Develop Strength and Flexibility Part 2 (of 2)
from Explosive Running, by Michael Yessis, Ph.D.
General Strength Exercises
General strength exercises are those exercises used in overall body conditioning. They are not
directly related to the specific actions seen in running, for example, strengthening the muscles as
they are used in running and increasing your functional potential for running. The overhead press
exercise can be used to illustrate the concept of a general strength exercise. It is a common
exercise used in fitness programs in which the arms move directly upward in a sideward pattern.
In running, however, the arms move in a forward-backward motion below the shoulder in relation to
the trunk. Thus, the overhead press is a good exercise for strengthening the shoulders and arms,
which are used in running, but it is not directly related to how you run.
Specialized Strength Exercises
When the movement pattern in the exercise duplicates what occurs in the run, it is known as a
specialized exercise. An example of a specialized exercise for the shoulders is driving your arm from
behind your body to in front of your body in the same pathway and in the same range of motion as seen
in the running stride.
The key to improving your performance is to do special exercises that duplicate the movements and actions
seen in the actual run. Developing physical abilities specific to running will have the greatest impact on
improving your ability to run more efficiently, and faster and longer.
Specialized exercises that promote psychological traits consist of movements and actions that require
decisiveness, willpower, perseverance, and confidence to achieve specific goals. They have similar
concentration and psychological qualities as seen during the run, especially in a race. For example,
execution of certain specialized exercises requires concentration to develop the neuromuscular pathway
needed. A strength exercise duplicating one aspect of the stride requires ultimate concentration and
perseverance to repeat exactly the same movement time after time to develop the necessary muscle feel.
For specialized exercises to have maximum positive transfer, you must be decisive in your movements and
actions in order to develop the confidence to repeat the action during the run.
Criteria for Specialized Strength Exercises
For an exercise to be specific it must fulfill one or more of the following criteria:
1. The exercise must duplicate the exact movement witnessed in certain actions of the running
stride, such as an exercise duplicating the exact ankle, knee, hip, or shoulder action.
2. The exercise must involve the same type of muscular contraction used in the actual run. For
example, in the sprinting pushoff, the muscles undergo an explosive shortening contraction (after
being pre-tensed) to produce maximum force and resultant running speed. After the initial contraction
the limb continues on its own momentum until the antagonist muscles undergo a strong
lengthening (eccentric) contraction to slow down and stop the limb before an injury can occur. Thus the
special exercise must include an explosive muscular contraction as occurs in the joint action.
3. The special exercise must have the same range of motion as in the actual run. Doing an exercise
with the arms raised above the head and then pulling them downward may use the same muscles but not the
same range of motion needed in the arm action. More specific is to move the arm backward and upward so
that it duplicates the exact range of motion in which strength is applied.
The concept of exercise specificity is new to running but the term specificity is not. Many
authors have used the term specific exercises but few exercises actually fulfilled the previously
mentioned criteria. The specificity referred to by these authors usually refers to strengthening or stretching
the muscles that may be involved, but not in the way they are used in the running stride.
Running uphill to develop strength is a classic example of a general exercise considered specific to
running. Raising the thighs when running uphill is not in the same range of action and omits the important
initial explosive contraction of the hip flexors. In addition, the ankle extension drives the body upward
rather than forward. This ankle action can still be of benefit but, because of the need to drive the knees
up, it plays a secondary role to leg extension. In running, ankle extension is a primary force, knee
extension is not.
Typical strength and conditioning programs for runners deal with general exercises to get you
"in shape." In some cases, the exercises that are prescribed use the same muscles used in running.
But if these exercises do not duplicate the same range of motion, the same type of muscle contraction, or
the exact movement and coordination seen in running, they will not directly improve the run.
Researchers who have done electromyographic studies to determine the muscular involvement in running found
that the abdominals play a major role. To strengthen the abdominals the researchers recommended the crunch and
the crunch with a twist. These exercises do, of course, strengthen the abdominals, but only through a very small
range of motion that is not specific to the run. More specifically, when the abdominals come into play, it is
mainly the abdominal oblique muscles that are used to prevent the hips and shoulders from rotating too much
during the run. The obliques also play a major role in maintaining a firm connection between the leg and
arm action.
The crunch, or sit-up, mainly strengthens the upper abdominals. In running, especially in sprinting, only
the lower abdominals play an important role. The crunch with a twist involves the obliques but the range of
motion is extremely small and, more important, the twisting occurs when the spine is flexed. This is
potentially dangerous since trunk rotation should always take place when the spine is maintained in its
normal curvature. Even though the exercises strengthen the abdominals they are not specific to the actual
muscle actions involved in running. In addition, greater upper-abdominal strength can lead to poor posture
while running by pulling down the chest and shoulders.
For maximum effectiveness, strength development must be synchronized with your running to ensure it is
usable strength, or strength that can be displayed in your running. This is the value specialized exercises
can give you that general exercises cannot.
Because of the need for skill duplication, most exercises are best done with elastic tubing, such as in
the Active Cords set, especially for the leg, hip, and shoulder actions. The Active Cords set that I developed
consists of three elastic cords with different tensions with a swivel clip at each end for easy connections as
needed for various exercises. Also included is a special nonslip hip belt to which the rubber tubing can be
attached at different locations to create different effects.
There are two handles for pulling actions, an ankle belt for leg and hip exercises, and a dual attachment
for use in a door or for attachment to any beam or post. A dual attachment adjustable strap for stretching
back and shoulder muscles and doing pullups is optional. It is very difficult, and in some cases impossible,
to duplicate the exact movements of the legs, hips, and shoulders with dumbbells, barbells, or machines.
Also important are medicine ball and dumbbell exercises for other exercises that cannot be done with
rubber tubing.
Proper Breathing During Specialized Exercises
When you exercise, your breathing is very important, therefore you should develop proper breathing
patterns from the start. This also applies to running.
The instructions for the exercises tell you to inhale and to hold your breath on exertion—that is, on the
hardest part of the exercise, when you are overcoming resistance. You then exhale on the return, staying in
control of the movements. But don’t be surprised if you read or hear the opposite from other sources—that you
should exhale on exertion and inhale on return.
The widely used recommendation to exhale on exertion is based on theory, not research, and applies mainly
to people with heart and circulatory system problems. For example, if you hold your breath for too long (up to
eight seconds with a maximal exertion), you could pass out. That is because the internal pressure in the chest
and abdomen increases when you hold your breath on exertion. If it increases greatly, it squeezes down on the
blood vessels shuttling blood and oxygen to and from the heart. When this happens, you can black out (but
rarely, and only on maximum exertion).
If you are without cardiovascular problems and do not hold your breath for more than a few seconds as
needed in the recommended exercises, the breath-holding on exertion is perfectly safe. It makes the exercises
safer and more effective. If you have high blood pressure or other circulatory system or heart problems, avoid
heavy resistance and breath-holding.
Inhaling and holding the breath briefly on exertion—any exertion, in all sports, including running-comes
naturally. Many studies have shown that whenever athletic skills are executed properly, athletes hold their
breath on the exertion— during the power phase—when maximum force is generated. The breath-holding is
especially important in the running stride pushoff and touchdown.
Inhaling and holding the breath on exertion provide up to 2 0 percent greater force, stabilize the spine,
and prevent lower-back injuries. They transform the trunk (and, in fact, the whole body) into a stable unit
against which your hips, shoulders, and arms can move more effectively.
The need to hold your breath when doing heavy lifting can be inferred from the recommendations given for
relaxation. In order to relax, you are told to inhale and then exhale. As you exhale, you relax the muscles.
In essence, exhalation is associated with relaxation. Therefore is it wise to exhale when you are lifting a
heavy weight? Actually, it is natural to hold your breath in this situation. Watch people lifting heavy weights
at the gym and you will see that they hold their breath during the exertion.
Their cheeks are puffed out, their blood vessels are distended, and their mouths are closed. They are in
danger only if they hold their breath too long, that is, double the amount of time taken to do an exercise
at a normal, moderate rate of speed.
Breathing exercises can also help you relax before a race. Inhaling and then exhaling before starting a
race is a good technique to help you relax. But before starting, it is important that the muscles have some
tension—not excessive tension, but sufficient tension to take off with power.
Thus, inhalation and breath-holding are needed immediately before and during execution of the key
actions. Studies done with devices to monitor breathing patterns have proved this beyond any doubt. To
execute a powerful takeoff, you must hold your breath during execution.
In effective breathing, do not inhale to your maximum capacity and then hold it. Doing this can make
you very uncomfortable. Just take a breath slightly greater than usual and then hold it to experience the
positive benefits. This is especially important for stabilizing the body, holding the spine in position, and
getting greater power in your touchdown and takeoff. Contact time is very short. Thus, you should have no
fear of holding your breath too long or of overexerting yourself.
Copyright 2000 - The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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