At The Run Experience, we’re always coming up with new injury prevention exercises for YOU, our runners! In this post, we take a look at some of Coach Kirk’s favorite injury prevention exercises for runners.
Just like the car that you depend on to operate properly day in and day out, your running body needs REGULAR maintenance.
When either of these breaks down, chances are that some preemptive investigation could’ve helped us avoid the setback altogether.
We believe in getting your injuries BEFORE they get you. Using 5-7 minutes of your day to help prevent months of injury/recovery/time on the couch is ALWAYS worth it.
The best part about all of our injury prevention exercises is that you can do them at home with easy to find objects! And the same goes for our calf strengthening exercises.
So take a minute and go grab a broomstick.
Don’t worry, we’ll explain further 🙂
Got it?
We’re going to use it to get deep into our calf (and soleus specifcally) because I think we can all agree how these calves get tight during and after a run.
Here’s how the broomstick bash works:
Why do we love this one so much?
As runners, we take the brute of our daily workouts in our legs. And more specifically, in our lower legs.
Our achilles’ tendons always seem to be the most tender, but the reality here is that the problem starts with the top of the chain, the calf.
Regularly taking care of these muscles will help to lengthen and calm the impact on the achilles’ tendons.
Give it a go!
All you’ll need for this one is a pair of lacrosse balls or 2 balls of similar size and density.
We’re going to use them to get after your peroneals and the posterior side of your tibia (shin).
These muscles control your footstrike, pronation, supination, basically how and why your foot hits the ground the way it does.
Like the calves, they get tight QUICK!
Here’s how the inversion/eversion sandwich works:
The last of our injury prevention exercises for the lower leg requires NO equipment at all!
We’re going to show you how to get into those ankles and the anterior side of the tibia.
As runners, we spend a lot of time with our toes flexed up toward us. Each step we take is made possible by the tiny muscles at the front of our ankles and shins.
You’ve probably felt how tender these guys can get.
So let’s get in there!
Here’s how the loaded plantar flex works:
There’s no doubt about it…these injury prevention exercises WORK!
Make sure to include them in your running workout plan and modify these as you need, if the pressure or pain is too much. But like anything else mobility, the more often you do it, the easier and more enjoyable it becomes!
For sticking with us, enjoy a FREE injury prevention video series. We give you some of our favorite tools and tricks for keeping your body healthy for the most enjoyable running possible! Get yours here.