Technique Tuesday — Muscle Pliability for Runners
What’s pliability, you ask? And why do you need it? First, a definition:
Pliability =
the ability to access full range of motion, and to be able to stretch and bounce back.
That’s how we like to describe it, anyway. In other words, you want your muscles to be like rubber bands, not guitar strings. It makes sense. Whether you’re a sprinter or a marathoner — regardless of whether you employ more fast- or slow-twitch muscles — you won’t be able to access your range of motion or power without a certain amount of elasticity. Without that elasticity you limit your athleticism. This is especially true when it comes to the hammies.
Try it: Hamstring Pliability for Runners
(and everyone!)
We introduced this pair of stretches last week as a post-run refresh, however when put together in fluid movement, they become a powerful tool for gaining and maintaining elasticity in your hamstrings and hips. Plus knee stabilization for injury prevention is an added bonus.
Hit up our Technique Tuesday from last week — Yoga for Runners: Hamstring Refresh — and rather than using them as static stretches, flow between them and a runner’s lunge in this order:
Runner’s lunge
Hit the front (straighten the front leg but keep the front foot flat)
Runner’s lunge
Now the back (straighten the front leg but flex the front foot)
Runner’s lunge
Breathe slow and deep, so that you have one breath for each movement, and continue the sequence for 3 – 5 reps (completing poses 1 – 5 = 1 rep).
Be sure to track your front knee directly over the ankle when you come into your runner’s lunge and remember, you can do it with your back knee on or off the ground.