The #1 Skill You're Missing To Make Running Easier

hey runners fun fact did you know that running is actually a single leg sport huh i know kind of weird to think about but running is really just a series of falling and only having one leg to catch ourselves with every single step so this means if we really can't balance just on one leg while standing like this we're not gonna be the best runners we can be we can't initiate all those little muscles throughout the body that work together to keep us balanced half of the energy we use when running is for that propulsion that push-off phase the other half is for actually just keeping us balanced and stable so if we need to work extra hard on that balance portion of it we're not going to be able to push off as hard therefore we're not going to be able to go faster we're not going to be able to go longer and we're not going to be able to see those gains that we really should be seeing from running runners encounter so much different terrain when we go out for a run and look this doesn't only just apply to those trail runners who have rocks and roots but this applies to all runners you need to have that balance so that you can protect yourself from injury no matter what obstacles come in your way that means we need to be able to react quickly confidently and fluidly over this ever-changing terrain because any instability that we have in a standing static position is going to be magnified tenfold when we get out and start running and moving dynamically so let's go over some exercises that are not only going to boost your confidence and coordination while out for a run but is going to help boost your brain health as well if you guys are just starting out with adding in some balance strength exercises into your training we're gonna work with a stable base first now one of the best exercises that you can do is just by standing on one foot but we're going to spice it up a little bit now when i get ready to do these exercises i want to remember to do a few things first first that core is going to be turned on tight core strength is a huge part of being balanced literally your core just isn't your abs here your core is all the way around here so that's doing a huge job in keeping me stable so i want to squeeze that belly button in keep a nice tight core then with my feet i know you can't see them down here yet but what we're gonna do is think about spreading out those toes creating a nice stable base i'm gonna also have a slight bend in the knee when i do this so core on tight foots ready knees bent i'm just gonna pick my knee up to my chest now this is challenging enough okay cool i just stay here work on that remember to keep breathing see if i can hold this for 30 seconds if you like i need a little bit more what we're going to do is just bring that leg out straight we're adding weight further away from body which is going to add the challenge into this i can also bring the hands out to the side still keeping that core on nice and tight i can do this for 30 seconds then i can move on to bring my leg out to the side adding a little bit of motion in there bringing my leg back as you can see i'm still looking straight at you guys because i need to look at a stable place when i do this now adding in a real challenge here is oh man i'm going to try to do if i close my eyes nope we're going down once you're ready to move on from that stable surface we're gonna move on to an unstable surface so i'm gonna be using my little balance board for this as you can see nice flat surface and on the back it's got that little ball it's gonna give me that nice unstable surface that i'm looking for and if you don't have something like this that is totally okay you can diy your own by simply just stacking up a couple pillows on top of each other and as you saw me fall just a second ago i suggest doing this in a place with a nice cushiony ground so that you can fall on something while you're learning the techniques so we're going to get on this guy here and see what we got okay so same thing goes just as we were doing while we were practicing that single leg balance i'm going to be keeping this core on super tight setting up here before i start i'm thinking about keeping those toes nice and spread out and a slight bend on my knees remember to keep breathing through it now i cannot do a single leg on this guy yet but if you have those pillows and they're stacked up on top of each other you can practice the single leg on that situation what i'm gonna go from here is i'm actually gonna try to get down in a squat situation once i have a little bit more balance here once again keeping that core on nice and tight coming off down as far as i can and working on going back up i'm really feeling all of the little muscles in my calves and around in my hips activate on this i know that they're really working here to help keep me balanced now because my cows get so tired with this i suggest trying this out for about 30 seconds giving those calves a nice little stretch move around a little bit take some deep breaths and hitting it again see if you can do that four or five times through with a nice little break in between so now we're going to practice even more of a dynamic workout because when we run we're moving right so we need to practice that balance while in motion so we're going to be doing a skater jump so i'm going to find that balance and i'm going to bound to one side landing on one foot right so i'm really focusing on the balancing and the landing here propelling myself and catching my balance bouncing back and forth i want to make sure that i come to a full proper land i don't want to just bounce back and forth because that's not really focusing on balance right i got it jump again so this is going to be the best way to practice not only balance and coordination but that lateral side to side movement this dynamic movement is really the best way to simulate actually running because we're practicing that falling catching ourselves getting that good position and then bouncing off and moving on quickly okay so i've talked a lot about incorporating your core and making sure that your core is turned on to help you with all of these balance exercises but if your core isn't strong enough to do that then where you have a bigger problem so honestly the best exercises that you can do to help strengthen your core while also working on balance is by getting into a plank okay i'm making sure to tuck that tailbone underneath when i'm here and as you can see when i just picked up my hand to uh tuck my hair behind my ear the rest of my body didn't move right so that is practicing that stability within the core because if my core is not turned on if i go like this to move my arm i'm gonna dip my hip down to the side or i'm gonna tip it to the other side right so one thing you can do is shoulder taps here practicing transferring that weight i'm really pressing down into this leg when this hand comes up to the opposing sides so i'm putting a lot of weight right here in this hand and both of my feet tapping each side practicing my body not shifting around back and forth as you can see something like this or arm raises up in front of you when we do this we are strengthening our core to resist that rotation so when we're running along we don't want to shift side to side right we want to be nice and straight we're practicing resisting that side to side twisting motion just like we would when we're running honestly one of my favorite ways to work on my balance is what i'm doing right now and that is getting on the trails you know go find yourself some nice technical terrain as you can see like this because if you can stay balanced out on the trails where you are have to be hyper focused that'll translate really well over to the road and look if you don't have a trail that's as technical as this find the gravel pathway gravel road cobblestone just that little bit of unevenness is really going to help with that balance coordination and agility and all those things really come together i'm also working on my core strength while doing this because i need to stay upright while going up here so if you can stay balanced and up right here then you should have no problem staying nice and balanced while running on the road i have to be really quick on my feet because any wrong misstep could you know lead to a fall or a twisted ankle so even just practicing this at a slower pace but working way up getting that confidence out here is really going to be beneficial a lot of times our lack of balance actually comes from [Music] our feet so if you want to work on strengthening your feet i have a whole video right over here so go ahead and check that out next so you can stay balanced on your next run see you in there

Channel: The Run Experience

Views: 209,406

Keywords: the run experience, running training, distance running tips, how to run faster, beginner running, half marathon, distance running, trail running, 5k

Id: T7FFHlsCy1o

Length: 8min 48sec (528 seconds)

Published: Mon May 31 2021