Running

Running + Strength Training Lower Body Workout

April 23, 2018 by Nicole Leave a Comment

This post was sponsored by HOKA ONE ONE. All opinions—as always!—are my own.

Today I have a workout that mixes running with bodyweight tabatas and weighted exercises. It’s a great one if you’re looking to target lower body. For the running intervals, you can use a treadmill or take it outside since it’s (FINALLY) feeling like Spring—hallelujah!!

For this workout, I’m wearing the Cavu from HOKA ONE ONE’s Fly Collection. It was made with versatility in mind, and the three styles in the collection are cushioned enough for long runs while remaining sleek for every day wear. I went with the Cavu because it’s a little lower and lighter than the Mach and Elevon. I also love its simple look—when it comes to sneakers that I’ll wear every day, I’m all about a sleek black shoe.

These sneakers are super comfortable. There’s significant padding (they’ll add an inch to your height!) and their PROFLY™ responsive cushioning is softer in the heel for shock absorption and firmer in the forefoot for propulsion. So for running, I find them really comfy and love that they’re lightweight even with the thicker sole.

I don’t necessarily identify myself as “a runner”. It’s been a long time since I’ve run long distances, and I typically incorporate short(er) runs in with other strength exercises. That’s why the Fly Collection was a good fit for me. Yes, they’re running sneakers, but I can wear them in other types of workouts as well and definitely while teaching!

I put them through today’s lower body workout that mixes mile-long runs with bodyweight tabatas and weighted exercises. You can learn more about the Cavu and other styles in the Fly Collection over at the HOKA site.

Running + Strength Training Lower Body Workout

Here’s the breakdown of this workout:

Run 1 mile – steady, easy run
Complete the 10-minute strength sequence: tabata + weighted exercises
Run 1 mile – intervals: do 30 seconds of a push pace (a hard run, just shy of a sprint) and 30 seconds of jogging
Complete the 10-minute strength sequence: tabata + weighted exercises
Run 1 mile – steady run, try to beat your time from the first mile

For the tabata, you’ll alternate between two bodyweight exercises. The interval structure is 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. For the weight work, do each exercise for 30 seconds, moving one to the next and repeating the circuit twice.

You’ll just need a set of dumbbells (and a treadmill if doing it inside). Go with a medium-heavy set of weights.

Exercises in This Workout

Go to 1:58 in the workout video to see a preview of each exercise and how to modify them.

Tabata

Hop Lunge Hop
Donkey Kicks

Weight Circuit

Back Lunge to Deadlift (right)
Curtsy Lunge with Pulse (right)
Low Squat Steps
Back Lunge to Deadlift (left)
Curtsy Lunge with Pulse (left)
Low Squat Steps

Do you like mixing running with other exercises? Give this workout a try and let me know what you think!

xo Nicole
#timetofly #ad

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of HOKA ONE ONE . The opinions and text are all mine.

Filed Under: Cardio, Hand Weights/Dumbbells, Lower Body, Running, Treadmill Workouts, Video, Workouts

What I Learned from Getting a Runner’s Assessment

April 23, 2015 by Nicole 27 Comments

I feel like the theme of April has been running—and not just because of the marathon. A couple weeks ago I had a really fun opportunity to get a runner’s assessment done at the Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention. It was awesome! I learned a ton, so fair warning—this post may turn into a novel.

As I’ve mentioned before on the blog, I used to run just about every day but recently it’s fallen to the wayside because it wasn’t feeling good. I had problems with Achilles tendonitis flair-ups from running which I pretty much resolved by switching to a minimalist sneaker, but then I found that my feet would hurt me if I did anything over 6 or 7 miles. I become frustrated and couldn’t see the point in doing something that seemed to be beating up my body. I still run here and there and in shorter bursts, but nothing like I used to (which is sad because I loved running—it was my favorite form of “me time”).

I did the Running Injury Prevention Quick Start Program, which is a private hour-and-a-half session that identifies inefficiencies in your running gait by evaluating posture, cadence, foot strike, stride, flexibility, movement patterns and muscle imbalances. Based on all that, you then receive instruction on how to improve your running form, and which exercises/stretches will help strengthen and stretch the necessary muscles.

You start by answering some basic questions about your running history and getting flexibility and strength measurements. Next up, video is taken of you performing a single-leg squat test and running on a special treadmill equipped with force plates. The treadmill and camera are synced to a computer so that you can watch yourself afterwards (awkward haha) and have your specialist talk you through what you’re seeing. The final part of the assessment is spent going over exercises, stretches and running form corrections that are catered to your individual needs.

I gained a ton of insight from my assessment—not just as a (former?) runner, but as a personal trainer. Even though it was a while ago that I got certified, it was crazy how much this runner’s assessment made things click for me. NASM focuses a lot on imbalances and how to strengthen and stretch the right muscles to correct them. I had a good understanding before, but now that someone has walked me through an assessment of my own muscular imbalances, I feel like I see it with a whole new clarity. It was so beneficial! Why haven’t I done something like this sooner??

Major Takeaways from My Runner’s Assessment

15+ years of tap dancing has had a big impact.

About five minutes into my assessment, my Injury Prevention Specialist, Jen, was like “did you dance growing up?” That obvious. Tap dancing is 90% on the balls of your feet and constantly having my heels lifted has resulted in ridiculously tight calf muscles, shortened Achilles tendons (hence the tendonitis flair-ups I’ve suffered from!), and perma-lifted toes (the top of my foot is tight). Think of what a foot looks like when it’s in a high heel—that’s essentially the shape my foot just naturally wants to assume at all times. I actually lift my toes so much when I run that I usually get holes in the tops of my sneakers!

Things I need to do to correct my tap dance imbalances:

Stretch out the top of my foot. I can do this easily by scrunching my toes and rolling the top of my foot onto the ground.
Foam roll the f**k out of my calves. The F bomb is necessary—when Jen rolled out my caves for me it was literally like I had marbles underneath my skin. After SMR I need to make sure to statically stretch the calves as well.
Use a resistance band to isolate the shin. I over-use the top of my foot and toes when flexing my foot rather than engaging my shin to lift it. Jen showed me how to flex my foot against a resistance band while keeping my toes scrunched would force me to pull using the shin area rather than the top of my foot.
Reduce the angle of my foot when I heel strike the ground running. Jen explained that it’s not necessarily a terrible thing that I’m a heel striker when I run, but that it shouldn’t be such a dramatic heel-first landing. If I stop pulling up with my toes so aggressively, the angle with which my foot hits the ground won’t be as bad (and I won’t get holes in the tops of my shoes anymore).

I need to strengthen my hamstrings and glutes/abductors.

When we tested the strength of various muscles during the assessment, it turned out that my quads are much stronger than my hamstrings. To put it in perspective, it should be a 4:3 ratio (quad strength to hamstring strength) and mine is more like 3:1. Just as important as strengthening those muscles is stretching my hip flexors so that their tightness doesn’t inhibit me from activating the glutes and hamstrings properly. I need to do some major TFL foam rolling!

Jen showed me a bunch of resistance band exercises to help with this and I’m going to share a workout inspired by them on the blog soon.

My legs are staying too straight as I run and as a result I’m over-stepping.

An over-step means that my heel is hitting the ground in front of my knee. I sort of leap as I run instead of creating a smooth pedaling motion with my legs. To fix this, I need to lift my knees a little higher when I run—by adding more of a bend, my foot will hit the ground in a supportive position underneath my knee rather than ahead of it. In the assessment, they had me start by sort of marching in place and then gradually speeding it up into a run in order to practice this.

I think part of the reason I leap when I run is because I was always told to “lengthen my stride” when playing sports and running cross county in high school. Jen confirmed it’s something they hear a lot. She said to compensate for the couple inches I’m losing in my stride by not over-stepping, I just need to pick up my cadence. The Micheli Center suggests a cadence of 170-180 steps per minute (for longer distance running) and right now I’m at 161.

I need to engage my lower abs when I run to prevent a pelvic tilt.

This is something I’ve been working on for a while in other forms of fitness and everyday movements to help prevent low back pain. But I didn’t realize I was doing it while I ran, too (duh—figures I am!). It’s a common postural imbalance and something I’m always reminding my students of in class—engage your low abs! I think of it as pulling up on a pants zipper—take out any over-arching of the low spine by tucking your tailbone and pulling the lower abdomen in. I know, ladies, your butt does not look as cute when you do this, but trust me, your body (especially your low back) will thank you. 😉

As far as running shoes go, I should find one with a neutral sole (an even thickness from toes to heel).

While the Micheli Center doesn’t make specific shoe recommendations because there are so many options out there and a lot of it has to do with personal preference, they did suggest I stick to a sole of even thickness because I strike with my heel. I should stay away from shoes that are thick at the heel and gradually get thinner towards the toes.

With all these takeaways, my next challenge is to integrate all this knowledge into my running form without over-thinking it. This past weekend, I hung out at the Intel and SMS Audio booth at the Boston Marathon Expo and was demo-ing their BioSport headphones on a treadmill. It got to the point where I had to just shut off my brain because I found my mind racing with tips from my runner’s assessment: Stop pulling up with your toes so much. Am I over-striding? Lift your knees higher. Engage your abs. Is my heel strike too aggressive?

Overanalyzing on the treadmill aside, the Expo was a lot of fun—even though I’ve lived in Boston for five years now, it was actually my first time attending! There were countless exhibitors and an overwhelming number of things to see and try. All the excitement actually made me a little sad I wasn’t running the marathon. Next year?? During my time at the Intel & SMS Audio booth, we shot a bunch of video footage so I’ll be sure to keep you posted if I get any face time in the final cut. I tend to dramatically talk with my hands (it’s the Italian in me haha) so I’m guessing I produced a solid blooper reel. And there’s still a chance to win your own pair of BioSport heart rate monitor headphones coming Sunday! In the meantime, you can listen to the playlist of workout favorites Intel has put together on Spotify here.

But back to my assessment—I’m now trying to just focus on one thing at a time. To start, lifting my knees a little higher when I run. Next, those dang tap dancing toes ripping holes through my shoes.

If you’re in the Boston area and interested in a runner’s assessment, you can get more info at the Micheli Center’s website. The quick start program I did is $90 and I’d highly recommend it!

Have you had this type of assessment done before? What’d you learn?

Filed Under: General Musings, Health & Wellness, Running

Quick Upper Body & Core Workout (Perfect to Pair with Running)

October 30, 2014 by Nicole 25 Comments

This post was sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Mizuno. While I was compensated, all opinions—as always!—are my own.

1/26/15 UPDATE: Hey guys! At the time I wrote this post, I had been testing out the sneaker for about a month and, as I mentioned, hadn’t had any trouble with my achilles tendonitis flaring up. Well DAMNIT it started to bother me again after several months of running with this shoe. People RAVE about Mizuno Wave Riders, so I still stand behind my positive review of this sneaker–I think the problem is more in my running form. As you can see in some of the pictures, I’m a heel-striker. A minimalist shoe helps force me onto my toes and I think that’s what relieves the tendonitis. This shoe is more cushioned, so for me personally, it enables my bad heel strike. I no longer run in this shoe, and have returned to a minimalist sneaker when I run (right now it’s the Nike Free +3). I gave these Mizunos to my non-heel-striker friend and she LOVES them. So again, the shoe isn’t bad–it’s just not the right fit for me. Wanted to update so that this review isn’t misleading!

I jumped at the opportunity to try out the Mizuno Wave Rider 18. Starting in college, I started having Achilles tendonitis flair-ups every time I went running—didn’t matter if it was 1 mile or 10 (LOL as if College Nicole would ever have run 10 miles…). For the most part, I just battled through it, but about two years ago, I switched over to a barefoot-feel running shoe and it was a total game changer. Haven’t had a single issue with tendonitis since. However, with that amazing improvement came another problem: my feet and knees started to hurt if I ran more than five or six miles. It was not quiiiiite enough support.

I’ve been wanting to try out a lightweight running shoe that offers some additional cushioning, and when I saw that the description of the Wave Rider 18 kept emphasizing this idea of “just enough” support, it struck home. After running consistently in them for a few weeks now, I’ve found that they really do have a great balance between lightweight flexibility and that cushioning shock-absorbent sole that I felt I was lacking. They’re so comfortable! But the big concern for me was that going back to a more supportive shoe would alter my foot strike and bring back tendonitis issues. Drum roll please…

So far, so good! Granted, I haven’t gone more than 5 miles at a time in the Wave Rider 18 yet, but no tendonitis flair-ups—yay! The Mizuno Wave Rider 18 retails at $119.99 and you can check it out HERE. I’m wearing it in Black/Silver/Florida Keys.

Since we’re on the topic of running, I wanted to share this quick workout that’s perfect for pairing with a long run. It’s all upper body and core work so those legs can save their energy for pounding the pavement (or trail or treadmill).

Upper Body & Core Workout

Equipment I Used:

Set of 8-lb hand weights
Exercise mat
Gymboss Interval Timer

You’ll do each exercise for 30 seconds before moving immediately on to the next (no breaks in between exercises). Once you’ve gone through the whole circuit, rest for 30-60 seconds. Repeat twice more for a total of 3 times through the exercises. I set my interval timer for 32 rounds of 30 seconds of work and 0 seconds of rest so that it would beep every 30 seconds, signaling me to move onto the next exercise (32 instead of 30 to account for two 30-second breaks).

Plank Triceps Kickbacks (RIGHT): Start in a plank position, left hand stacked directly under left shoulder, right hand holding onto a hand weight, elbow bent. Keeping your hips level as you do this (fight your body’s natural tendency to shift all the weight into your left side), extend your right hand straight back behind you, really squeezing the back of the arm (triceps) as you do. Hinging at the elbow, bring the weight slowly back to starting position.
Plank Triceps Kickbacks (LEFT)
Push Ups: You know the drill! If you need to modify, do these from your knees.
Russian Twists: Start seated, holding the weights in both hands at your chest, feet lifted off the ground with your knees bent. Lean back slightly, core engaged, balancing on your tailbone. Twist to one side, bringing the weights to the outer side of that hip; then repeat in the other direction. Really twist at the waist—you want your chest to be totally facing whatever side you’re bringing the weights.
Side Plank Row Extensions (RIGHT): Start in a side plank position, left hand stacked under left shoulder, dumbbell in right hand (start with a straight right arm, weight held a few inches off the ground. From here, row the right elbow straight up towards the ceiling and then straighten the elbow, lifting the weight up into the air. Make it two distinct movements: row, extend. Reverse the movement, bending the elbow and then straightening it downward to your starting position.
Side Plank Row Extensions (LEFT)
Seated Shoulder Press Ups: Imagine your forearms and elbows have magnets on them. Holding a weight in each hand, palms facing your face, hold your forearms in front of you, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Fight to hold the elbows as close to each other as you can throughout the whole movement. From here, you’re going to press your hands straight up, lifting the elbows, keeping forearms close together. Be careful not to shrug your shoulders up towards your ears as you do this. After pressing up as high as you can, slowly return back to starting. To engage the core, we’re going to do these in a seated position, legs out straight in front of you, posture straight and upright.
Serve the Platter in Plank (RIGHT): These are deceptively hard! Start in a plank position, left hand stacked directly under left shoulder, right hand holding onto a hand weight, palm facing up, elbow softly bent. From here, keeping your hips level (resist your body’s tendency to lean into that left side), reach that right hand forward, getting as close to a straight arm as you can. Slowly return to starting position.
Serve the Platter in Plank (LEFT)
Boat Pose with Serve the Platter: Start by getting into a boat pose position holding a weight in each hand. You’ll be balancing on your tailbone, leaning back slightly with a straight spine (squeeze those abs in tight!) with legs lifted off the ground. If you can, straighten the legs so that your body forms a V shape. To modify, keep your knees bent. From here, palms facing up, reach those weights up and out in front of you, extending the elbows. Slowly bring hands back to starting position, keeping legs lifted the whole time.

WEARING | sneakers: c/o Mizuno // leggings: Nike // top: Lululemon

Next time you’re going on a long run (or short run) give this workout a try—it’s only 15 minutes long and is a great compliment to that lower-body cardio!

Filed Under: Abs, Hand Weights/Dumbbells, Interval Training, Running, Upper Body, Workouts