Strength Training for Runners to do on your Run - 5 minute routine

5 strength drills to do on your run. Let's go! Hi everybody, my name is Ben Parks, 236 marathoner and ultra runner. What I want to talk to you today about is strength and conditioning drills and routines that we can build into our run. So if you're really struggling for time during the week and you're worried you're not getting your strength work in there, these are things you can do mid-run, just a stop for 5 or 10 minutes to build it in. So you're not having to worry about the stress and everything when you're trying to build that into your week later on when you don't have much time. So yeah, these are things that I do. I find them really useful. Again, if I'm really time poor, I build them into my usual routine when I'm out doing a run in the park or wherever. One thing you're going to need for this is a bench for a few of them. So yeah, if you know there's a bench in the local area, then try and get to about halfway through your run at that point. So without further ado, let's get going. Number 1 is going to be step-ups. So the most important thing we need to be focusing on here is obviously once we've found our bench, standing nice and close to it. First foot up, you want to be concentrating on driving through the ankle, that part of your leg. Not sort of pushing up from this leg. This leg's purely here for support. So there, up, and then back down again. And up, and back down again. And that's going to be one repetition there. So for more sort of beginner people, the first time you're doing this, you want to be concentrating on maybe sort of 5 or 6 times, then having a little breather. Up to more advanced people, maybe sort of 10 to 15 repetitions before having a breather. And after that little breather, swap legs and then repeat on your other leg. Number 2 is going to be calf raises. So what we're using the bench for here is just for balance. So you're going to be holding on to that, the top of the bench, the highest bit there. And then with your first foot here, ball of your foot firmly planted on the floor, and then you just want to raise yourself up like that. So the leg that's not being worked, keep that off the ground. The leg that's being worked, push up from the ball of your feet, ankle off the floor, raise yourself up like that. Hold it for about a second at the top and then back down. So up, hold for a second, and back down. And then obviously you can sort of switch legs. Keep the leg that's not being worked off the floor, and then up, hold it for a second, and back down again. Now for the number of repetitions, you're probably talking about sort of 8, 9, 10 for more of a beginner, maybe up to about 15 to 20 for someone more advanced. So number 3 is going to be squats. So what you want to be doing is position your feet shoulder width apart there, maybe about 5, 10 centimetres between your calf and the back of the bench. Clasp your hands together, and then you're just looking to touch the bench with your bum, and then firing yourself back up through your heels basically. Everything's coming from that part of your body to fire yourself back up. So it's just down, touch, and back up. Down, touch, and back up. And in terms of number of repetitions for more sort of beginners, you're probably talking about 10 of these, then having a little rest. And then for more advanced people, probably 15 up to about 20 before you have a rest as well. Number 4 is going to be tricep dips. Now for people that don't know, our triceps are this part of our arm here. So it's really important to be working bits of our upper body. Obviously a lot of people think it doesn't really get used that much when running, but it's really important for that sort of core stability to keep really good posture as we run, to be working muscles like this. So what you want to be doing, hands out nice and flat, position them on the bench like that, and then legs nicely out in front of you there. And then you just want to be lowering yourself down gently, hold for a second, and then push back up. So lower yourself down, and then push back up. And that's going to be one repetition there. Now for more beginners, you're probably talking about 8 to 10 repetitions before having a little breather. For more advanced people, you're probably talking 15 to 20. So number 5 is going to be the push-up. So this is really good for working our core and our upper body, really important for supporting our body as we go through our run. So what you want to be doing for more advanced people, use this side of the bench, and for more beginners, it can be a little bit easier to use this side of the bench here. So I'm going to demonstrate from this side. So again, hands out nice and flat, feet out behind you, trying to keep a nice, really straight back, and then just down, hold for a second, and then pushing back up. Down, hold for a second, and then pushing back up. Now in terms of number of reps, you're probably talking, again, sort of about 8 to 10. For a more beginner runner, up to about 15 to 20 for someone more advanced. So there we go guys, 5 super easy strength drills that you can get in during your run. I think they're really useful for me, so give them a go and let me know down in the comments what you think, and anything else you do mid-run that you think can help out the whole running community out there. So if you like this kind of video, please give me a thumbs up, that would be really great. 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