Pre-Hab: Marathon Legs

Following up on my prior pre-hab article, I wanted to focus on leg strength. The purpose here is to create strong legs that can endure the increases in training that will company marathon training, or any ramp up in distance in your training. Coach Greg McMillan provides a multi-month progressive series of videos on his website, but here are the top 6 exercises from that program to build into a routine a couple days a week. Courtesy of his coaching certification course.

NOTE: For all exercises, perform them under control and with attention to your form. If you are new to eccentric training, you may experience soreness but should not experience pain. If you experience pain, reduce the number of repetitions and/or sets and even skip the exercise if it aggravates an existing injury prone area.

1) Eccentric Step Downs

Stand tall on a step or box. Slowly lower with control, keeping hip, knee and ankle in line. Reach hips backward and let the knee of the working leg come forward over the front foot. Engage core so back stays flat. Touch heel to ground then return to starting position. Start with three sets of six repetitions build to three sets of 12 repetitions across 8-12 weeks. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets. You’ll need a 6-12 inch box or step.

2) Knee Drivers with Hop

Bend front knee slightly and shift hips backward to engage glute. Load weight into front leg. Drive back knee forward and pop off the toes into a hop with excellent running form. Land softly and move right back into the starting position. Coach notes: Start with one set of 6 repetitions and build to two sets of 10 repetitions. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets.

3) Skater Squat

Start in a tall running posture with one leg bent. Reach forward with arms and squat back slowly till your knee (not foot) touches the box. Front knee stays in line with foot, don’t let it wobble inwards. Contract glute of front leg to return to starting position. Start with three sets of six repetitions on each legs and build to three sets of 12 repetitions across 8-12 weeks. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets. You’ll need a 4-9 inch box or stack of books. Start with a higher box and lower it as you get stronger.

4) Eccentric Hamstring Curls

Lay on your back with your heels on sliders, knees bent. Bridge up hips, and very slowly slide feet away from hips. Keep hips up, slightly tuck pelvis. Once the legs are fully extended, simply slide feet back to hips and begin again.

Start with three sets of eight repetitions and build to three sets of 15 repetitions. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets. On hardwood floors, place your heels on towels to allow the feet to slide. On carpeted floors, use paper plates to allow the feet to slide.

5) Copenhagen Plank

Similar to a side plank, you start the Copenhagen Plank on your side (elbow aligned under shoulder) but instead of supporting your feet on the ground, you place your top foot on a chair then assume the side plank position. Lift bottom leg to meet top. Engage glutes, press hips forward. Hold for 15-30 seconds and over 4-8 weeks, build to holding the position for 45-60 seconds.

To start, you can put your knee on the chair (with bent leg) instead of your foot to make the exercise easier. As you get stronger, you can support yourself with your foot on the chair

6) Single Calf Raise

Stand tall supporting yourself with your hand on a wall or doorway. Raise up on your toes. Hold for 1-2 seconds. Return to the starting position. Start with three sets of 10 repetitions and build to three sets of 20 repetitions over 8-12 weeks. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets. Use a weight in the opposite hand to make the exercise more difficult.

Spread toes and slowly lift and lower heel with a straight leg.

If you have any questions reach out to me through Final Surge, e-mail: markdidham@gmail.com; or Facebook PM.