Correct posture aligns
everything in your body. Bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons function best
when you stand up straight. Looking at the body in profile, you want to see a
straight back, not an “S” curve. You want to “run tall!!!”
A swayed lower back
(strong glutes / weak core) creates an incorrect “pelvic tilt” and stresses the
feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back. This can lead to plantar fasciitis, Achilles
heel pain, pain in and around the knee, a tight IT band and hip pain, or lower
back pain.
When you lay flat on the
floor on your back with your legs straight, if there is a large gap between the
small of your back and the floor, and you cannot easily press the small of your
back against the floor by contracting your abs, then you need more core
strength for better posture to prevent overuse injuries.
Rounded shoulders from slouching
or slumping when sitting and standing prevent proper breathing (your lungs can’t
fully expand), improperly support the head (its weight is too far forward,
leading to neck or upper shoulder pain), and can lead to tired or tight
shoulders while running (because your arms don’t swing easily in proper parallel
alignment).
When you are standing
and relaxed, if your shoulder blades stick out in a pair of points behind you, rather
than lying flat; or if your hands naturally fall in front of you rather than at
your sides, then you need more strength in your mid-back muscles so you stand
up straight with your shoulders back. You need to strengthen the muscles that externally
rotate the shoulder blades back and out and hold them flat.
Wednesday suggested conditioning workout:
1.
Jog a half mile to
warm-up (or walk a mile, do a short bike ride, or do five to ten easy hands-free
minutes on an elliptical trainer)
2.
Do stretching exercises
for calf, quad, hamstrings and lower back
3.
Do several sets of core
and ab strengthening exercises, followed by several sets of mid-back exercises
that externally rotate the shoulder blades and hold them flat. Focus on proper
form, do not strain.
4.
Optional: do a few sets
of anterior tibialis and hamstring strengthening exercises.
5.
Optional: those of you
doing higher weekly miles, an easy one mile run with a few easy strides or “passing
bursts” of fartlek thrown in.
Here’s a link to a
You-Tube video of a good mid-back exercise (skip the Ad): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz29bq7gVbg
Best,
Coach Bob
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