General Conditioning for Runners

In the previous piece I provided a number of ways for developing qualities specific to a race. However, specific training is too tiring to perform on a daily basis and may not work on your strengths and weaknesses.

This brings me to general training. General training provides a foundation for specific training thereby allowing us to handle higher volumes of specific training in later phases. The most general training we can perform is to enhance movement quality, which consists of mobility and stability work. The next level involves training the general qualities of running: endurance, speed, and strength. This piece will focus on endurance or general conditioning. While general conditioning can take the form of any exercise(s) that elevate your heart rate for a considerable time I’ll be sticking solely to discussing running workouts.

Option 1: Short to moderate length runs at a low intensity. Training at 55-75% of maximum heart rate comprises over 80% of the training time of elite athletes across all endurance sports (Seiler and Tonnessen, 2009). According to Ultimate MMA Conditioning by Joel Jamieson (2009) these sessions develop the aerobic system by increasing mitochondrial density and capillarization of the slow twitch fibres and by increasing the volume of the left ventricle in the heart.

Paula Radcliffe was known for running regular 150 mile weeks

Option 2: Long Runs. Long runs develop the ability to use a higher percentage of fat as a fuel source in addition to achieving the benefits from option 1. While it was once thought that runs of roughly two hours or more recruited fast twitch muscle fibres this is no longer the case. It’s now believed that the FT fibres convert their glycogen stores to lactate and transport them to slow twitch fibres where the lactate is used as a fuel source. Regardless, long runs have some positive adaptations to fast twitch muscle fibres. The long run is necessary for competing in the marathon and half marathon, but its use at shorter distances – especially the middle distances – has been debated. Developing the ability to burn fat at a high rate interferes with the ability to burn glycogen at a high rate. It’s usually better to stick to higher weekly mileage in this case than to have a long run. Still, one of the greatest 800 m runners of all time Peter Snell was well noted for running 22 milers.

            800-1500m: 60-90 min

            5km-HM: 90-120 min

            Marathon: 2-3 hours

Option 3: Easy Runs with Variations. This is a fun way to spice up an easy run. By adding in some faster running for very short durations you can make an easier transition to harder training in later phases. I now use this method for most runs in my introductory phase of two to four weeks. These workouts can also be used in later phases so long as you can recover for harder workouts. All of these options work regardless of the event you’re training for; this is after all general training.

            15sec at 1500m pace every 3-5min

            25sec at 3000m pace every 3-5min

            30sec at 5km pace every 3-5min

            45sec at 10km pace every 3-5min

            3-5 x 30sec hill repeats at 5km pace

            The last 5-15min of a run done gradually faster

Option 4: Run/Walk. I use to laugh at the idea of taking a walk break in the middle of an easy run until I realized it was a great way to come back from an injury. By running at a faster pace for a brief period and then taking a walk break I could elevate my heart rate to 120-150 bpm for an hour without too much stress on my legs. In recent months I’ve become fascinated with the methods of Mihaly Igloi who back in the 1950s trained Olympic medalists and world record holders through daily interval training. He would have his runners run for distances of 100-400 m with short jogs and walk breaks thereby elevating the heart rate to above 120 bpm for three hours.

1-3min comfortably hard with a walk or jog break until your heart rate drops to 120 bpm for the same length as an average easy run

Option 5: Cross Training. Joel Jamieson’s book that I referenced above is an excellent source for developing the energy systems through a variety of methods. If you’re frequently injured, currently injured, or coming back from an injury his book is a fantastic resource.  

Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt

Pratt's Pro Fitness

Preventing Hamstring Strains

Hamstring strains are a common sports injury. So far the research has focused mostly on hamstring strengthening exercises, however I believe that maintaining healthy hamstrings requires a multifactorial approach. In order to prevent hamstring injuries one should work on strength, flexibility, posture, and motor control.

Derek Redmond at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona was a favourite in the 400 m until injuring his hamstring in the semi-final.

According to a recent review all hamstring strains occur during high speed running (Guex and Miller, 2013). While there is some debate over which part of the running stride the injury occurs, Guex and Miller focused their discussion around injuries during the terminal swing phase of the running stride. The terminal swing phase occurs when the lead leg is swinging back toward the body in preparation for ground contact. During this phase the hamstrings are contracting at their fastest while being elongated by 9-12%.

The aftermath of a medial hamstring tear

Hamstring Strength Exercises

Guex and Miller (2013) suggest that the key to avoiding hamstring strains is to perform hamstring exercises at greater than 80% load from about 80 degrees hip flexion. They realize that this is difficult to do in practice, so combining a variety of hamstring exercises may suffice. Some good choices are variations of the deadlift (both bilateral and unilateral), hamstring curl, and pull-through.

The Romanian Deadlift trains the hip extension function of the hamstrings and glutes. This exercise should only be performed with instruction from a qualified trainer.

The Valslide Leg Curl trains the hip extension and knee flexion function of the hamstrings with the glutes extending the hips.   

Glute Strength Exercises

Another viewpoint comes from the works of Vladimir Janda and Shirley Sahrmann. Janda said, “He who treats the site of pain is often lost.” Sahrmann said, “When a muscle is injured, look for the weak synergist.” Both concluded that a weak gluteus maximus led to hamstring dominance. Thus, no matter how strong the hamstrings are they could become strained if the glutes aren’t assisting with hip extension.

The idea of weak glutes coincides with my own experiences. My hamstrings used to be sore for several days after every Monday interval session in grade 12 XC running. Hamstring curls worked for a while, but it wasn’t until I began performing isolated glute training that I began to notice something more permanent. For glute training exercises check out my post The Importance of Developing the Glutes.

Tight Hamstrings

Having short or stiff hamstrings may also lead to hamstring strains. Before you go about overstretching your hamstrings though make sure they’re indeed short. Interestingly, my wife has tremendous flexibility, but her hamstrings often feel tight.

Tight Hip Flexors

Having shortened or stiff hip flexors inhibits the function of the glutes and anteriorly tilts the pelvis. This places both the glutes and hamstrings in a stretched position thereby decreasing their function. Stretching as well as foam rolling of the hip flexors can be performed.

Poor Posture

While muscle activity can have an effect on posture, posture can also have an effect on muscle activity. I won’t elaborate too much on how to use this method as I’ve just recently started performing postural drills on myself. If you have an anterior pelvic tilt, spending time in a neutral spine position can decrease the tension in the hip flexors while restoring it to the hamstrings and glutes. In addition, the hamstrings and glutes no longer have to work from that stretched position.

Poor Motor Control

Gray Cook – creator of the Functional Movement Screen – has done a lot to teach us about muscle coordination (i.e. motor control). When we develop an anterior pelvic tilt it causes us to shift our weight forward leaving us with the lower back, hamstrings, and/or calves feeling tight. This would give us a poor active straight leg raise and toe touch pattern. Fix the dysfunctional pattern and these muscles magically get longer.

Leg Lowering Progression (not sure why this wouldn't embed)

In summary, preventing hamstring injuries is a multifactorial approach involving strength, flexibility, posture work, and motor control training.

Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt

Pratt's Pro Fitness