Simple Strength Moves

The RW physio on the essential moves for beginners to build a stronger and more injury-resilient body. Part 1 of 3: Muscles

New to the sport? Try these easy moves to build muscle and run better

PART OF THE attraction of running is that it’s easy to start out. You just pull on your shoes and go. However, starting to run or returning to it after a long period of injury or inactivity should be done with care. My clinic is filled with runners who made it out the door only to be struck with injury just as they were getting going. This is hugely dispiriting and often leads to them giving up.

The main reason is that we all want to be running fast and far straight away, just like we used to. But with months or years of not running regularly, or at all, our bodies become deconditioned.

You need to prepare the body to cope with the forces you are applying to it. That way, you have a better chance of being successful.

You’ll feel the muscles first. The calf and shin muscles, as well as the quads (thighs), hamstrings (back of thighs) and glutes (buttocks) will all be stimulated. They will ache for the first few weeks. This is called ‘Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness’ (DOMS) and is due to microtrauma in the muscle tissues. This overload will make the muscles stronger. The trick is to load sufficiently to stimulate ‘hypertrophy’ (strengthening) but not overload and create a bigger trauma – a proper strain.

Aches and tightness are OK, but your muscles need 24 hours to recover and strengthen, which is why sensible beginner-runner plans employ an alternate or every-third-day frequency. Sharper muscle pain in a muscle suggests you have overdone it and recovery will take longer – a minimum of four days of not running, but you can swim or cycle if it is pain-free.

When starting or coming back to running, most people occasionally overdo it and need a short recovery spell. Provided you recognise it early and don’t push a little strain into a big strain, it’s just part of the process.

There are lots of things you can do to improve the strength of the primary running muscles. If you consistently get specific tightness in a particular muscle, your body is telling you it is not strong enough to cope. Reduce the running while you strengthen, or repeated overloading will inevitably result in injury.

Try the following moves to strengthen the key running muscles. To start with, run one day, exercise the next, then have a recovery day. Listen to your body and recover between sessions.