To get faster, you need to be
stronger. Increasing the power of your stride will having you dropping seconds
off your mile time faster than improving your stride rate, according to a 2000
study in "Journal of Applied Physiology." To do this, focus on
strengthening your hamstrings, quads, hip extensors and hip flexors.
Leg Muscles
When
you run, your legs go through two main phases: the propulsion and the recovery
phase. During the propulsion phase, your power and force comes from your
quadriceps and hip extensors. During the recovery phase, your hamstrings and
hip flexors prepare your legs for impact and to transition quickly into the
propulsion phase. Strengthening these muscles can make you a faster runner.
Hamstring
Your
hamstrings are a group of muscles running along the back of your thighs. When
selecting strengthening moves, choose ones that engage all the muscles in your
lower backside, instead of just isolating the hamstring muscle. This more
closely mimics what happens when you run and will train all these muscles to
work together better. Examples of hamstring exercises include stability ball
leg curls, floor hamstring curls and glute-ham raises. To do the stability ball
curl, lie face up on the floor. Rest the heels of your feet on the top of a
stability ball. Engage your core as you raise your hips toward the ceiling and
create a straight line from your shoulders to your heels. Keeping your hips
elevated, curl the ball toward your butt. Slowly let the ball roll back to the
starting position and repeat.
Quadriceps
Your
quadriceps lie on the front of your leg and assist with straightening your hip
and bending your knee. It has four heads starting from different points on your
pelvis and femur. An example of an exercise that strengthens all these heads is
the three-step quadriceps exercise. Begin by lying on your back with an ankle
weight on your right leg. Extend that leg and lock your knee, but keep your
ankle relaxed. Engage your abs and lift your right leg straight up toward your
head as far as you can. You want to get your leg perpendicular to your body.
Return to the starting position and repeat. For the next step, turn your right
leg so your toes point away from you and repeat. For the final step, turn your
right leg so your toes point toward you and repeat. Perform all three-steps on
your left leg.
Hip Extensors
Five
muscles that assist with hip extension are your gluteus maximus,
semitendiunosus (part of your hamstrings), semimembranosus (part of your
hamstrings), biceps femoris (part of your hamstrings) and adductor magnus.
Together, these muscles straighten your hip joint by moving your thighs or
pelvis backward. To strengthen them, try lying hip extensions, standing hip
extensions or kneeling hip extensions.
Hip Flexors
When
you bend your hip, which causes your thigh or pelvis to move toward your ribs,
you are flexing your hip. Over half a dozen muscles—iliopsoas, tensor fasciae
latae, rectus femoris (part of your quadriceps), sartorius, adductor longus,
adductor brevis, pectineus—engage to perform this move. Try various leg raises,
such as the lying, incline, hanging or seated leg raise, to strengthen these
muscles. To perform the lying leg raise, lay face up on the floor with your
legs extended behind you. Place your hands under your buttock to support your
pelvis. Keep your legs straight and engage your abs as you raise your legs
straight up until your hips reach a 90-degree angle. Return to the starting
position and repeat.
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