Runners don’t spend much time thinking about the strength in their Arms. And why should they – in the end, it’s their legs that count…so runners don’t need to work out their upper body, right?

Wrong! While we do rely on the strength of our legs in a race, having strong arms and a strong core will not only keep us upright moving forward, it can also mean the difference in the final push towards the finish line.

Our arms provide additional thrust, catapulting us forward. Strong arms, shoulders and core are particularly important for running uphill. Standing tall and using our arms as leverage to get us up those hills are essential!

According to Herwig Natmessnig, a sport scientist and former professional athlete, and currently a writer with Runtastic.com,

Naturally, strong leg muscles are crucial for running fast, but many runners underestimate the importance of upper body strength for good running performance. The abdominal and back muscles play an important role in stabilizing your upper body. A weak core leads to compensatory movements, thus decreasing your forward propulsion. A strong upper body is essential for guaranteeing an efficient transfer of energy from your body to your legs. Without this, the proper arm technique cannot provide optimal support to your legs. An efficient running form helps you to run faster and expend less energy.

Now is a good time to talk about arm swing too…the right arm technique makes your running form efficient. However, you can’t run with optimal form until you build up your upper body, which includes your shoulders, arms and core!

The proper way to hold your arms when running:

• Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle or less
• Let your arms swing loosely in the direction in which you are running (your arms should not cross the centerline)
• Keep your hands relaxed with your palms facing inward. Your thumb and index finger should be touching lightly
• Focus on pushing your elbows back rather than pulling them forward

Next time you go for a run (hopefully today), think about your arms. How do you hold them? Are they hanging uselessly by your side? Do they cross your body, expending extra energy that does not promote forward motion? Are your arms and shoulders relaxed or hunched up and tensed? (I’m so guilty of tensed up arms and shoulders!) Do you use your arms to help push you forward by driving your elbows backwards?

These are just a few things you can think about and work on while your running to help you develop a more efficient running form.

An additional benefit to a strong core: Well-developed abs and back muscles help protect your spine from the impact of running. A strong core is essential for minimizing the risk of injury!

The best exercises for building up your stabilizing muscles (pelvic, abdominal and back muscles) are complex total body exercises like planks, push-ups and burpees.

Burpees…..yes we should do some of those this month… 🙂

Final reason we should work on our upper body strength? Because no matter how you look at it….

STRONG IS SEXY!

Day 5 exercises: 2-3 sets of 10

• Mountain Climbers
• Weighted Russian Twists
• Crocodile Rows
• Crouching Hover Plank – :60

Bonus: BURPEES and Push ups! Add 2-3 sets of 10 burpees and 10 push ups with today’s workout! Your push ups can be done from your knees, on a bench up against a wall, whatever is best for you. Break the burpees and push ups into smaller sets if you need to but work them in today. I can hear the grumbling from here…that’s ok…grumble through them and get it done Crew!

---

Quick Morning Workout: Everyday y’all! 🙂

---

Negative Pull Ups: Don’t forget to add these in 3-5 reps. These are a great way to build arm and shoulder strength! Check back with on July Challenge main page for a reminder on how to do these properly.

---

Speed Work: If you ran a race yesterday, THAT is your speed work for this week. You do not need to additional speed work after a race, unless you just ran for fun and didn’t push the pace….then you can still throw in a speed work day. This weeks speed work can be found on Monday’s daily post. Click here and scroll down for the workout.

---

Day 5 “how to” videos: Not sure how to do today’s exercises? Watch the videos below for the proper form to get the most out of each exercise and to avoid injury!

Mountain Climbers: Mountain climbers are great total body exercise. You are going to be utilizing your core because you are starting from a plank position. Your shoulders have to stabilize your upper body. Your triceps have to work isometrically to keep you in place. And then you are gonna be moving your legs, so you are getting some work in the hip-joint. And also because you are usually doing them pretty quickly, it becomes a very cardiovascular type movement.

Weighted Russian Twists: Take your medicine ball, lean back, you should already feel the contraction in the abs, and then you’re just going to tap the ball from side to side. Bring the legs up for a greater burn.

Crocodile Rows: The Crocodile Row exercise works your back, shoulders, biceps, and abs. Please watch the video to avoid someone making fun of you at the gym….Pam, Sharon and MJ… 😉

Crouching Hover Plank: The crouching hover plank is an isometric exercise that trains the abdominal muscles and strengthens our core. If you are new to planks, hold the move for :10 – :15 take a break then do it again. Breaking it into sets is a great way to build up strength and works towards being able to hold it for longer.

Gotta keep it short today since we are up at St. Simons Island for the 4th of July holiday for the Sunshine Festival 5K. I’m not running…just here to cheer on Chad and everyone else running! 🙂

No bonus today but make time to get in our Day 4 workout, the Quick Morning Workout and your negative pull ups! Get up and get it out of the way early so you can have guilt free fun with friends and family!

Day 4 exercises: 2-3 sets of 10

• Squat Jacks
• Lunge Series – Multi-directional Lunges – 2-3  times per direction per leg
• One legged Bridge Lift
• :60 Wall Sit

---

Quick Morning Workout:

---

Speed Work: This week’s speed work can be found in Monday’s post. Click here and scroll  down for the workout and pacing guidelines.

---

Day 4 “how to” videos:

Squat Jacks: Squat Jacks burn a high number of calories and and strengthen and tone our lower body!

---

Lunge Series – Multidirectional Lunges – 2-3 per direction per leg

---

One Legged Bridge Lift: Lie flat on the floor on your back. Bring your feet close to your glutes. Raise your hips as high as you can. Keep core drawn in as well as your glutes contracted. Make sure you keep your back straight during the entire exercise.

---

Wall Sit: How long can you hold your wall sit? If you can go past :60 hold it longer!

Monday’s are usually the busiest days of the week. Back to work, to being pulled in many directions, to having our day go by so quickly taking care of the needs of others that we don’t find the time to do what we need for ourselves.

According to a study done by the Harvard Business Review,

“The more time that adults spent taking care of themselves, the better were the emotional and physical health of their children.”

It’s easy to ignore ourself because the only one to whom we’re accountable is ourself. With intense pressures to meet the expectations of people around us at work, at home, and in the community we’re naturally inclined to give yourself the short end of the stick.

Focusing time and attention on ourself is too quickly construed as being selfish, so we’re likely to feel guilty. While it might seem noble in the short term to sacrifice your own needs, over time it’s a recipe for burnout.

Think about how you’re more likely to perform better at work and at home if you get a full night’s rest, exercise regularly, eat well,  go for a run, do yoga…the things that rejuvenate and restore you.

Not Enough Time or Not Enough Will?

“I want to get into shape, but I don’t have time to workout.”

This is one of the biggest lies that we tell ourselves. The truth is that you do have time.

What you are really saying is 1 of 2 things:

1. 1. You don’t have the willpower to do it.
   2. You are putting something else before your exercise.

You can tell yourself that you don’t have time to workout… But, what you are really saying is that something else is more important than your health.

Even in your busy life, you can find time to exercise. You may have to get creative or sacrifice something else,  but you can fit that workout into your day.

Reasons Why You DO Have Time To Workout:

1. You May Have to Get Up Early  – Many people tell themselves that they don’t have time in their day, yet they have the same amount of time as everyone else. You may have to use that time differently. It may require you to get up early to fit in your workout. You can be an early bird.
2. First Thing in the Morning – The best time to workout is first thing in the morning. It gets your day moving. (Literally!) When you do your most important things first, it empowers you all day long. You will feel great starting your workday knowing that you have already done your workout.
3. It Doesn’t Have to Be a Long Workout – Some use the excuse that working out takes too long. However, consistency is more important that duration when you are starting out. Short intense workouts are better than long effortless ones.
4. Working Out Increases Your Productivity – Often, I hear the people use the excuse that if they workout, then they will be too tired for their day. Well, you may be hurting for a time, especially if you have not been exercising for a while. However, you will pass the point that your workouts actually energize and improve everything else in your day.
5. You Don’t Have to Go to the Gym – Why not workout at home? Or simply go outside for a run or walk? Sometimes the simplest answer is best (and quickest.)
6. Just Do It, Even When You Don’t Want To – The most important way to ensure you have time to workout, is to do it even when you don’t want to. Those are the days that you need to prove your willpower. You are stronger than you think. Push yourself, especially when you don’t feel like it.

Make the Effort

You do have the time to workout. Like everything else, you have to decide that it is a priority. The rewards are tremendous. Better health. Increased productivity. More self-confidence. You have to ask yourself,

“How badly do I want it? Will I make time to be good to myself today?

Day 3 exercises: 2-3 sets of 10 

• Squat to Overhead Press
• Dumbbell Reverse Lunge with Front Raise
• 100 Jump Rope or Jumping Jacks
• :60 Side Planks – each side

Bonus: Quick Morning Workout, Negative Pull Up Challenge

We’re starting out slow and not adding anything additional. Let’s get through these first few days and get into the swing of our daily commitments before we add more! For more info on the Negative Pull Up Challenge click here and scroll down for the challenge info.

Quick Morning Workout: No matter if you workout first thing in the morning, or later in the day, this quick morning workout will get you moving and give you a little extra energy to start your day.

---

Speed Work: We have some new members this month so I want to take a minute to chat about why speed work is important. Yes, it helps us get faster…but that’s not all it’s good for!

The simple reasons you should incorporate speed work into your training:

1. It improves your running economy. Shorter, faster repeats train your body to burn less fuel while going further. It’s like getting better gas mileage for your legs. When you run faster in your speed workouts, you get more efficient at running. Speed work helps us reduce how much energy we burn and increases the speed that you remove waste products from your muscles. By running at faster speeds, you become more efficient at running at slower speeds!
2. Increase aerobic capacity or VO2Max, which is a combination of maximum oxygen uptake and your body’s ability to process the oxygen to muscles where it’s needed to burn glycogen and fat for energy. Speed work helps us learn how to breathe more effectively through though workouts!
3. Improve anaerobic threshold (AT) or lactate threshold (LT), which determines pace at which you go into the anaerobic zone and lactic acid begins to build up in your muscles, which causes fatigue and reduces muscle fluidness.
4. It breaks up the boredom. While just getting in the miles is important, it’s fun to get in some speed, knowing it will make you faster overall.
5. Short, fast repeats allow you to insert some volume of running at a pace that is significantly faster than race pace. If your goal is a 9:00/mile, you’ll do workouts at 8:10-8:50/mile, which allows 9:00 to feel easier!

If you are new to our Crew, new to speed work or aren’t sure if it’s right for you, watch for some others in the group who have put aside their nerves (yes, speed work can cause anxiety) and learned how to embrace the suck. It does get easier…and you get faster. It works but you have to take the leap and just do it!

The Workout:

• 1-2 mile warm up @ easy pace
• 400 meters (1/4 mile) x 4 @ 10% faster then 5K pace
• 800 meters (1/2 mile) x 2 @ 5% 10K pace
• 400 meters (1/4 mile) x 4 @ 10% faster then 5K pace
• 1-2 mile cool down @ easy pace

Pacing guidelines: Know your current pace. This needs to be a current (within last 1-2 months) 5K or a 10K race or run where you pushed yourself like you would in a race situation. If you’re not sure what pace you should be running, please reach out to me and let’s chat!

---

Day 3 “how to” videos:

Squat to Overhead Press: The squat and the overhead press are two power-house moves that hit big fat- torching muscles like your glutes, quads, and shoulders.

---

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge with Front Raise: This dumbbell lunge simultaneously works your legs, glutes, arms and shoulders to sculpt a stronger, leaner body.

---

Jump Rope without rope: If you don’t have a jump rope and don’t like jumping jacks, you can still do this exercise and get your heart rate up. Watch the video below to see how to jump rope,,,,without a rope!

---

Side Planks: Planks are among the best abdominal workouts and the side plank is a great way to work your obliques.

There is A LOT of info here. Don’t get overwhelmed! break it down into manageable pieces and make it work for you.

Plan your week in advance so you know when you will get in your important workouts. But most of all…be good to yourself!

We don’t workout to be skinny….we workout to be healthy, fit and strong!

We want to live in our “house” and feel good in our own skin. It’s not a fad or a trend…it’s a lifestyle.

We’re starting with the weekend so it’s time for our long runs, yoga, swimming, biking, playing outside with the kids, or whatever it is you like to do for active recovery. A few things to remember….

1. Post today with your July Challenge commitments – What are you committing to? Your options: Quick Morning Workout, Negative Pull Up Challenge, Global 5K Challenge and Monthly Miles Challenge are your “extra” options. Write them down on a note to yourself, take a picture of that note and where it is placed, and post it!
2. Make sure you have your buddy ready – If you are shy or just don’t know who to choose, reach out to me and I will help pair you up.
3. Print out the July 2017 Challenge Calendar and the Quick Morning Workout and put it with your daily reminder note.
4. GO FOR A RUN! – Go get some miles and start the month off with a BANG! 🙂

Day 1 exercises:

• Warm up with Hip Hurdles (see below for the video tutorial) and a brisk walk or easy jog
• Long Run
• :60 Wall Sit
• 7 Key Stretches for Runners

---

Day 2 exercises: Active Recovery – Active Recovery is described as anything that gets you moving but is done easy and in a short time period. After a tough long run, you should not be adding another heavy or tough workout. Keep it short and sweet and just focus on stretching out those sore muscles and getting them moving. You can choose a Yoga option from below, go for a swim, a bike ride, or do some other form of cross training that mimics the running motion.

• Yoga for Runners – “Unknot Yourself”
• Yoga for Runners – “Tight Hips and Legs”
• Yoga Poses for Runners

---

Hip Hurdles or “hurdle drills” – Everyone knows they should do a warm up before they head out for a run, but we often forget, so this month I will remind you as often as possible. In June, we added the “Hip Hurdles” exercise which is a perfect way to open up our hips and get them ready to go long, so we are incorporating them into our routine before EACH run.

Here’s a reminder about how to do the Hip Hurdles or “hurdle drills – these drills do not require a hurdle. Just imagine a hurdle and get those hips moving!