core through all 4 muscle subsystems discussed in point 3.
PRAYED
If you are looking to train a weakness, then the biomotor skills of interest to the distance runner with regards to basic training are.
Enough STRENGTH be able to prevent and control rotation, flexion and extension.
Okay ENDURANCE to allow the core muscles to perform their function effectively for a long period of time.
- Isolation to Integration
Believe it or not, running has been plagued by the bodybuilding industry for years! Runners have become convinced that to get stronger they must isolate muscles to make them bigger or stronger.
It is important that as runners you do not lose sight of the fact that the body knows the movement, not the muscles. Bodybuilders train with the specific goal of making a certain muscle bigger, which for them is good exercise. However, for brokers this is not the case, Always remember the muscular subsystems in play when training your core for running.
There are times when isolation exercises can be beneficial for runners, these are the types of exercises you should implement during the stabilization phase of core training to ensure all your core muscles are strong and “awake”. You must remember that to achieve optimal results with an isolation exercise, adequate time must be spent training the muscles to contribute to a functional movement pattern, and in running terms, this means integrating the muscle into one of the 4 muscle subsystems .