Most useful way to spend 15 min daily to improve running?

AreTrey wrote:

3x week heavy hang clean and presses. One motion

We have a winner!

Glutes Glutes Glutes

Bowow wrote:

Interested to hear people's opinions.

Suppose you want to set aside 15 min and only 15 min daily to do supplementary training - how do you fill the time?

***Other than spending the time running more*** (I'm assuming running is being done as much as you want elsewhere in the day)

Stretching? Plyometrics? Lifting weights? A 15 minute plank?

Before I can answer this question, I need to know what you already do or don't do.

Assuming you've optimized your nutrition, sleeping habits, run training methods, and stress management, then all you're left with is optimizing strength and conditioning. With it narrowed down to this, your best bet is to get in with a knowledgeable P.T. or similarly trained specialist with expertise in optimizing runners strength and conditioning needs, get a full evaluation, and determine which specific deficits you may need to focus on. For you, it may be significant hip flexor tightness that's your number one priority, or maybe glute weakness. I think a good way to do a self-assessment would be with one of the following guidebooks:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13645495-anatomy-for-runners

https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Conditioning-Endurance-Running-Blagrove/dp/1847979874

Bjorn wrote:

Gunder Haegg world class in the 40s ran 1358 5k and 3.43 for 1500m with running 15min hard everyday six days a week. Then in may june he run 15min two times a day... so if you run them hard you will still reach 95% of your potential....

I did this myself ran 15-20min fast once or twice a day and went from 10.30 to 9.49 3k even if my milage was higher before with many intervals...

Hägg´s daily runs in the winter were 5k mostly in deep snow, so you can bet they took longer than 15 minutes.

Running more in not necessarily the best thing to do, and the OP has explicitly said that mileage is optimized. My bet is that these extra 15 minutes would be best spent doing exercises to improve balance and strength in the posterior chain and hip flexors, e.g., one-legged deadlifts, bulgarian split squat, lunges, and chop and lift at the cable machine in a lunge position. Just my two cents.

Without knowing what is currently being done - Glutes and core work would be my vote. Whichever is your weakest start with first.

FWIW - I have seen decent runners spending a chunk of time on calf, quad, hamstring issues/injuries which very often have not much to do with a weak calf, quad or hamstring. These "parts" were compensating for weak glutes (or not not "firing") and/or weak core.

Run/walk up and down stairs.

Troll Lets Run

Hit the snooze...... wrote:

Sleep an extra 15 minutes every morning.

Go to bed 15 minutes earlier.

Is it spring yet? wrote:

Without knowing what is currently being done - Glutes and core work would be my vote. Whichever is your weakest start with first.

FWIW - I have seen decent runners spending a chunk of time on calf, quad, hamstring issues/injuries which very often have not much to do with a weak calf, quad or hamstring. These "parts" were compensating for weak glutes (or not not "firing") and/or weak core.

I second this absolutely. Weak glutes and weak hips cause a whole host of other issues. The most notable one is being slow. Sagging hips and not engaging glutes means you are severely limited as to how fast you can efficiently run.

No, the OP said he'd run as much as he wanted to. Most people today don't run enough to get the most out of themselves. But if he' s in the neighborhood of two hours a day he'd benefit from something else.

Any of the following:

-Exercises that improve hip, ankle, and shoulder mobility. I like one legged squats from a seated position on a bench, rear foot elevated split squats, pull ups with good technique.

-Nap

-Sprint, skip, sprint drills, agility etc. anything that helps you get faster over short distance/become more athletic.

The realist list of things that are actually easy to add:

3 days of strength/stability work - I'll echo what most people have said about glute activation and hip stability. Some basic exercises (say, 4-way hip with a resistance band, clamshells, squats, reverse lunges) are like brushing your teeth - if you do them week in and week out, you may not notice much, but if you drop them, you sure as hell will. Also, throw some push-ups in there, particularly if you are a road 5K/10k or XC racer. You'll be glad about it the next time you have to power up a hill.

3 days of form drills -Strides, skips, high knees, bounds, karaokes. Polish your form, build power and neuromuscular activation.

Remaining day - sit down and plan a menu for your week, so that you're eating good stuff and not "whoops"-ing to the drive through. If you're already doing that, then you've got a quarter hour left to fap.

One word: YOGA

karpopper wrote:

Troll Lets Run

This is the real answer