Monday, September 22, 2014

Training for the Run - Yoga for Runners


8 Yoga Poses for Runners

Now that the scorching heat of the Las Vegas summer is winding down,  our race season is just heating up.  
At the request of many of our clients, I will be posting up regular tips for training.  





If you are a runner, you are probably familiar with the aches and pains in the back, knees, legs, ankles, and hips that can sometime creep up on you during or after a run—or even as a result of consistent running sessions throughout an extended period of time.
Running and yoga are not generally thought of, by most, to be included under the same umbrella. However, the benefits of yoga, including increased flexibility, muscle strength, improved bone density, circulation and breathing, and plenty more, can be so beneficial for runners and running that you may never want to lose sight of this age old regenerative practice again.
Here are 8 yoga poses for runners that can help to improve your runs as well as improve your recovery post session.




1. Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) Ask anyone, yogi or not, to name a yoga pose and most likely they will mention Downward Dog. This is an excellent pose to check-in with your entire body because it stretches your arms, back and legs through one pose. Through this pose, you can get a general feeling for what areas are tighter than others and what you should focus more on. While doing this pose, and driving your heels toward the Earth, you can really open up the hamstrings and calves, stretch the feet and the achilles, which is excellent for runners. On top of that, this pose is regenerative and improves circulation throughout the body as the head is below the heart.
  





2. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) Triangle will stretch the hips, groins, hamstrings, the muscles surrounding the knee, calves, ankle joints, shoulders, chest, and spine. It also strengthens the abdominal muscles, obliques, back, legs, knees, and ankles. This pose includes a light spine strengthening twist. This pose is great for runners because it helps to open the groins and hamstrings and improves balance by strengthening and stretching the ankles.
  




3. Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana) Standing forward fold is a great opener for the hamstrings, calves, and hips and it helps to strengthen the knees and quadriceps. Having lose and flexible hamstrings is important for everyone because tight hamstrings can lead to back pain and tension which can then transfer to problems with the knees and hips.






4. Tree (Vrksasana) Tree pose requires strength, flexibility, and balance while strengthening the ankles, calves, thighs, and the spine while opening the hips and stretching the shoulders, chest, groins, and inner thighs. Tree pose can also relieve sciatic pain and reduce flat feet.
 




5. Reclining Pigeon (Sucirandhrasana) Reclining pigeon, a gentler modification of Pigeon pose, is excellent for tight hips. This pose is also great for stretching the IT band, the connective tissue that runs along your outer thigh from your hip to your shin. This pose can also be preventative for knee problems because a tight IT Band could eventually lead to issues with the knee. This is a great pose you can do at the end of any run.

 

6. Cobbler or Butterfly (Baddha Konasana) Cobbler’s pose is a great stretch for runners because it opens the groins, inner thighs, and knees, and boosts mobility in the hips. Cobbler helps to release tense areas in the hips and groins while strengthening the muscles of the back
 



7. Child’s Pose (Balasana) Child’s pose is a gentle, comforting stretch and resting pose. It stretches the hips, thighs, knees, ankles, and low back. It releases back and neck strain and aids blood flow to the spine and brain. For runners and other athletes, child’s pose helps keep the ankles supple and flexible, while stretching the tops of the feet and the shins, which may help to avoid shin splints. Child’s pose also gently increases flexibility in the knee joint and opens the hips and thighs.  If you have ever taken a yoga class, the instructor most likely reminds you to come to this pose at any time throughout the practice if you need a physical or mental break.






8. Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana) Low lunge is an excellent hip opener and also stretches the thighs and groin. It is very common for runners to have tight hips, which can lead to underactive gluteal muscles, thus resulting in potential low back and/or knee problems. This pose requires mental focus and can be performed with your front toe up against a wall in order to promote balance and stabilization. You can also use the wall to walk your hands up until you feel stable enough to extend them overhead.




re-blogged from hello healthy by myfitnesspal


Monday, September 15, 2014

28-Day Squat Challenge

re-blogged from myfitnesspal



I’m a huge fan of body-weight exercises for the reason that you can use them for a great workout anywhere. And perhaps the king of all body-weight exercises is the squat. Squats are awesome because they provide a great workout for multiple muscle groups, including the butt, thighs, and core.  It’s for that reason that 30-day squat challenges have become increasingly popular over the past year. There are hundreds of variations available online, but generally they all involve squatting almost every day for a month, starting at 50 reps on your first day and finishing at 250 on your last.
As much as I love anything that gets people moving, particularly squatting, that kind of challenge simply won’t help you reach your goals. 50 squats in one day is too difficult for most beginners, and even if you could do 250 squats with perfect form, you will be training for muscular endurance rather than strength (which is what leads to the toned look). It’s the same reason you wouldn’t do 50+ reps of an exercise in the gym.
Instead, the focus should be on fewer, quality reps that get tougher over time (like using heavier weights in the gym). I decided to use this principle to create a different kind of squat challenge that will give you the best possible chance of safely getting a toned butt and thighs, along with improving your technique.
Here’s how it works:
  • You will do a different squat variation each week for a month. The variations get more difficult as the month progresses.
  • Each day has a target number or reps for which you should aim. You can do them all in one go or spread them out throughout the day.
  • If you fail to reach the target number of reps with perfect form you must go back to the beginning of that 7 day period.
  • You may not have heard of each variation, so how to do them properly is explained below.





Counterbalance Box Squat:
  • With your feet shoulder width apart, keep your chest up and arms out in front of you as a counterbalance.
  • Sit back and down onto a surface, such as a chair or stool. Let your butt touch the surface, but don’t sit down.
  • As you descend make sure your knees are tracking over your toes.
  • Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels and squeezing your glutes.
Prisoner Box Squat:
  • Keeping the tips from above in mind, place your hands behind your head rather than out in front of you.
  • Use a lower chair or stool than before to make sure you are squatting deeper.
  • Over the course of the week keep lowering the surface until your thighs are parallel (or lower) to the ground when in the bottom position.
Counterbalance Air Squat:
  • Remove the chair or stool and put your arms out in front of you.
  • Squat down as before, ensuring that your thighs are parallel to the ground (or lower). The deeper you squat the more muscles you activate.
  • Remember to keep your torso as upright as possible by keeping your chest up.
Prisoner Air Squat:
  • Put your hands behind your head once again and continue squatting as low as you can.
  • Remember: chest up, feet shoulder width apart, knees tracking over toes, sit back, and push through your heels.
  • By the end of the month, you should be able to do a basic body-weight squat with great form.
So what are you waiting for? Take on the challenge and share it with your friends! We can’t wait to see your results!