Better off in the long run

Whether you’re revving up for a marathon or coughing your guts up over a shorter distance you need to prime your body before you hit the road. Strength and conditioning trainer Corey Bocking, of the Performance Training Insititute (performancetraininginstitute.com.au), insists it’s vital to strengthen your calves, glutes and core to prevent injuries from derailing your training.

Before you start any serious running, Bocking says you should be able to perform 25 single-leg standing calf raises, 12 single-leg hip extensions (with your foot placed on a bench) and manage a two-minute plank. If that’s beyond you for the moment, repeat each exercise for 7-10 days, then retest yourself and keep practising until you can handle those totals with confidence. “Once you have the foundations that will limit your injury risk, you can add some performance-based exercises,” Bocking says. “By the time you finish, your legs will have the power and strength to take you the distance.”

Sumo deadlift
This move will build up your leg, glute and torso strength. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width, toes turned out to 45°. Grip the barbell with a narrow grip inside your knees as if in a sumo stance. Keeping your head and chest up, lift the bar from the floor until your hips are in full extension then slowly lower the bar to reverse the movement. Do five sets of five, resting for 90 second between sets.

Leg drive step-up with calf raise
Stepping up onto a bench or box, drive up with your opposite knee and as you’re reaching the apex of the move, rise onto the ball of your foot and hold for two seconds. Then return to the start and repeat. Don’t forget to drive with your arms like a sprinter. Do three sets of eight, resting for one minute between sets.

Lunge thruster with barbell
This is a great exercise to improve your rotational strength. Grab an Olympic bar and jam one end of the bar into a corner or somewhere it won’t slip. Holding the other end of the bar at shoulder height, start off in the lunge position (if your left leg is forward you’re holding the bar in your right hand). Lunge down while holding your torso upright and the bar just off your shoulder. As you come up from the bottom of the lunge position, push explosively with the bar on a 45° angle. Do 2-3 sets (each side) of eight reps, resting for one minute between sets.

Clean pull
A clean pull is very similar to a deadlift from the floor, except more explosive and aimed to help develop power and strength in the legs. Start in a conventional deadlift position. As you lift the barbell, accelerate up into the finish position with the bar touching your thighs, by fully extending the hips coming up on the toes and shrugging the bar up into the finishing position. Do four sets of six reps, resting for 90 second between sets.

Download and go - click here to download this workout for your next session.