The Long Distance Runner

Long Distant Running Tips

5 (tough) bodyweight exercises to improve endurance

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Half Burpee Bodyweight Exercise

In the video below, they show some tough bodyweight exercises that will definitely improve endurance. This isn’t a dumbbell workout (completing each of these with little rest would be extremely tough).  Instead, I recommend including a 2-3 of these exercises into another bodyweight workout that includes push-ups, planks, lunges, etc. Each of these exercises is an effective way to get your blood pumping without any equipment or even a ton of space.

If you really wanted a tough workout, you could couple 2-3 of the exercises shown, into the Burner Dumbbell HIIT workout.

The key to incorporating these exercises into your workout is varying the intervals you do so you can work on everything from your endurance to your explosive power.

REMEMBER: KEEP YOUR HARD DAYS HARD & EASY DAYS EASY. So I would recommend completing these bodyweight exercises to improve your endurance after a long run or as a part of a HIIT workout.

Alternative (code for slightly easier or harder) ways of doing each exercise are shown.  This is helpful, especially for beginners.

  1. Lateral hop bulldog – kind of like a burpee, but with a side hop.  You also don’t get in a full plank/push-up position.  Instead, it’s more like a bear crawl position and then jump back up. This targets the quads more. The lateral portion of the exercise will definitely help stability, particularly in your hips, which helps to prevent all sorts of injuries.
  2. The half burpee – not only works chest, but also your core and quads.  This one will really gets you tired & works your hips.
  3. Squat Double Lunge – I think she’s putting it mildly when she says this exercise is a great way to “challenge your legs.”  Trust me, when I performed this circuit, the first 2 exercises, challenged my legs, this 3rd exercise destroyed them.  Take a look at the videos to see some alternative (aka easier ways to complete a variation of this exercise).
  4. Bear crawl with sit thru – Strength exercise. Go slow & concentrate on proper form. Take small steps and try to keep your hips still.  This one will definitely help your running form.  If you’re gassed and can’t main
  5. Banana Spilt – just like it sounds, this one’s a little of everything for the core, but it is considered an active rest. Keep your feet up in the air when you roll onto your side.  Putting your legs out in a “Y” shape and keeping your legs off the ground will work your glutes & hips as well. This is critical for injury prevention & superior performance. Also shown are some variations for beginners.

Have Fun!!!

Runner’s home dumbbell workout

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I know I’ve posted a number of “at home workouts” lately. Some of these contain similar exercises, but there is variety. So I want to give you some choices.

It’s important that runner’s don’t use too much weight with these workouts. We’re trying to build injury resistant muscles and baseline strength, not bulk.

I’m a huge believer in the power of variety. Whether it’s different running workouts or varying conditioning workouts, when you use this strategy, over the course of time, you’re more likely to maximize the benefits and minimize obstacles to working out, such as injuries, plateaus, and boredom.

Dumbbell & bodyweight workouts are easy to complete at home.

The following dumbbell workout is a great example of variety. Literally every muscle in your body is worked in this video. I like how the trainer completes the workout with you. If you get stuck, need to change weights or simply go to the bathroom, it’s simple to pause these videos.

Full body dumbbell workout – perfect for runners

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dumbbell workout for runners

Although this workout is promoted as being for toning, I think it’s perfect for runners as long as you use light weights.

This workout is brought to you by the team at Zeus Fitness.  It’s perfect for these days during the COVID-19 “shut-in” where you’re seeking something at home. 

It’s a dumbbell workout, but if you don’t have dumbbells, you could use something that’s about 7-10 lbs. You need to be able to complete bicep and tricep curls with whatever weight you use.

The key to this workout is that you don’t need a heavy weight. Light dumbbells can achieve muscle fatigue and really help runners same as the bodyweight exercises you see in other videos on our blog.  This workout is not same as the HIIT dumbell workout you may have previously seen.

With lighter weight dumbbells and more reps, you get stronger and get the maximum benefit from high reps. In the HIIT workout, it’s more like circuit training where it becomes like cardio. In fact, in the following video you can see the guy completing the workout is big, but I believe his dumbbells are only 5kg (about 11lbs). 

Start with 10 reps of each exercise and then progress to 15 and finally 20 reps.  The entire workout should take about 20 minutes. No rest between exercises, with 30 – 60 seconds between sets. 

If you wanted to work other muscles or make the workout longer, you could lie down and complete chest presses. Alternatively, you could also work the abs by completing sit-ups, twists or some kind of plank exercise where you include dumbbells.  Get creative, it’s up to you.  The key is to use smaller weights, but work your way up to 20 reps with minimal rest. 

  1. Goblet squat – slow with a hold in squat position (10 reps)
  2. Upright row + overhead shoulder press – 10 reps
  3. Alternating forward lunges – 10 reps total (5 on each leg)
  4. Bent over tricep – 10 reps
  5. Repeat cleans with straight legs and bent over
  6. Biceps curls – keep one arm bent/flexed in up position while you work the other arm 10 reps per arm

7-12. Goblet Squats – Bicep Curl – 15 reps

13-17. Goblet Squats – Bicep Curl – 20 reps

Strength Training with Kipchoge

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In this is a short video, you can see the simplicity of one of Eliud Kipchoge’s Step Up Shuffle workouts. I’m not certain all that his 1 hour workout entails. They indicate rhythmic dancing & step-ups.  One challenge for most would be overcoming the boredom of such a routine. However, I often remind those that I coach that it’s the little things that ultimately will help you achieve your goals.

It’s also notable that Kipchoge’s workout includes 45 minutes of strength training with light weights. His belief is to get stronger with high repetitions.  For me, this means dumbbells or kettlebells where you can do the exercise for 50-60 seconds without stopping.  It’s not about how much weight you can lift, it should be more about executing the exercises in controlled manner for a prolonged period.

There’s tons of videos of bodyweight/circuit training.  Here’s a tough dumbbell workout that I posted last month. The key is to start slow (15 minutes with bodyweight exercises) and increase the time & intensity of your workouts as you get stronger.  I think of these conditioning/strength workouts as a way to “injury proof” your body.

Add This 15 Minute Body Weight Workout To Your Weekly “To Do” List

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15 minute strength workout

I’m a big believer in strength training.  Especially for older runners, it’s a great way to prevent injuries.  If you’re injury free, you can stack week after week of running on top of each other.  The following 15 minute body weight workout is one of the best proven way to reach your goals (assuming that you’re doing the right kind of workouts).

The more consistent you are with your routine, the more likely you are to see results. In my mind, with strength training, it’s all about convenience. 

The workout below is full of a wide variety of movements that work the springlike elasticity of your muscles and trains them to generate power quickly and efficiently. 

You will know if you’re improving if each week, you’re able to finish more reps in the allotted time while maintaining proper form.  The toughest exercises for me in this routine are the triangle or diamond push-ups and the pull-ups.

Outsideonline provides a nice video at the bottom of the post so you can see how the exercises are performed.

Burner Dumbbell HIIT workouts for runners

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I’m constantly in search of strength training workouts. I think that older runners need to complete more strength training, especially during the winter months, to injury proof their bodies.  As with running, to be most effective, it’s important to add variety to your strength training workouts.  Besides, if you’re doing the same workout, week after week, it gets boring.

I really enjoy circuit workouts.  They not only build strength, but also help increase endurance. If you don’t believe me, just try a couple of these circuits and minimize the time between exercises (10-15 seconds) and sets (no more than a minute).

Following video has 4 different dumbbell HIIT workouts.

  1. Hybrid Blast – start with 12 reps of each move (or side). A lot of the exercises include multiple moves like lunges, planks, presses, single leg deadlifts, arm swings and a unique Sit Up Chop.
  2. 50 Full Body Killer – works legs, triceps, back, shoulders and more.  It’s a Killer.
  3. 10 minute sweat fest – this circuit will get your heart pumping.  The Locomotion may look easy, but if your dumbbell is too heavy, you will feel some pain.
  4. 10-1 Ladder burner – actually all of these workouts are good calorie burners.  There’s a lot of lunges, leg swings and shoulder work in this workout.

The Best [Proven] Strength Training Program

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I’ve been rehabbing from plantar fasciitis for the last 3 months. Which means that instead of running, I’ve completed a lot of strength training and non-impact workouts. I knew that I needed to do something besides elliptical, stationary bike etc. So, after about a month, I researched the best strength training workouts to maintain my fitness.  

I’ve watched a number of strength training videos (some of which are posted on this blog). I decided that circuits with minimal rest were the best workout. At least these types of workouts will raise my heart rate & get me sweating. 

However, my research wasn’t science based.  Instead, I’ve assumed that if my heart rate is elevated, I’m sweating and my muscles are tired at the end of the workout, then I must be doing something right. 

The question for me was, “am I maintaining fitness and readying myself to run when my plantar fasciitis is gone?

The following article, recently published in Outside Magazine, actually looks into the science behind the perfect strength training workout. 

The author attempts to answer questions like. what’s best? 

Lifting…..

–light weights to failure

-heavy weights to failure

–light weights not to failure

-heavy weights not to failure

When he put the results of his studies together he came up with some guidelines for people who want to get stronger but aren’t planning to enter any bodybuilding competitions. 

I’ve been completing a lot of circuits where I perform various strength exercises (like push-ups, squats, overhead presses with dumbbells, kettle bell swings, etc) for 60 seconds, then 15 seconds rest, followed by another 60 seconds on another exercise, etc.  I perform 3 sets with 3-4 different exercises each. I typically perform different exercises at least 3 times per week, so I need to get creative. Ultimately, I’m working a lot of muscles from lower legs, to my shoulders.

I can tell that I look and feel fit.  I haven’t gained any weight over the last 3 months, however, only time will tell what kind of shape I’ll be in when I resume running. 

Take a look at the following article for more details of how you should be strength training.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2408204/strength-training-research-2020

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