Use Yoga to Solve Marathoner Problems: What Upper Body?
PROBLEM: UPPER BODY, WHAT UPPER BODY?
Runners rarely focus on upper body posture, but this is where your oxygen originates. Pretty essential. And while runners obsesses over their stride, most overlook arm swing even though that’s where your legs get their tempo and stride cues — if your arms are pumping your legs have to follow. Plus good form reduces wasted energy. It’s biomechanics!
When you can roll into mile 26 with your posture still strong, lung capacity optimized, and arms swinging — even when you’re beyond tired — just think of the PRs!
Optimal posture for better breathing and arm swing, lets go! The solutions are straightforward: Use yoga to open your chest, get your shoulders back into the right place, and strengthen your core. First become ore aware of your imbalances with these two quick self-tests:
SELF-TEST #1: WHERE ARE YOUR SHOULDER BLADES?
SELF-TEST #2: WHERE’S YOUR CORE WEAKNESS
SOLUTION: STRETCH YOUR CHEST
Arm swing issues often originate in your chest. Stiff pecs — an imbalance resulting from constant + prolonged sitting and the demands of your forward motion-oriented training — round your shoulders forward and overstretch your upper back muscles, not to mention shuts down your breath capacity. Regaining balance in your upper body posture requires a combo of stretching your chest in order to create space for your breathing and move your shoulders back into their home, and finding your “back pack” aka back core muscles to help keep your spine and shoulders where they should be.
SOLUTION: STRENGTHEN YOUR CORE
Our daily lives flop us forward — sitting at the computer, using devices, eating, driving, writing, reading… Your core, meanwhile, essentially goes to sleep. So it’s shouldn’t come as a surprise that this habitual posture has a negative impact on your running — affecting arm swing and stride, increasing injury risk, and so much more.
A strong core eases this imbalance and is a game changer for your running — it will keep you upright and moving forward the way your body is engineered to run, even as fatigue sets in. Now let’s get into the videos!
USE IT DAILY
Do one video to stretch your chest plus one video to strengthen your core every day, or alternate between days if you’re crunched for time (chest one day, core the next). Most of the videos take as little as 5 minutes so they’re easy to hit as part of your pre-run warm up or post-run cool down. And hit longer routines whenever you can!
STRETCH YOUR CHEST
You can’t achieve or maintain optimal upper body posture and form with short, stiff pecs. The key is effectively stretching NOT straining. First you need to guide your your scapula into their home on your upper back so that you can safely and effectively open the space across your chest. Hit a video every day.
RECLINED UPPER BODY RESET
STRENGTHEN YOUR CORE
Once you’ve got that space re-established across your chest, you’ll need your core strength to maintain that improved posture. Hit a video every day.
CORE STRENGTH COLLECTION
Be sure to check out the other marathoner problems and solutions including weak glutes, tight hamstrings, and hip imbalances here!
Next week we’re going to balance your foundation, and deal with nagging issues like plantar and achilles tendonitis. Keep sharing how you’re using yoga with #athletesforyoga! We’re always available for personal Reset recommendations — DM us!