Gym Basics : The Single-legged squat

Gym Basics: The Single-legged Squat......

Niall O Crualaoich has written a number of articles for the Run Ireland website. They are reproduced here with his kind permission... 
The gym basics series is supposed to acquaint you with some of the basic exercises that a runner will need. Any squat will work your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. It will also to some degree work your abductors, adductors and erectors. All your major leg muscles in one small exercise.

Why is the single leg squat so important? Well for a start since it is single leg, it will improve your balance and body awareness. Two legged squats allow your body to create muscle imbalances and leads to a dominant leg doing the majority of the work. Single leg squats force both legs to develop and strengthen. And if you have weak knees, the single legged squat also works the knee stabilisers. And for the runner it is a functional exercise as when we run, we generally have one foot off the ground while the other cycles through the weight bearing portion.

I usually recommend that you can do at least 20 bodyweight two legged squats before commencing with the single legged kind. While in this article I will concentrate on the off the bench single legged squat it is worth building up to it by starting with a swissball single legged squat. Start by standing with your back to the wall and the swissball between your lower back and the wall. Then squat down using the correct technique. The swissball acts as a stabiliser for the movement.

The off the bench (or step) squat: If you wish to progress more slowly then start on your stairs at home, this give you the added safety of the handrail for support. Stand on a bench or step that is knee height. Stand with the right leg parallel to the side of the bench and the left leg hovering in the air beside it. Keep the left toes level or higher than the left heel (foot flat). Raise your hands in front of you for balance and bend your right knee and slowly lower yourself. Think of it as trying to sit down while standing on one leg. Keep your back straight and look straight ahead, focus on a point ahead of you. Keep your chest up and ‘open’. Don’t lean your torso forward. Your knee should be over your second toe (the one next to the big toe) and shouldn’t travel further forward than your big toe. Be aware that your knee should be over your foot and not to the left or right of it. Lower yourself till you feel your balance go or your left foot touches the floor. Do not drop your left hip. It is to remain in line with your right hip. The aim is to squat not tilt. Sit back rather than lean forward, as if you are going to sit down.

Now raise yourself back up. Do not lock out the knee when it is straight; keep the knee ‘soft’. That is one repetition. Lower yourself on a count of 2 and hold for 1 and raise yourself for a count of 2. See how many reps you can do. And switch to the other leg. Use that as a basis for your training program. If you can do 6-10 reps per leg and that 3 times (3 sets) then try the pistol squat.

The pistol squat: Is the free standing version of the off the bench squat. It is also hugely more difficult and demands quite a lot of flexibility from your hamstrings. Since you can’t lower your leg into the ground you hold it out in front of yourself. Keeping your right foot flat on the ground and holding your left leg straight out in front of you, squat down. Your torso will have to come forward quite a lot to counterbalance and I find keeping the left quad contracted helps. The best tip I can give is to keep the control tight throughout the whole exercise. If you have muscle imbalances and/ or an unresolved injury you will find the pistol squat extremely difficult. If your having a lot of difficultly with this then stand facing a pole and put your right toes against the pole and hold the pole with your hands and use the pole to assist you doing the pistol squat. Then wean yourself away from the pole.

Gym Basics...The Plank...By Niall O Crualaoich

Eagle AC member Niall O Crualaoich has written a number of articles for the Run Ireland website. They are reproduced here with his kind permission...

Gym Basics: The Plank

So the ‘Plank’? Why should you be interested at all? The plank is not just a core exercise for running but used in almost every sport to build the core. The core being you abdominal muscles back and hips.

This helps with power transference between the upper and lower body. The stronger the core, the less power ‘leakage’ so to speak. While the plank is a static exercise and works predominantly on your muscular endurance it also helps develop your shoulders, arms and gluts. The plank should not replace the more dynamic core exercises like push-ups or sit-ups but augment them.

So how do you do the plank? Getting into position is the easy part; it’s holding it and progressing the basic plank that is the difficulty. Lay down prone (face down) on the mat and get into the full push-up position. And instead your hands being in contact with the ground, put your elbows down. Now you’re in the plank position. Your toes are touching the ground with your feet loosely together. Ankles, knees, hips and shoulders are all in line, hence the ‘plank’ name. Your back is as straight as a plank. A hip sagging down (or to a lesser degree arched up) is usually the most common mistake. If you find yourself sagging, correct this or rest and try again. Your elbows are directly under your shoulders, bent 90 degrees; you should be looking at your thumbs and resting on your forearm. Keep your head in a neutral position so as not to strain your neck. Now that you’re in that position, it is as simple as holding it there.

All your muscles (in your core) are contracting to hold you there and therefore working hard. Concentrate on contracting your gluts (backside) and you abdominals (belly button area). Most people trying this for the first time find that holding it for 20 seconds is more than enough. To progress this hold the Front plank for 30 seconds then try to add more time and more sets (times you hold it). The box below gives a sample progression for the front plank. Start at the level you feel comfortable with and push the comfort zone.

Level 1 20sec One set (once)
Level 2 30sec One set
Level 3 30sec Two sets
Level 4 30sec Three sets
Level 5 45sec Two sets
Level 6 45sec Three sets
Level 7 60sec Three sets

Once you’re holding the plank for 60 seconds, it is time to add some variations. The ‘Side Plank’ is usually the next progression. You lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder. Then raise your hips till your body is once again in a straight line. Ankles to ears all in alignment. Keep your head in neutral position and your hips still shouldn’t be sagging. Also with the side plank, you have to keep your shoulder and hip in alignment (stop the trunk from rotating). As with all exercises that work one side of the body. You are going to have to work the other side of the body too. The strength from the front plank should mean you’re not going to have to start back at level 1 but be sure to hold the correct form while carrying out the plank.

So what now? You have added the plank to your workout. You’re holding the front plank for 2 minutes and after 30 seconds break into your left and right sided plank for 60 seconds each. Where do you go? Well now it is time to challenge the balance. In the front plank straighten one arm out in front of you. Hold for 5-6 seconds and then extend the other arm out in front of you. Relax put both arms back on the ground and raise one leg 4-5cm straight up. Keeping the leg straight and the toes pointing to the floor. Hold for a few seconds and then change leg.

In the side plank start with just raising the arm on top and point your fingers to the ceiling. That is the easy bit. Next raise the top leg as well. Don’t bend the knee. Like a jumping jack that has fallen over on its side.

By lifting the limbs up off the ground, not only do you challenge the balance, you have to prevent the body’s natural desire to rotate as well. People you already do squats and deadlifts find the plank relatively easy. If you’re looking for exercises to help your plank and develop your core then pull ups, push ups and Russian twists should be on your dance card.

Well enough of the plank, I hope that you have gotten some idea of the plank and its variations. If you’re a member of a gym or in a running club I am sure there is someone there who can help you. Well watch your form at least. If you already knew this exercise, I hope the progressions have given you food for thought.

Overview of Compression Tights...by Niall O Crualaoich

Eagle AC member Niall O Crualaoich has written a number of articles for the Run Ireland website. They are reproduced here with his kind permission...
Below is an article written on compression tights which should give an overview. It is an old one but gives a very good overview.

FYI- Medical compression tights have been around for a long time and have the research behind them as well. If I remember rightly (please correct me) they usually have between 30-40 mmhg worth of pressure. Not great for running in then. A number of studies have proven the recovery aspect and from a pure logic point of view they should help diminish DOMS, promote blood circulation and general help the recovery process.

Problem I have is with the intra-race wearing of compression gear. The studies I have read and followed seem to be in small numbers of athletes and mixed testing methods as well as mixed between pros and 'normal' fun athletes.The results have been very mixed either measured on exercise performance or vascular function. I am waiting of a large study to prove the in-race wearing benefits. And not focused on the unhealthy side of the population. I am waiting of a large study to prove the in-race wearing benifits. But there are a lot more smarter heads than me on this forum so I will await others comments.

Tights may give runners a lift
Sydney Morning Herald - June 14, 2006 - 8:29AM
Running tights designed to support the muscles and boost runners' performance may actually work as advertised, a small study suggests.
Known as compression tights, the apparel is marketed to distance runners as a way to make their muscles work more efficiently - expending less energy to do a given amount of work.
In the new study, French researchers found that the high-tech pants allowed 12 male runners to expend less effort during their runs compared with shorts or traditional low-tech tights.
This implies that the gear could delay muscle fatigue and permit runners to go farther or burn less energy to reach their usual performance level, according to study co-author Dr Stephane Perrey, of the University of Montpellier's Motor Efficiency and Deficiency Laboratory in France.

The findings are published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine.

Compression tights have strategically placed bands of sturdier fabric that are supposed to support the leg's major muscles and limit excess muscle motion as a runner strides along.
This protection against muscle "oscillation" may be what allowed runners in the study to move more efficiently, according to the researchers.
In addition, they note, the extra-supportive tights may facilitate blood circulation back to the heart.
The study included trained male runners who volunteered to test the performance effects of three types of sportswear clothes - compression tights, standard shorts and conventional elastic tights.

The researchers measured the runners' efficiency using portable monitors that gauged their oxygen needs during the run.

In the initial experiment, in which the men were asked to run a short distance, both compression and conventional tights helped the runners to move more efficiently compared with when they wore ordinary shorts.
During more intense, 15-minute runs, the compression tights performed best, trimming the runners' oxygen use.
Perrey estimated that, for a marathoner who normally clocks in at 3.5 hours, compression tights could shave about 6 minutes off that time.
But, he told Reuters Health, the average jogger could also get a performance boost from the apparel - as long as the size is right.

Autumn 2012 Training Schedule

With less than 16 weeks to go to the 2012 Dublin City Marathon in late October, club members have begun their training for this event as well as a host of other Half-Marathon races in the Autumn.

There is a list of training runs HERE

Eagle AC members should keep an eye on their e-mails to see more detailed instructions or for information on additional runs.

If you see an run at your pace but is a bit too long then contact the run organiser to see if you can join the group along the route.
If you are a non-member visiting the site, why not join us? It really is so much easier training for your target race as part of a group.

For more details about joining, visit our club website.....http://www.eagleac.net