If You Run, Read This!
There's a reason running is associated with a high risk of injury. Follow these 5 simple exercises to stay injury free.
By Matt Fitzgerald

We all know running puts us at high risk for injury, but researchers are finding there's a lot more behind running injuries than force and impact. Specifically, it's the combination of impact and joint instability that puts running on par with tackle football in frequency of injuries.

Here's why: When your foot makes contact with the ground, your muscles and connective tissues work together to resist the potential joint-destabilizing effect of impact. Most runners, particularly those who do not cross train, are weak in key stabilizing muscles. As a result, the body is forced to absorb impact in a way it's not built to handle.

"The biggest thing I see is that runners have very weak core musculature, and because of this they can't control their posture while they're running," says Michael Fredericson, M.D., a running injury expert at Stanford University. "Their pelvis goes into a forward tilt and they get an arch in their low back." This, Fredericson says, results in extra stress on the hamstrings and knees.

Many runners also have problems with their hips. "The hip abductors and external rotators of the hip tend to be weak, or they're just not firing appropriately - they're not becoming active when they should," says Bryan Heiderscheit, P.T., Ph.D., who directs an injury clinic for runners at Des Moines University in Iowa. "You'll end up assuming an internally rotated position at the knee and at the hip. If your external hip rotators and hip abductors are weak, you won't be able to prevent this sort of falling in."

Other muscles that tend to be dangerously weak in runners are those in the lower back and the front of the lower leg.

Luckily, strengthening these running stabilizers doesn't take a lot of time. Simply add another 15 minutes to your running routine twice a week (if you're really pressed for time, steal it from the time you already run - you'll thank yourself later) and mix in the following strength exercises:


Lower Abdominal Squeeze
Lay face up with your arms relaxed at your sides and your legs extended straight toward the ceiling with your heels together. Contract your lower ab muscles and lift your heels slightly toward the ceiling. This is a very small movement. Hold the contraction for one second, then relax for one second. Repeat until you feel a burning sensation in the abs.
Benefit: Strengthens the lower abdominal muscles, improving pelvic stability

Side Step-Up
Stand next to a 12- to 18-inch platform, such as a weight bench or tall aerobics step. Place your right food on the platform keeping your left foot on the floor, right knee bent and left leg straight. Shift your weight onto your right leg and stand on it, lifting your entire body 12 to 18 inches. Pause briefly with your left foot unsupported in the air next to your right foot, then bend your knee again and slowly lower your left foot back to the floor.
Benefit: Strengthens the thighs, hips, and glutes, improving knee and hip stability

Pillow Balancing
While barefoot, place a pillow on the floor and balance on it with one foot for 30 seconds, and then balance on the other foot and repeat. At first 30 seconds will be difficult, but you'll quickly improve. Keep it challenging by using a bigger or softer pillow, by stacking pillows, and/or by balancing longer.
Benefit: Strengthens the muscles that oppose the calf muscles, improving ankle stability

Hip Twist
Lie face up with your arms resting at your sides and your palms flat on the floor. Extend your legs directly toward the ceiling, keeping your feet together and toes pointed. With your big toes side-by-side, tip your legs 12 to 18 inches to the right by twisting at the hip so that your left buttock comes off the floor. Fight the pull of gravity by maintaining stability with your abs and obliques. Pause for a moment, then return slowly to the start position, again using your core muscles to control the movement. Repeat on the left side. Do 8-12 repetitions on each side.
Benefit: Strengthens the abdominal muscles, including the obliques, improving pelvic stability

Single-Arm Dumbbell Clean and Press Assume a wide stance with a single dumbbell placed on the floor between your feet. Begin with your left arm fully extended, bend forward from the hips and grasp the dumbbell with your left hand. With a single, fluid, powerful movement, lift the dumbbell, stand fully upright, and continue raising your left arm until it is extended straight overhead. Pause briefly and then reverse the movement, allowing the dumbbell to come to rest again on the floor briefly before the next lift. Complete 10-12 repetitions and then switch to the right arm.
Benefit: Strengthens the thighs, hips, glutes, lower and upper back, chest and shoulders, improving knee and hip stability and running posture