Brian Schiff’s Blog

Whether you are for or against running, its popularity is likely at an all time high.  People run to lose weight, stay fit, compete or simply escape from the stress of the world.  Unfortunately, running often brings injuries for its participants. 

So, what are the risk factors directly associated with injury?  Researches in the Netherlands recently performed a prospective study with 532 novice runners (306 females and 226 males).  The runners trained for a 4 mile event and were advised to run 3 times per week (Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays) at a comfortable pace.

They were randomized into 8 and 13 week training programs.  There was no difference in findings among the different training groups so they were counted as one for the puprose of the study results.  The results are interesting.  Risk factors for running related injuries (RRI) in males included:

1. Higher BMI
2. Previous injuries – those with previous injuries are 2.6 x more likely to suffer an injury
3. Type of previous sports activities – those participating in axial loading sports were less likely to be injured than those who participated in non axial loading sports (cycling and swimming for instance)

Predictors of RRI in females were:

1. Increased navicular drop – this in turn leads to increased pronation and femoral internal rotation thereby increasing the risk of developing medial tibial stress syndrome

Some hypothesize that limited joint mobility leads to injury with the repetitive nature of running as force is dissipated unevenly along the kinetic chain.  Interestingly enough, lack of range of motion in the ankle and hip were not found to be related to RRI in novice runners.  Type ‘A’ personality influence in terms of pain resistance was also ruled out as contributing to sustaining an injury in this study.

What are the takeaways here? 

• The key thing to see is that males and females have different risk profiles. 
• Males that carry more weight may be comparatively at a greater risk for injury than females. 
• Pronation and proper foot mechanics may be a bigger issue in females as they are much more prone to develop stress fractures
• Further research is needed to better predict female risk factors
• There are several limitations in this study such as: inconsistent training days, different running surfaces, different running speeds/intensity and weather to name a few

In my mind, it also further illustrates the need to fully rehabilitate injuries, prepare the body for events thru smart progressive axial loading and to target the hips with strength and power work in runners to better control femoral internal rotation and reduce ground reaction forces.

For more info, read the full article in the February 2010 edition of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.  Stay tuned this week, as I will review another running research article discussing the impact of slope (hill) running on the body.

Well, with Turkey Day nearly upon us, I am gearing up for a 4 miler on Thursday morning.  I have run 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons, but this will be my first 4 miler.  They give you a bottle of wine at the end of this one so it is pretty popular in my neck of the woods. 

As I expand my own running and train more and more runners, I often find that many lack good single leg stability and hip strength.  If you are a runner and not doing any strength training or simply focusing on traditional machine-based exercise, you need to shift gears and incorporate single leg exercises to maximize performance and prevent injuries.

In today’s post, I am going to give you an excellent progression of single leg hip drives or lifts to improve stance leg stability, gluteus medius strength and swing leg hip flexor strength.  In addition, this exercise will improve knee stability and ankle proprioception thereby reducing excess tibial rotation/pronation along the way.  That matters if you have experienced IT Band issues or shin splints along the way.  The exercise sequence is as follows:

1. Single leg hip drive holds (3-5 seconds)
2. Supported single leg hip drive
3. Unsupported single leg hip drive
4. Unsupported single leg hip drive with resistance
5. Unsupported single leg hip drive (unstable surface)

You should progress through this sequence of training to ensure best results.  I suggest 1-3 sets of 10-15 reps of each sequence.  The unstable or most advanced version is suitable for cross country runners, runners with poor ankle stability (chronic sprains or hypermobile) or those with poor closed chain mechanics from the ground up.  I have included a few sample reps of these in the video below:

I hope you can put these exercises to good use.  They are great for increasing stance leg strength and stability, while simultaneously improving swing leg strength and mobility. Happy running and have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

This is the third exercise in my three part series on single leg training for improved running performance.  The prior two exercises focused primarily on quad/hamstring/glute development.  Today’s exercise addresses frontal plane hip control emphasizing the gluteus medius muscle as well as continuing to improve single leg stability. 

When doing this exercise, you will definitely feel the quads and glutes working to lower the body down, but to avoid the knee caving inward (a visible indication of excessiove femoral internal rotation and a weak gluteus medius) you must actively fire the gluteus medius to maintain proper alignment.  I utilize this exericse a lot with runners and my female athletes to reduce with ACL injuries as well.

The key thing to focus on here is keeping the knee in line and over the foot as you lower down.  For beginners, it is perfectly fine to lightly touch the reaching toe or heel to the ground once you begin to lose balance or control of the movement.  One pitfall to avoid is leaning the upper body away from the reaching leg to stay balanced.  Note: those with lower arches and overpronation may find this more challenging as well. 

It is always better to move a shorter distance with proper execution than to compromise form and use other muscles to complete the movement.  This exercise is particularly beneficial for runners struggling with anterior knee pain or IT band issues as well.  It conditions the muscles to reduce lateral dispalcement of the kneecap, a common scenario which often increases shear forces in the knee. 

Perform 2-3 sets of 10 on each leg as part of your training program once or twice per week.  As you advance, consider adding an unstable surface such as a pillow or soft pad (as demonstrated in the video below) to add difficulty.  The unstable surface also helps strengthen the ankle and reduce sprains.

In the previous post I discussed the importance of integrating single leg squats to improve strength and running performance. Today, I will reveal 3 different variations of single leg stability ball training to increase hip drive, acceleration, and overall running economy.

In addition, these exercise can be used for hamstring strengthening, rehab and speed enhancement for any athletes. The three exercises are as follows:

1. Straight leg bridge lift
2. Straight leg bridge with leg curl
3. Knee bent bridge lift

All three are very effexctive for improving strength and performance.  The best part is that using the stability ball adds an element of stabilization and core training as well.  I think you will find this is truly the best way to train your hamstrings independently if your goal is improved running performance.  If the stability ball is too challenging at first, you can opt to do the straight leg and knee bent bridge lifts with the support leg on the floor.  Click on the video below to view the exercises.

I am beginning a video series of 3 exercises for running performance. Check out today’s video on the importance of using a single leg squat in your program.