Does doing stuff like squats and clean and jerk (I think that's what it's called) help with running form? I read somewhere that it does and sprinters incorporate them in eir training. Did you have guidance when starting out since correct form is important. Also, do skinny runners hat have almost no upper body strength need to build up to them before taking to the racks and such?
- Olympic lifts are to help you generate power so you can "drive through the hips" with more power, it isn't really to improve running form. Instead, it is about taking advantage of good running form.
- Everything is relative to your strength/weight, so you shouldn't need or want to "bulk up" your upper body to get a benefit from olympic lifts. Your arms are not what should be worked in olympic lifts. When done properly to benefit your running, your arms should be doing almost no work other than to stabilize the weight.
- Absolutely find somebody who knows correct form with these lifts to help you initially. Bad habits in these lifts can easily result in permanent injuries that will nag you for life, such as shoulder and back injuries. Examples of this can be found at a majority of cross fit gyms.
- After you learn to lift, I would never do it alone. I always do these lifts with a partner both to give me feedback if my form is slipping and also just in case I drop a weight or fall or something. I've been doing these lifts for years and never needed "help" but it still isn't worth it to me to risk it. Your acceptance of risk may be different than mine however.
Thanks. Can you elaborate about drive through the hips? I'm not sure about the partner thing but there's always someone in the gym I can probably ask for a spot. Are there any exercise that aren't as risky in injury?
Nice post
did you ever watch an olympic lifter or power lifter run? What type of running form do they have?
you seem to be on the right track with concerns about form and spots.
are olympic lifts necessary for distance runners? probably not. could they help? sure.
imo, don't bother with snatches, its a more complicated movement than the clean and only recruits marginally more motor units.
if you can develop the proper form & flexiblity then i would suggest full cleans, a great bang for the buck exercise.
Skinny runner .. wrote:
Thanks. Can you elaborate about drive through the hips? I'm not sure about the partner thing but there's always someone in the gym I can probably ask for a spot. Are there any exercise that aren't as risky in injury?
Here is a quick article about "running through your hips"
http://runnersconnect.net/running-injury-prevention/hip-drive-running-stride/If you won't have the option of getting somebody to teach you proper technique, some lifts I would consider possible alternatives to olympic lifts would be:
- Weighted bench step ups recommend 3 sets of 6-8 reps: Weighted dumbells in each hand, single leg step up onto a weight bench, focusing on maintaining a straight line between your back leg, hips, shoulders, and head throughout the full movement. Most of the power should be coming from the front leg. In other words, do not simply jump off the back leg. As an example, this person lets her butt get behind her too much:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECXn9C8e6xA- Single leg squats aka pistons w/ dumbells, recommend 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps. Focus on using the "front" leg to do the work, don't try to use the back leg to do the work. In the example video, this guy is letting his knee come in front of his foot, which is bad, he needs to move his foot slightly forward so that his knee stays above his ankle rather than moving significantly in front of it. Another thing you should avoid that he does is he has his back foot plantar flexed. This is an unnatural position and he is risking hurting something in his shins or ankle, although the risk is realistically pretty low, but these details matter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll60EDemwdQ- Weighted explosive split squats, recommend 2x20 total (so 10 each leg forward per set). This is where you do a lunge, then explode upwards, landing with the opposite leg forward. Points to focus on are keeping the upper body vertical, not hunching or rounding of the back. Don't let your knees bend past 90 degrees. The focus is on the explosion upwards, the landing should be done gently just to get yourself back into position for the next jump upwards. Example video (although he does it without weights)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GocAtyFBPCc- Single leg bench squat w/ dumbells. Like this picture, except with dumbells in each hand down at your side:
http://exercises.youtrain.me.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/Single-Leg-Bench-Squat-622x485.pngAgain, don't let your knee extend past your foot in this exercise. I do about 3x6 with this exercise.
As far as what weight to use for each of these exercises, start with no weights to learn the exercise, then you can work your way up to a weight that allows you to do recommended #s of sets and reps. For me this works out to about 25% of my body weight in each hand, so 45 pound dumbells at the end of the season. Don't go so heavy that you can't do the split lunges explosively.
Anyway, those are some ideas of something that is lower risk, although technique is still important, but a little easier for you to "coach" yourself in them if you do them alongside of a mirror and glance at the mirror now and then to give yourself some feedback.
