Training your obliques is essential to making your running gait the most efficient it can be.
Obviously the smaller muscles in any muscle group fatigue faster than the larger ones. In the abdominal region, the smaller muscles are the internal and external obliques. The larger muscle is the rectus abdominis. (The transverse abdominus is your internal stabilizer.) Focusing on the obliques allows these smaller muscles to maintain their relative strength and not become dominated by the larger rectus. This creates proper movement in the pelvis, a critical component of efficient gait cycles and running performance.
What does this mean for me?
The practical application of the oblique sequence below is to eliminate the inefficient and awkward side-to-side rocking of the upper body as the body fatigues. At the end of a race, you want all your hard efforts to be propelling you forward toward the finish line! Not hindering your progress. Strong obliques help the body maintain erect posture and keep the pelvis properly aligned. This gets you across the finish line in the best way possible- fast and without injury!
Oblique Overload
1. Russian Twist with Weight – 20 each side
2. Bent Leg Obliques – 20 each side
3. Straight leg Obliques – 20 each side
4. Plank Twisters – 20 each side
5. Side Plank with a Twist – 20 each side
6. Windshield Wipers – 20 each side
Rest 1 minute. Repeat 2 to 3 times.
Feel stronger, more confident and improve your runs in just 4 weeks! But it won’t come easy. You need to commit to the hard work and dedication it will take to level up your fitness. Envision how you want to feel in 28 days and then say ‘yes!’ to everything that will support you in reaching your goal and ‘no’ to everything that won’t.
There’s no limit to what you can do when you set your mind to it and have a plan to make it happen! And, my Tread’n Tone program is that plan!
Check it out here. TREAD’N’TONE
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