Runners and Triathletes:
Top Three Exercise For Peak Performance
Hi! I am Jamie Atlas and here are three top exercises for peak performance. If we think about the running movement, the running movement can be broken down into a phase of pulling and pushing. That is we are pulling with one arm as we push through with the other arm to create rotation through the upper body, which helps to propel our body forward as our legs move one over the other.
In this case, we are looking at a one-arm pull movement. I am pulling the bend in towards my ribs, touching lightly in the ribs with rotation through the upper body. Notice that the right arm is pulling as the left foot is forward, and of course vice versa, the right foot would be forward if we were pulling with the left arm. In this case you are seeing the push movement of run. You can see there is again rotation through the upper body.
We include rotation with this exercise because as we run we have rotation through the core. We can teach our core to be strong in a static position, but for running it would be more important for us to teach core to be strong through a dynamic position.
Again we are pushing with the right hand with the left foot forward, and of course vice versa, we would be pushing with the left hand with the right foot forward. Notice also that as we pull and as we push we are standing tall with a neutral spine, knees are bent, body is tall, neck is in a neutral stance. What's important to remember is that as we run we are doing this push and pull movement, but also in the lower body we are moving one leg at a time. That is one leg is landing as the other leg is coming through to land subsequently after that.
What you are seeing right now is an excellent exercise for working one glute at a time. If we do an exercise that works two glutes at the same time, then that is an excellent exercise, but not necessarily excellent for teaching us to be better runners. Not necessarily excellent for us to learn how to use that glute, how to use that whole body through a running movement.
Again, you can see that the lower back is straight and if we have the right foot forward that we are leaning forward with a left hand. Also note the back toe position. Currently we have 95% of that weight on that front foot, spread evenly throughout the foot keeping the back straight, we still have rotation through the upper body and there are three exercises there.
Again, breaking the upper body into a pull or push movement, to have our upper body propel our body forward, but also to oscillate one glute at a time will really help us to get better running and to be better at the action of running. If you like more information, please go to my blog.
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