A couple of weeks ago I led a Stability, Core and Strength Clinic at Metro for the American Cancer Society’s DetermiNation team. DetermiNation is a training program through the American Cancer Society in which participants are coached/trained to complete a half-marathon, full marathon or triathlon. Participants commit to raise money for the fight against cancer. When I moved to Charlotte my first job was a temporary contract position with the American Cancer Society helping with their Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. I was happy to work with them again but this time in a volunteer capacity.
I had around 20 participants in the clinic and we had a great time learning about how they can become stronger, faster and more efficient runners. I took them through a dynamic warm-up and then we worked on single leg squats for a while before getting into the circuit. I promised the group that I would post a video of me demonstrating all of the exercises that we did.
For the clinic I focused on movements that developed stability in the hip, knee and ankle, core work and plyometric exercises. Demonstrations of the following exercises are included in the video:
1. Single Leg Squat (stability)
2. Box Jumps or Step Ups (plyometrics)
3. Push Up/Side Plank (core and upper body)
4. Single Leg Reach (stability)
5. Bosu Bridge (core and hamstrings)
6. Twisting Medicine Ball Lunges (stability and core)
I would recommend doing 3 sets of 12 (on each leg for the single leg exercises), 2 to 3 times per week.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the clinic and worked so hard. It was inspiring to see everyone at the beginning of their journey towards completing their endurance event and I hope that these exercises help them build strength and prevent injury.
I’m very excited to say that I’m going to continue working with the DetermiNation team. We’ll be doing a deep stretch/mobility clinic in a couple of weeks! I will continue to share what I’m doing with them and hopefully it will benefit some of you who are training for fall races or just looking to improve your running.
Let me know if you have any questions or feedback!
Thanks for posting the video Jen! I’ve got my workout for tomorrow now! I don’t have a BOSU ball at home. Should I just put my feet on the floor or elevate them on something?
yes, either of those are great options and effective! you don’t have to have the bosu.
Thanks Jen! I might do this tomorrow too!
PS – I went to y2 today for the first time and took their power mixed class! It was awesome 🙂 maybe one day I will see you there!
you’re welcome! i’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed your first experience at Y2!
I am kinda scared to try a box jump 🙁
not scary! start with a really low box/surface and work your way up!
Thanks for the video! I’m going to try this soon. Like Kim commented above, I don’t have a BOSU, either. Suggestions? And, in Bodypump 82, there are some jumps…I tend to avoid any kind of jumps because it seems moves like this aggravate my knees. Any tips/thoughts on this? Thanks!
hey amy – you can either do them off of the floor or place your heels onto a slightly elevated surface. no big deal! you can also do single leg variations of that exercise. as far as jumping, for my box jumps just do the step ups. in bodypump 82, take the low option and do the bodyweight squat without the jump!
Thanks, Jen — these are great stability movements and while I’ve done most of them before, it’s always great to have a clear and concise demonstration to check my work. Love this blog!
thanks so much for the positive feedback! appreciate you reading! have a great weekend. 🙂
I so admire how much of a science you make fitness into! I’m a personal trainer as well and I sometimes forget there is SO much more to working out then just what meets the eye!
thank you! i’m a fanatic about form and function – doing things for a reason! 🙂
I loved this video and can’t wait to try the moves! I am so bad at incorporating strength and core into my running training schedule but your videos always encourage me to try new things which keeps me interested 🙂
Great exercises! Thanks Jen!
Awesome Video! Love one legged squats! You should really be on TV!
haha – you’re too kind! thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Jen. I am a runner who is coming back from an ankle injury and am looking to get more explosive (or explosive at all–I feel so slow) so these exercises are perfect for me to try!
you’re welcome joy! i hope you like the workout. good luck with your injury recovery. be sure to work those single leg exercises!
Loved the video Jen Would love to see some more. Your instructions were clear and I like that you give alternatives a lot of videos don’t and we are all not fit and weight 117 lbs. I have just started running again after a break of 20 years and am finding my legs really tired and heavy (breathing is not a problem) so I am going to try these exercises in the gym tomorrow x
hi elaine – it’s definitely a focus of mine to do more workout and yoga videos. i am all about offering options and modifications…what works for one might not work for another. let me know how you do!
I was looking for a some good core/strength training exercises for runners to incorporate into my training plan. Thanks so much for posting this, and for including the video! Your blog is one of my absolute favorites.
you’re welcome! so happy to hear that you enjoy my blog. thanks for reading!
Great post! I am just starting to train for my second 10k, so this was perfect timing!
perfect! hope you like the workout.
Might do this today! Looks like a great workout, even if your not a runner, like me:)
yes, these exercises are great for anyone! very functional!
Thank you for posting! This couldn’t come at a better time. Currently training for a 10k and I have been feeling like my strength training has been lacking because I’ve been concentrating on running. Going to try this next week!