If you've ever done long distance running for a LONG period of time, you have probably experienced some of the above symptoms. I see that this is your passion. You love the feeling of running because it gives you a sense of freedom and decompression from everything in your life. And this is just one overarching theme I see with a lot of runners I know. There are several reasons behind why one loves to run. It can be the feeling of being able to go anywhere and everywhere as you explore the world around you, it could be the sense of freedom you feel when you are out there, and it could even be the euphoric high that you receive after you have finished your session. This is great, but there are some nagging issues that are being neglected. As a result, your body is breaking down at the hands of your undying love of beating away at the ground.Now before I go on, this is NOT an anti-running blog post meant to steer you away from what you love to do. However, there are a lot of repercussions to performing a repetitive movement for long periods of time. This goes for any type of athlete/movement! A basketball player taking jumpers, football players enduring tackles, pitchers throwing constantly, power-lifters enduring large loads on on their body, and the list goes on.
There is a pattern that is occurring as you take one step after another on the running surface of your choice. You are overloading particular muscle groups, your nervous system and metabolic system are being taxed, and your hormonal system is under a lot of stress. It's just the nature of how the human body works under any stress for long periods of time. You do something over and over, it will often wear out. It's like the car that you drive for miles and miles, and eventually it needs repairs, replacements, adjustments, and constant checkups! What do you need? You need balance!
Ok now that I have prefaced you with this, lets address these issues.
Muscular Imbalances
If running is the only thing you do, you are setting yourself up for pain, discomfort, and other nagging issues. The first thing you have to realize is that this is all self-imposed. You don't have to continue to do it, but you do because you love to do it! I get that. However, just like a car wears out after you put miles and miles on it, so will your body if you don't take care of the whole system!
Your Glutes (your bum) and the muscles surrounding your hip get the shaft when running. So does your back, deep abdominal muscles, and postural muscles of the shoulders and neck. What you will commonly in unbalanced runners are a slew of these symptoms which can be called upper crossed and lower crossed syndrome.
From the diagram to your right, you can see all the muscles that get neglected and weak :( ! Poor guys....
And because there are muscles getting weak, opposing muscles have to tighten and spasm to hold your posture in alignment. A common mistake in a lot of runners is that they just stretch and foam roll their tight areas and continue running like they've done themselves a ton of good. That doesn't do jack sh*% about the underlying problem though! Your body is spasming because it wants to PULL you back into healthy alignment! It's saying STOP! Take care of me.
As this happens, your joints become subjected to stresses that should be taken up by your musculature. However, your body is simply just trying to keep itself in proper position. How is it supposed to protect your joints as well if you muscular strength is all over the place. Here's the truth: IT CAN'T! Not if you keep re-inforcing the same motor pattern of pounding away at the pavement! Say hello to injury :(.
Your Glutes (your bum) and the muscles surrounding your hip get the shaft when running. So does your back, deep abdominal muscles, and postural muscles of the shoulders and neck. What you will commonly in unbalanced runners are a slew of these symptoms which can be called upper crossed and lower crossed syndrome.From the diagram to your right, you can see all the muscles that get neglected and weak :( ! Poor guys....
And because there are muscles getting weak, opposing muscles have to tighten and spasm to hold your posture in alignment. A common mistake in a lot of runners is that they just stretch and foam roll their tight areas and continue running like they've done themselves a ton of good. That doesn't do jack sh*% about the underlying problem though! Your body is spasming because it wants to PULL you back into healthy alignment! It's saying STOP! Take care of me.
As this happens, your joints become subjected to stresses that should be taken up by your musculature. However, your body is simply just trying to keep itself in proper position. How is it supposed to protect your joints as well if you muscular strength is all over the place. Here's the truth: IT CAN'T! Not if you keep re-inforcing the same motor pattern of pounding away at the pavement! Say hello to injury :(.
What do you do about Imbalance?
So what the hell do you do first? Your first order of business is to lay off the running. Not completely, but you NEED to focus on strengthening the muscles that are SCREAMING for your attention. Glutes, deep and superficial abdominals, and your back and shoulders. Then stretch/foam roll/massage the muscles that are overly tight. Namely, your quads, calves, hip flexors, anterior shoulders/chest, and hamstrings.
After you have done this, begin to incorporate all planes of movement into your workouts. Your body is designed to move in multi-directional patterns. It will tell you when you are taking yourself away from it's natural state. If you are pulling, you better be pushing, If you are flexing you need to be extending, and If you are walking/running you better be squatting and lifting.
A good training regimen could look like this : 2 days a week of strength training/stretching (should be more like 3!), 3 days of running (one long run, and two medium runs), and 2 days dedicated to mobility/yoga/recovery/structural work! You.Will.Feel.Much.Better!
What exercises do I do?
I could sit here and list them all out but it would take forever. So I'm going to list some that I think should take utmost priority
Strength
1) Barbell Glute-hip bridges and all variations thereof
2) Deadlifts
3) Barbell back Squats and Front squats (If knees bother you, start with glute hip bridges)
4) Cable rows, Single arm rows, Y-Rows, Face-pulls
5) RKC Planks, Ab strap Knee raises, Stability ball pass backs
Mobility/ Flexibility/Pre-hab-Yoga is a great option. If not, here are some of my top ones to do
1) Lateral band walks
2) Single leg glute hip bridges
3) Hip flexor stretch
4) Split stance adductor stretch
5) Foam roll your IT-bands, quads, calfs, hip flexors, and ankles
6) Ankle dorsiflexion
Don't know what these look like? Youtube to the rescue! Look these up, and/OR find a trainer that can assist you and ensure proper form throughout all these movements (most recommended!).
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