Core Work

Having a strong core is crucial to having good form in running. Your core consists mainly of your abs and back muscles. A strong core allows you to keep your back straight when your tired instead of being hunched over. And besides having a sexy six pack, strong abs help you pick your body pick up your feet when your tired and will keep you in a slightly leaning forward position while running.



Some of the most familiar core exercises are sit-ups and crunches. These are great to do, but not always enough to get the full effect of a workout. Depending on where you are at in your level of fitness depends on how much you need to do of each exercise. I would consider myself as very fit because I have been doing core work for over 4 years and have increased to a large amount of exercises. My regular core work involves 60 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 50 V-ups (lay on your back and bring your legs to your chest and your chest to your legs to where you make a V shape with your body), 20 push-ups, 30 Bench-press crunches (crunches where your hands are vertical to the ground and you push upward while doing the crunches), 30 crunches with my legs in the air, 15 push-ups, 20 large and small Switches (lay on your back and move your legs in a scissor-like motion), and a 1 min - 2 min Bridge (also called plank, where you are in a push-up like position, but your elbows are on the ground with your forearms supporting them. If you hold this position with good form you will feel your muscles straining to hold up your body). This takes me about 10 min to complete and I do this anywhere from 2 - 5 days a week and sometimes do diffrent variations.

For beginners I would start out with 20 Sit-ups, 5 push-ups, 10 V-ups, 5 push-ups, 20 regular crunches, 5 push-ups, and a 30 second bridge. Do this 3 times a week. I would not increase reps until you become comfortable (feels tired but not exhausted) at this amount. Once comfortable, slowly increase to where your body struggles and stay there till your body becomes comfortable then repeat the process.

If you find yourself in the middle between beginner and advanced, start with 35 Sit-up, 10 push-ups, 30 V-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 bench-press crunches, 15 cruches with legs in the air, 10 push-ups, 10 Switches, 45 second Bridge. Do this 3 - 4 days a week.

Very soon I will post a much more detailed explaination of the exercises with pictures so it will be easier to understand.

5 Weeks To A 5K For Intermediates

If your a moderately experienced runner and want to start competing and try dipping your feet into the 5K race, then this is a good guideline training plan for you. To be able to do this correctly, you have to be able to run 5 miles comfortably. If you are yet there just work on slowly building your endurance by increasing your mileage no more than 10% per week and you will be at this level in no time.

This plan (by Chris Carmichael) will involve easy mileage, strides, core workouts, and Steady State runs.

Easy Mileage is running at about 60% intensity.

Strides are about 100 - 150 yards long or about (20 seconds). These are meant to be done hard and just a notch lower than a sprint. It is best to do these on a school track or football or soccer field.

Core Workouts involve strengthening your core muscles (i.e. abdominal region, lower back, etc.) For these work on push ups, sit ups, crunches and anything else you find helpful. Having a strong core is mandatory to become a faster runner.

Steady State Runs (SS) are intervals or runs at 70 - 80%. It is crucial that you take a 5 minute rest by jogging easy before starting the next interval.

Couch Potato to 5K

Just started running and not sure where to start? Well I'm hear to help. As a beginner you will find that getting into shape for distance running is the hardest part of running. This time period of about 2 -3 weeks will be hard because your body is not accustomed to the new stress that you are putting on your body (i.e. your body landing on concrete, the muscle fatigue, etc). In this time you might experience shin splints, knee pain, muscle soreness, and other minor pains. These will disappear once your body starts getting accustomed to the new level of stress (If you are still feeling pain or if you feel you have an injury, you should check out your shoes and see if they are proper running shoes, and if they are the right kind for you). After this you will find your training to be much easier and more enjoyable.

Here is an 8 week running plan that will get you from walking to running 2 miles comfortably. I will be basing this off a running plan by Amby Burfoot. Her plan has been proved to lose or maintain weight, and improve cholesterol, blood pressure, and insulin response. Make sure you follow this schedule how it is. If you miss a day or change up the training it can affect you negatively. Also do not push harder or longer than you are supposed to, this can exhaust your body for the following days. Make sure to schedule a time in the day to complete the exercise. If you don't have a time set out to do the exercise, it is very easy to come up with excuses about how you will do it later in the day. Usually this ends up with you not having enough time in the day to exercise and putting it off for the next day. I defiantly recommend trying to keep a log of your training. This will show you how you have improved and is a big motivator. Stick to the plan, find some motivation, and have fun getting into shape.

Wk	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Run & Walk Run 1 min Walk 2 min Repeat 10X	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 1 min Walk 2 min Repeat 10X	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 1 min Walk 2 min Repeat 10X	Run & Walk Run 1 min Walk 2 min Repeat 10X	Rest

Wk	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
2	Run & Walk Run 2 min Walk 1 min Repeat 10X	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 3 min Walk 1 min Repeat 7X Run 2 min	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 4 min Walk 1 min Repeat 6X	Run & Walk Run 4 min Walk 1 min Repeat 6X	Rest

Wk	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
3	Run & Walk Run 5 min Walk 1 min Repeat 5X	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 5 min Walk 1 min Repeat 5X	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run6 min Walk 1 min Repeat 4X Run 2 min	Run & Walk Run 6 min Walk 1 min Repeat 4X Run 2 min	Rest

Wk	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
4	Run & Walk Run 8 min Walk 1 min Repeat 3X Run 3 min	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 9 min Walk 1 min Repeat 3X	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 10 min Walk 1 min Repeat 2X Run 8 min	Run & Walk Run 11 min Walk 1 min Repeat 2X Run 6 min	Rest

Wk	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
5	Run & Walk Run 12 min Walk 1 min Repeat 2X Run 4 min	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 13 min Walk 1 min Repeat 2X Run 2 min	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 14 min Walk 1 min Repeat 2X	Run & Walk Run 15 min Walk 1 min Run 14 min	Rest

Wk	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
6	Run & Walk Run 16 min Walk 1 min Run 13 min	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 17 min Walk 1 min Run 12 min	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 18 min Walk 1 min Run 11 min	Run & Walk Run 19 min Walk 1 min Run 10 min	Rest

Wk	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
7	Run & Walk Run 20 min Walk 1 min Run 9 min	Run & Walk Run 20 min Walk 1 min Run 9 min	Run & Walk Run 22 min Walk 1 min Run 7 min	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 24 min Walk 1 min Run 5 min	Run & Walk Run 26 min Walk 1 min Run 3 min	Rest

Wk	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
8	Run & Walk Run 27 min Walk 1 min Run 2 min	Walk Run 20 min Walk 1 min Run 9 min	Run & Walk Run 28 min Walk 1 min Run 1 min	Walk Walk easy 30 min	Run & Walk Run 29 min Walk 1 min	Run & Walk Run 30 min	Rest