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Marathon Training: Target Your Core
Posted on Jan 20th 2010 12:00PM by Joe DowdellFiled Under: Fitness, Your Personal Trainer: Joe Dowdell
I'm ran my last marathon in December. I'm planning on taking some time off before I get ready for one in April. How can I maintain my fitness without logging too many miles or hours in the gym?
As you are well aware, marathon training takes a tremendous toll on your body, so after the race I'd take several days to a week off completely from training. During that first week off, you should treat yourself to a massage, a couple of hot Epsom salt baths and some light stretching, which will all help in facilitating your recovery process.
After that week off, I would head back to the gym and start weight training. I'd stick to total body workouts (three times per week on non-consecutive days) and I would focus on building leg strength and core strength in particular. You could perform these workouts in a circuit-like manner and keep them to about 45 minutes in duration. As far as training your core, try adding in the following two exercises.
The Exercise Prescription: Mountain Climber. Perform three sets of 10-12 reps per side. Take two seconds to pull the knee towards the chest and 2 seconds to return to the start position. After completing the set rest for 60 seconds and repeat for two more sets.As far as training your core, I would add in the following two exercises:
How to do the move: Assume a push up position and make sure your arms are completely extended. Keep your shoulder blades slightly retracted and maintain that position throughout the entire set. Your body should form a straight line from head to ankles (picture 1).
Tighten your core and lift your left foot slightly off of the floor and slowly draw your knee toward your chest. Make sure that your lower back stays in a neutral to slightly Lordotic (inward) curve throughout the movement. Only bring your knee as far forward as you can while keeping your back in the same neutral position and your hips must stay level with the floor.Your foot should not touch the floor (picture 2). Reverse the movement and then return to the starting position. Continue to alternate legs.
Reverse the movement and then return to the starting position. Continue to alternate legs.
The Exercise Prescription: Bird Dog. Perform three sets of six to eight reps per side. Take one second to raise the arm and leg, hold for three to five seconds in the top position and take two seconds to return to the start position. Switch sides and repeat for this alternating process for the entire set. After completing the set rest for 60 seconds and repeat for two more sets.
Reverse the movement and return to the start position and switch to the right arm and left leg. Note: Make sure that your hips and shoulders stay level with the ground and that your spinal alignment does not change throughout the movement.
In addition, you could add in a couple of short interval training workouts on a indoor stationary bike on the days in between weight training sessions for several weeks in order to make sure you stay lean.
Finally, since you are not going to be expending as many calories as you were during marathon training, you should adjust your caloric intake accordingly, by reducing your carbohydrate intake in particular and you may want to add 5-10 grams of the supplement, L-Glutamine, to your daily regimen as it will help boost your immune system, which can get pretty taxed from all of that marathon training.
Also try out some of these new treadmill workouts to get toned!
Are you looking to get better results, or maybe you're just getting back into the gym? Send an email to personaltrainer [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com and Joe can answer all of your training questions!
As you are well aware, marathon training takes a tremendous toll on your body, so after the race I'd take several days to a week off completely from training. During that first week off, you should treat yourself to a massage, a couple of hot Epsom salt baths and some light stretching, which will all help in facilitating your recovery process.
After that week off, I would head back to the gym and start weight training. I'd stick to total body workouts (three times per week on non-consecutive days) and I would focus on building leg strength and core strength in particular. You could perform these workouts in a circuit-like manner and keep them to about 45 minutes in duration. As far as training your core, try adding in the following two exercises.
The Exercise Prescription: Mountain Climber. Perform three sets of 10-12 reps per side. Take two seconds to pull the knee towards the chest and 2 seconds to return to the start position. After completing the set rest for 60 seconds and repeat for two more sets.As far as training your core, I would add in the following two exercises:
How to do the move: Assume a push up position and make sure your arms are completely extended. Keep your shoulder blades slightly retracted and maintain that position throughout the entire set. Your body should form a straight line from head to ankles (picture 1).
Tighten your core and lift your left foot slightly off of the floor and slowly draw your knee toward your chest. Make sure that your lower back stays in a neutral to slightly Lordotic (inward) curve throughout the movement. Only bring your knee as far forward as you can while keeping your back in the same neutral position and your hips must stay level with the floor.Your foot should not touch the floor (picture 2). Reverse the movement and then return to the starting position. Continue to alternate legs.
Reverse the movement and then return to the starting position. Continue to alternate legs.
How to do the move: Assume a quadruped position, (i.e., On your hands and knees, with you knees directly under your hips; your palms flat on the floor, shoulder width apart and directly in line with your shoulders). Your thighs should be perpendicular to the floor and your knees should be bent to 90 degrees. You hips, shoulders and head should be in a straight line. Your lower back should be in a neutral to slightly Lordotic (curved inward) position (picture 3).
Brace your Abs and raise your left arm and right leg until they are in a straight line with your body. Hold for three to five seconds in the top position (picture 4). In addition, you could add in a couple of short interval training workouts on a indoor stationary bike on the days in between weight training sessions for several weeks in order to make sure you stay lean.
Finally, since you are not going to be expending as many calories as you were during marathon training, you should adjust your caloric intake accordingly, by reducing your carbohydrate intake in particular and you may want to add 5-10 grams of the supplement, L-Glutamine, to your daily regimen as it will help boost your immune system, which can get pretty taxed from all of that marathon training.
Also try out some of these new treadmill workouts to get toned!
Are you looking to get better results, or maybe you're just getting back into the gym? Send an email to personaltrainer [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com and Joe can answer all of your training questions!
