Total Body Workout
You're a runner, so you know
that you need strong legs. But what about the
rest of your body ? Is it time to get the dumb-bells
out ? It certainly is: "All runners can benefit
by adding some simple weight training exercises
to their training programme" says former
Olympic silver medallist Peter Elliott. "For
distance runners, weight training can help to
build up those vital endurance levels, and sprinters
need weights to stimulate the fast twitch fibres
and develop the explosive power that they need".
You don't need to be a top club
runner or elite athlete to get the benefits from
weight training, and you don't need to join a
gym - we've devised a weight training programme
using dumb-bells that will work for beginners
and more experienced athletes. So read on to find
out why you should dust off the dumb-bells and
get yourself in shape.
- Dumb-bells can give you a
total body workout - they're not just for building
up your biceps (although they will do this as
well!)
- There's no cheating with
dumb-bells: they will help to address any imbalances
by forcing both arms to do their fair share
of work.
- Dumb-bells can help to exercise
the smaller muscles and ligaments that some
weight machines miss out.
- The wider range of motion
that dumb-bells can give can help to build more
muscle strength and in a shorter time: many
trainers believe that negative training (the
part of the exercise where you lower the weight)
can deliver quicker gains, and dumb-bells are
ideal for this.
Now that you're convinced
of the benefits, you can get going with our simple
training guide featured below. We'll be developing
the training advice on offer, so keep clicking
onto onrunning.com to find out more. But for now,
make sure you take a moment to read these tips
before you start:
- Form
is the key - use slow, controlled movements
to get the most out of each exercise
- Perform
2 sets of each exercise. Use a level of weight
that ensures that your last few reps of each
second set require some effort. Once this becomes
easy, gradually up the weight.
- Rest
between sets
- Most
importantly, take proper advice from health
professionals if you have any queries over an
injury that you're carrying or are unsure of
how to perform any exercise.
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