Summer is race season. It is the time to set a new PR and to show off your toned and fit body. The sun is shining brightly and the temperature is high. That means it’s time for shorts, t-shirts and bathing suits. Are you ready for that? More importantly, are your abs ready for that? This time of the year we all want tight, toned and flat abs. Take a look in the mirror. Are you happy with what you see? If not, you have two choices. You can accept what you have or you can take steps to improve it.
There are two things you must do if you want your abs to be in the best shape possible. You must strengthen and tone the muscles in your midsection and you must decrease your body fat. If either step is left out you are selling yourself and your abs short. Resistance exercises will build muscle mass and tone your midsection. The problem is that neither yourself nor anyone else will be able to see those fabulous abs if they have a layer of body fat covering them. So, you must also decrease your overall body fat. Note that I said OVERALL body fat. I know that you have seen the infomercials selling the latest miracle device that will spot reduce abdominal fat. They are lying to you. You cannot reduce body fat on specific part of your body without dangerous and painful surgery. The only way to reduce abdominal fat is by reducing overall body fat.
Of course, as a runner, abs are not just for good looks. A strong core is essential for performing your best as a runner. Powerful core muscles provide a strong base for your racing and training. Without strong abs you stride will break down and you will not meet with the success that you are training so hard to acheive.
The Classic Crunch
The classic method for strengthening the abdominal muscles is the classic crunch. This is a concentric exercise that works the rectus abdominis muscle. A concentric exercise is one in which the muscle “shortens” during the motion involved. The rectus abdominis muscle is a muscle that travels from the middle of your ribcage down to your pubic bone. This is the most visible abdominal muscle and the one that forms the coveted “six pack”. When performing an abdominal crunch, this muscle shortens and pulls your ribcage and hips closer together resulting in a curl up motion.
Two other major abdominal muscles are the left and right external obliques. These muscles run diagonally between your lower eight ribs and the top of your hipbones. When working together, the external obliques assist the rectus abdominis in its curling motion. When working independently, they rotate the trunk. The external obliques also work very hard when performing a crunch with the trunk rotated to the right or left as when touching the right elbow to the left knee.
Core Strengthening and Functional Training
While classic crunches are very good at strengthening the abs, there may be a more efficient method. Functional training and core strengthening are two fairly recent trends in fitness. Functional training is a popular buzzword that basically means training that mimics the motions involved in everyday movements or motions involved in specific sports. Functional strength training goes beyond simply strengthening a muscle. It requires developing the coordination of several muscular and nervous systems. This is accomplished by performing exercises that work more than one muscle system at a time using motions that are common in the activity you are training for.
Core strength is the base or “core” that drives functional training. Any activity you do, whether it is walking, running, dancing, skiing, biking or swimming, requires a strong core. Your core muscles provide a stable base that supports the movements of your body as you perform these activities. If you did not have these strong core muscles, you would be flopping around like a puppet with loose control strings.
Core strength training targets the smaller and deeper spine and trunk muscles as well as the larger rectus abdominis and both external and internal oblique muscles. The primary duty of these core muscles are to stabilize the trunk, hips and spine while you are running, jumping and lifting. In carrying out these duties, the core muscles perform mostly an isometric contraction. An isometric contraction is one in which the muscle tightens with no shortening or lengthening. You are performing an isometric contraction when you simply contract your abs when you are standing or sitting with no motion involved.
Core strengthening exercises will work those core muscles using mostly isometric contractions either alone or in conjunction with other functional exercises.
The Ultimate Core Conditioning Circuit
The Ultimate Core Conditioning Circuit will combine a series of functional and core exercises with high intensity hill running. The high intensity hill running will burn a lot of calories, increase your metabolism, build your running specific strength, raise your lactate threshold and will also assist in building core strength and functional fitness. This circuit will tone your abs, strengthen your core muscles, improve your functional fitness and burn fat ALL IN ONE WORKOUT! Perform these exercises in order with no rest between the exercises. This workout is designed for the use of a treadmill. You can perform this workout outside, but because of the difficulty in finding appropriate terrain, it will probably be easier to use a treadmill. Some of the strength exercises use the treadmill for support. Be sure you turn off the treadmill and wait for the belt to completely stop before starting the strength exercise.
Exercise 1 – Hill Running. Warm up by running on the treadmill for 10 minutes at an easy pace. Then set the treadmill elevation to 3% and run at a pace that feels moderately hard for 5 minutes.
Exercise 2 – Core Conditioning. Turn off the treadmill. Lie face down on the floor, next to or behind your treadmill, with your upper body supported on your elbows and forearms. Place your feet, supported by the toes, on the belt or frame of the treadmill. Your body should be kept completely straight and supported by your elbows, forearms and toes. Hold this position for 20 seconds.
Exercise 3 – Hill Running. Set the treadmill elevation to 5% and run at a moderately hard pace for 5 minutes.
Exercise 4 – One Leg Squats. Turn off the treadmill. Stand in an upright position with your back to the treadmill and your hands on your hips. Contract your abdominal muscles to stabilize your trunk and spine. Place on foot (rear foot) behind you on the treadmill frame. Your other foot (forward foot) should be flat on the floor and directly underneath your center of gravity. Bend your forward knee until it is at approximately a 90 degree angle. Do not let your knee move in front of your toes. Slowly straighten your forward leg and return to the starting position. Repeat this 20 times. Then repeat this exercise using the other leg as the forward leg.
Exercise 5 – Hill Running. Set the treadmill elevation to 6% and run at a moderately hard pace for 5 minutes.
Exercise 6 – Core Conditioning. Perform exercise 1, except, this time; raise your left leg up so that you are supported only by your elbows, forearms and right foot. Hold this pose for 20 seconds.
Exercise 7 – Hill Training. Set the treadmill elevation to 6% and run at a moderately hard pace for 5 minutes.
Exercise 8 – One Leg Squats with a Twist. Perform exercise 4. This time twist your trunk slowly to the right and to the left before straightening your forward leg.
Exercise 9 – Hill Running. Set the treadmill elevation to 7% and run at a moderately hard pace for 5 minutes.
Exercise 10 – Core Conditioning. Perform exercise 6, except, this time; raise your right leg up so that you are supported only by your elbows, forearms and left foot. Hold this pose for 20 seconds.
Exercise 11 – Hill Running. Set the treadmill elevation to 8% and run at a moderately hard pace for 5 minutes.
Exercise 12 – Core Conditioning. Perform exercise 10, except, this time, raise your right leg and your left arm so that you are supported only by your right elbow, right forearm and left leg. Hold this pose for 10 seconds. Repeat this exercise raising your left leg and right arm with support from your left elbow, left forearm and right leg.
Exercise 13 – Cool Down. Set the elevation at 1% and run at an easy pace for 5 minutes.
In this workout you have accomplished core strengthening, functional training, fat burning and have improved your overall power, strength, running economy and fitness levels. Perform this workout 1 or 2 times per week. In 6 to 8 weeks you will have a core you will be proud of.
