Ignoring strength training puts you at risk for injury and limits your progress. Strengthening your legs and core are key ways to ensure that your muscles are capable of performing longer and at greater speeds. (It also helps tighten things up and what girl doesn’t want that?)

Often times runners ignore strengthening their hamstrings and quad muscles. This is a mistake in that you may be forcing your knees and lower back to do more work than they should. Incorporating strength training is really easy and can be done fairly quickly at the end of a run and it’s totally kid-friendly. I often let Adeline roam around while I do a quick leg and core workout after a run. The best place for this is Crystal Springs, where it’s relatively “caged” in. Here are some ideas for strengthening moves. Click on the link below for a video tutorial on how to perform the exercises. 

LEGS

Walking lunges: Start off with 24. When this become easy, start adding 10 jump lunges after a set of 24. 

Squats: Start off with 24. When this becomes easy, add 20 jump squats after a set of 24. 

Heel raises: Start off with 24. When this becomes easy, move to doing 24 on each leg. 

One legged bridges: Start off with 15 on each leg. When this becomes easy buy a stability disk and place it under the heel you are pushing off on. 

CORE

Crunches: Start off with 50. When this becomes easy try adding 10 full sit ups on the end.   

Leg raises: Start off with doing 20 by alternating legs that you drop. When this becomes easy , drop both legs together to the ground.

Windshield wipers: Start off with 20. When this becomes easy, you can tuck a ball underneath your legs.