ENGAGING YOUR CORE
This is an exercise that requires active participation from you mentally and will take time to ingrain, but don't worry, it will eventually become second nature.
So you've been strengthening your core and its helping you stay injury free. However, to make the most out of your new found strength, you need to engage your core while running.
The easiest way to do this is through visualization. While running you want an upright posture that comes from your hips all the way through to the top of your head. You don't want to 'stretch' through the top of your head, you just want to feel tall. You should lean forward ever so slightly and tuck your hips beneath your lower back. This may sound hard to do, and it is, I didn't find it easy to do until I started doing yoga.
Contract your abs and lower back slightly and notice what happens to your legs. This is where visualization comes into play. You want to try and keep your torso above your legs beneath so that they have less weight to carry as they pound the pavement.
Visualize your body floating above your legs and your legs are left to simply spin beneath your hips, kind of like those of a cartoon character (view above). This is not what it will look like, but in order to engage your core and minimize the wear on your legs, visualizing it will help immensely. By engaging (actively contracting) your abs and back you can improve your running efficiency, reduce the likelihood of injury and in turn, be the best runner you can be!
Looking for a core workout to start strengthening yourself? Check out the one I currently do: My New Early Morning Core Workout
Thanks for this! Just what I was looking for :)
ReplyDelete