Balance is a multifaceted, neuromuscular skill that involves multiple muscles working together to allow you to maintain stability on your feet. As a runner, it is important to have good balance because improved neuromuscular coordination enables improved overall body awareness and stability. Utilizing varying unstable surfaces (such as a BOSU) assists to [...]
Interested in starting a strength program? Where do you start? How heavy? How often? What volume? Research shows that untrained individuals can attain strength gains at 60% of their 1-rep max (1RM) when lifting 3x per week, performing 4 sets per muscle group; whereas, those that are more trained require a load to be [...]
A recent article examined two different methods (eccentric loading and heavy slow resistance training) for treating Achilles tendinopathy. What is Achilles tendinopathy? The Achilles tendon is located at the bottom of the calf inserting into the heel. Pain in this region can be described as a tendinitis, tendinosis, or tendinopathy. A tendinitis is an [...]
Shin splints can be a frustrating injury for runners, but here are some things research has told us about shin splints. What are shin splints? Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome) are an overuse injury to the tibia and its surrounding structures (i.e. connective tissue, muscles, etc.) due to repetitive stress, which causes an [...]
A recent article reviewed what comprises the core and how this could help low pain pain. What exactly is the core? The core is traditionally thought of as the abdominal muscles, but this suggests we should think of the core as the muscles from the shoulders to the pelvis. Why should I strengthen the [...]
A recent research study compared hip strengthening vs. knee strengthening program’s effect on patellofemoral pain. What is patellofemoral pain? Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is pain at the front of the knee, and is a very common complaint in people who repetitively load the knee (runners, jumping athletes). Which program had the best result? Good news [...]
It is not a big surprise that runners like to run. Due to the desire to get in more miles, we will typically not place emphasis on a designated time for strength and power training. However, this additional aspect of training is integral to becoming a stronger and more efficient runner. A systematic review [...]
Research shows that there is an appropriate ratio of acute vs. chronic load to determine risk of injury; it is referred to as acute chronic workload ratio (ACWR). The ratio is determined by the load (which can be thought of as mileage and intensity of running) over the course of one week compared to [...]
When you run, you need to withstand greater than 2.5x your body on each leg with each stride. Your body not only needs to tolerate this load, but it also needs to get off the ground quickly. Typically, a runner will only have each foot on the ground for less than 0.25 seconds; therefore, [...]
The concept of having good foot posture is similar to having good trunk posture. You need to be able to find neutral and know how to activate the "core" stabilizers. How do I find neutral foot? To find neutral foot it is helpful to find the extremes of pronation and supination. Pronation is the [...]
