See Below for
General Strength Circuit #1
Hip Mobility
General Strength Circuit # 1: REPEAT TWICE
1) Front plank x 30 seconds.
Elbows right under shoulders, head is in line with your spine, not dangling down. “Pull” your elbows toward your feet but don’t actually move them- just pull and contract your abdominal muscles as you do so. Squeeze your glutes. Hold for 30 seconds.
2) Side planks x 20 seconds each side
Lie on your side in a straight line, with your heels, hip, and elbow all in a line. Your elbow should be directly under your shoulder. Stack your feet on top of each other (ankle bone to ankle bone). Lift up your hips so that your body is straight from shoulder to ankle. Pretend you have a wall behind you, and the back of your head, your butt, and your heels should be touching the wall. Keep your head in line with your spine.
3) Hip lifts x 10 reps
Lie on your back with your knees pulled up and your feet flat on the ground. Arms are lying relaxed by your sides. Squeeze your glutes, and lift your hips towards the sky. Lift up until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Keeping your glutes, squeezed, slowly lower your hips back to the ground.
4) Hip lifts with leg extension x 10 reps each leg
Lie on your back with your knees pulled up and your feet flat on the ground. Arms are lying relaxed by your sides. Squeeze your glutes, and lift your hips towards the sky. Lift up until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Keeping your glutes, squeezed, slowly extend one leg straight out with your foot dorsiflexed (toe pulled toward your face) and your heel is hovering about an inch off of the ground, then lift that leg until your knees are parallel> Hold for a count of 5 and then lower your leg and then lower your hips back to the ground.
5) Runner pushups x 10 reps (just lowering, not raising up)
Start in a high pushup plank position (the top position of a pushup). Your arms should be straight, your hands right under your shoulders, and your head is in line with your neck and spine. Slowly lower yourself to the ground (keeping elbows close to your sides, not sticking out widely). Then just get yourself back up in the high pushup position any way you want, and lower yourself again, slowly. Repeat till you get to 10 reps. If you can do full pushups- both down and up- WITH GOOD FORM (straight body, head not dangling, butt not in the air, stomach and low back not sagging, elbows close to body), that is fine. Otherwise, just stick with the lowering motion for now, focusing on good form.
6) Side leg lifts x 10 reps each leg
Lie on your side in a similar position to side planks, but rest your head on your arm, lying down. Lift your top leg, using your glute medius muscle on the side of your butt/hip. With your foot dorsiflexed, lead with your heel and keep the moving leg slightly behind the leg on the ground. You shouldn't be able to lift the leg super high if you keep your body position straight. If you are wobbly, put your top hand on the ground in front of your stomach as a support, sort of like the kickstand on a bike.
Hip Mobility Circuit # 2: Both Legs x10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85B1dfmgxrg (These should be slow and controlled and your hips should stay neutral at all phases—slower than what she demonstrates in the video.)
Clams
Lateral Leg Raises
Donkey Kicks
Donkey Whips
Fire Hydrant
Knee Circles Forward
Knee Circles Backward
Standing Hurdle Trail Leg Forward
Standing Hurdle Trail Leg Backward
Standing Lateral Leg Swings
Standing Linear Straight Leg Swings
Standing Linear Bent Knee Leg Swings
Leg Strength Circuit # 3: (watch video if you aren’t sure of the exercise: https://trailrunnermag.com/training/cross-training/the-5-minute-leg-circuit-for-mountain-running-strength.html )
1)Forward Lunge (30 seconds). Start with the classic forward lunge, stepping forward until your opposite (back) knee touches the ground softly, then returning to center. Do 10 on each leg, alternating, or for 30 seconds.
Rest 30 seconds
2) Rear Lunge (30 seconds). Repeat the same exercise, but stepping backward this time, until the knee on the leg you are stepping with gently touches the ground. Do 10 on each leg, alternating, or for 30 seconds.
Rest (30 seconds) + Shake your legs out, because it is about to get harder.
3) Single-Leg Rear Lunge (1 minute). Repeat the same exercise as number two, but instead of alternating legs, do all of the repetitions for one leg, then for the next. In addition, when you come back to center, don’t let the leg you are moving touch the ground, instead going straight into the next lunge. The continuous motion ensures that some tension is kept in the contracting muscle, while reinforcing proper form and balance. Do 15 on each leg.
Rest 30 seconds
4. Single-Leg Step-Ups Without Rest (2 minutes). Moving to the stairs, put one foot on the second stair, with the other foot on the ground. Using the handrail for balance, do a traditional step-up, using the foot on the stairs to lift your body up. However, unlike traditional step-ups, keep the feet positioned in the same way, just let your body fall back to the floor.
When the foot hits the floor, step up again. It should feel like a soft, controlled bounce off the ground, almost like you are running, but with the leg on the stair doing almost all of the work. Repeat in rhythm, feeling your quad, hips, and butt fatigue rapidly.
Work up to about a minute on each leg. The burn should feel somewhat similar to the screaming quads of steep climbs. That is the idea—the workout is designed to use the muscles in a similar way as running, rather than just build general strength (like squats, deadlifts or leg press, which we will not do until we can all be in a supervised setting).
Rest 30 seconds
5. Single-Leg Calf Press-Ups (not on video). Stand with the ball of your foot on the edge of the step letting your heel drop below the edge. Press up on the ball of your foot as if you were going to step up to the next stair step, then drop down again. Repeat SLOWLY (do not let momentum spring you up and down) 15 times for each calf.
Stretch Legs
1) Front plank x 30 seconds.
Elbows right under shoulders, head is in line with your spine, not dangling down. “Pull” your elbows toward your feet but don’t actually move them- just pull and contract your abdominal muscles as you do so. Squeeze your glutes. Hold for 30 seconds.
2) Side planks x 20 seconds each side
Lie on your side in a straight line, with your heels, hip, and elbow all in a line. Your elbow should be directly under your shoulder. Stack your feet on top of each other (ankle bone to ankle bone). Lift up your hips so that your body is straight from shoulder to ankle. Pretend you have a wall behind you, and the back of your head, your butt, and your heels should be touching the wall. Keep your head in line with your spine.
3) Hip lifts x 10 reps
Lie on your back with your knees pulled up and your feet flat on the ground. Arms are lying relaxed by your sides. Squeeze your glutes, and lift your hips towards the sky. Lift up until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Keeping your glutes, squeezed, slowly lower your hips back to the ground.
4) Hip lifts with leg extension x 10 reps each leg
Lie on your back with your knees pulled up and your feet flat on the ground. Arms are lying relaxed by your sides. Squeeze your glutes, and lift your hips towards the sky. Lift up until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Keeping your glutes, squeezed, slowly extend one leg straight out with your foot dorsiflexed (toe pulled toward your face) and your heel is hovering about an inch off of the ground, then lift that leg until your knees are parallel> Hold for a count of 5 and then lower your leg and then lower your hips back to the ground.
5) Runner pushups x 10 reps (just lowering, not raising up)
Start in a high pushup plank position (the top position of a pushup). Your arms should be straight, your hands right under your shoulders, and your head is in line with your neck and spine. Slowly lower yourself to the ground (keeping elbows close to your sides, not sticking out widely). Then just get yourself back up in the high pushup position any way you want, and lower yourself again, slowly. Repeat till you get to 10 reps. If you can do full pushups- both down and up- WITH GOOD FORM (straight body, head not dangling, butt not in the air, stomach and low back not sagging, elbows close to body), that is fine. Otherwise, just stick with the lowering motion for now, focusing on good form.
6) Side leg lifts x 10 reps each leg
Lie on your side in a similar position to side planks, but rest your head on your arm, lying down. Lift your top leg, using your glute medius muscle on the side of your butt/hip. With your foot dorsiflexed, lead with your heel and keep the moving leg slightly behind the leg on the ground. You shouldn't be able to lift the leg super high if you keep your body position straight. If you are wobbly, put your top hand on the ground in front of your stomach as a support, sort of like the kickstand on a bike.
Hip Mobility Circuit # 2: Both Legs x10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85B1dfmgxrg (These should be slow and controlled and your hips should stay neutral at all phases—slower than what she demonstrates in the video.)
Clams
Lateral Leg Raises
Donkey Kicks
Donkey Whips
Fire Hydrant
Knee Circles Forward
Knee Circles Backward
Standing Hurdle Trail Leg Forward
Standing Hurdle Trail Leg Backward
Standing Lateral Leg Swings
Standing Linear Straight Leg Swings
Standing Linear Bent Knee Leg Swings
Leg Strength Circuit # 3: (watch video if you aren’t sure of the exercise: https://trailrunnermag.com/training/cross-training/the-5-minute-leg-circuit-for-mountain-running-strength.html )
1)Forward Lunge (30 seconds). Start with the classic forward lunge, stepping forward until your opposite (back) knee touches the ground softly, then returning to center. Do 10 on each leg, alternating, or for 30 seconds.
Rest 30 seconds
2) Rear Lunge (30 seconds). Repeat the same exercise, but stepping backward this time, until the knee on the leg you are stepping with gently touches the ground. Do 10 on each leg, alternating, or for 30 seconds.
Rest (30 seconds) + Shake your legs out, because it is about to get harder.
3) Single-Leg Rear Lunge (1 minute). Repeat the same exercise as number two, but instead of alternating legs, do all of the repetitions for one leg, then for the next. In addition, when you come back to center, don’t let the leg you are moving touch the ground, instead going straight into the next lunge. The continuous motion ensures that some tension is kept in the contracting muscle, while reinforcing proper form and balance. Do 15 on each leg.
Rest 30 seconds
4. Single-Leg Step-Ups Without Rest (2 minutes). Moving to the stairs, put one foot on the second stair, with the other foot on the ground. Using the handrail for balance, do a traditional step-up, using the foot on the stairs to lift your body up. However, unlike traditional step-ups, keep the feet positioned in the same way, just let your body fall back to the floor.
When the foot hits the floor, step up again. It should feel like a soft, controlled bounce off the ground, almost like you are running, but with the leg on the stair doing almost all of the work. Repeat in rhythm, feeling your quad, hips, and butt fatigue rapidly.
Work up to about a minute on each leg. The burn should feel somewhat similar to the screaming quads of steep climbs. That is the idea—the workout is designed to use the muscles in a similar way as running, rather than just build general strength (like squats, deadlifts or leg press, which we will not do until we can all be in a supervised setting).
Rest 30 seconds
5. Single-Leg Calf Press-Ups (not on video). Stand with the ball of your foot on the edge of the step letting your heel drop below the edge. Press up on the ball of your foot as if you were going to step up to the next stair step, then drop down again. Repeat SLOWLY (do not let momentum spring you up and down) 15 times for each calf.
Stretch Legs