RUNNING AND UNILATERAL STABILITY

Running long-distance requires a particular set of physiological traits that many other sports don't require. The repetitive nature and asymmetrical strains placed on the body (due to both landing, strike patterns and the terrain) introduce many areas of risk and possible injury. As a result, single-leg exercises and unilateral drills have long been used by runners as a way to supplement and improve their running. But what exactly is it about single-leg exercises that benefit running? The difficult part about running, isn't about taking one step. It's about taking one step, and then another and then another - up to about 20,000 times in a row. The amount of stress that gets placed on the small joints from your toes, feet and your knees is what makes long distance running difficult. Managing that load and strain throughout your body not only across a run or race but across an entire season of training is the key to success and longevity.

As a runner, your body has to be fine-tuned to handle the loads associated with making contact with the ground (initial contact), absorbing that contact (mid-stance) and then loading up and pushing off (terminal stance into pre-swing). For your body to do that, your body needs a few things: 1) Tendon Elasticity - it is no secret that tendons are the key to high intensity activity. Tendons not only minimize impact but they also store energy efficiently so that we can re-use it. To handle the rigors of running, tendons have to be strengthened so that they can handle the repetitive loading and not get injured. Our joints and weight-bearing cartilages are meant for even contact but running introduces variable surfaces, uneven terrain and worse off, shifting during impact. Because of this, it is far safer to use tendons as the primary loader as opposed to relying on our joints and inert tissues (cartilage, bone, etc). Strengthening tendons are however, different than simply getting into the gym to do squats. Secondly, to become efficient at storing and re-using energy from impact, our tendons have to have elasticity so that you do not have to "generate" all the force to propel yourself but instead, drawing upon the store kinetic -> elastic energy to take subsequent steps in an efficient running stride. 2) Stability - the term stability is sometimes thrown together with balance but they are not the same thing. Balance is the body's ability to maintain it's equilibrium; not falling down. Stability however, is the body's ability to keep and hold a correct position on a smaller physiological scale. Without stability, our body's tend to "search for" the correct position results in "shifting" at a small scale and introducing friction points that place uneven stresses on your body's physiology which in turn, increases risk of injury. Having stable joints (feet, ankles, knees, hips) result in precise movements of the body which minimize friction, stress and decreases risk of injury. It produces efficient movements that are more direct (think straight line approach vs squiggly). 3) Conditioning - the term conditioning (as in "Strength and Conditioning") is often misinterpreted or misunderstood. Strength is typically seen as your body's ability to lift something heavy. The stronger you are, the heavier you can lift (very generally). Conditioning is your body's ability to do that action - repeatedly. A well conditioned athlete, can complete a particular task or movement with high quality for longer periods of time or more repetitions than a poorly conditioned athlete. Improving your conditioning also requires a specific approach to training that goes beyond simply increasing the number of repetitions that you do an exercise. It require specific programming, slowing down the tempo and taking your muscles to a particular subset of your range. Putting these elements together provides a more comprehensive training program that is specific to the needs of running. For more information, feel free to send us an e-mail or message!