Need a simple running resolve to keep you going? Discover how training your body’s strength rather than your muscles is an easy and efficient way to prevent injuries and improve your running and athletic performance.
One of the reasons running is so satisfying is because of the immediate feedback you get from your progress. If you put in the time and effort to improve your training and running habits, you can continually set new personal records.
Sadly, running injuries frequently disrupt otherwise consistent training. Injuries are common in athletes because their bodies aren’t yet functionally robust enough to withstand the demands of their training.
Strength training is a great approach to complement your training and break the injury cycle. The fundamentals of running efficiency and control may be built with simple, accessible bodyweight workouts. Each of these elements is crucial if you want to maintain your health and improve your running performance, two goals shared by all runners.
Dr. Victoria Sekely, this week’s guest, may seem familiar to regular podcast listeners. For Episode 135 of the podcast, recorded in April of 2020, I was joined by a running coach, certified strength and conditioning expert, and doctor of physical therapy.
Before attending New York University to earn her doctorate in physical therapy, Victoria competed on Georgetown University’s varsity tennis team. She understands our desire to train on roads and trails rather than in the gym because she runs herself. However, as a physical therapist, she knows the immense benefit of developing and keeping a routine of even 20 minutes of strength exercise twice weekly.
How to Maintain Physical Discipline, by Victoria Sekely
Victoria highlights the fact that strength training teaches us something we rarely consider as runners: control. Strength training allows us to take things at a slower pace, pay more attention, and be more attentive of how our bodies are moving, rather than attempting to force improvements to our running form. In the long term, that should lead to greater efficiency and strength when running.
In this episode, we dive deep into bodyweight training, covering a wide range of topics that are relevant to every runner.
- When and how to begin strength training.
- Prehab and rehabilitation:
- Tips for incorporating progression into your bodyweight workout
- Here’s why working out with nothing but your body may improve your athletic performance.
- The positive effects of attentive exercise on your body
- Five of Victoria’s favorite functional strength-training routines
The combination of Victoria Sekely’s wit and expertise makes for a lively and enlightening conversation.
