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I
love listening to coaches at track meets. In
the excitement of the race or after a race,
trying to give their athletes a tip as to how
to improve, I often hear coaches talk to their
athletes about various aspects of running that
they need to improve upon. Cues like they need
to stand up more, dorsi-flex their foot or even
get up on their toes seem to pop up. I also
like to watch the coaches urge their runners
to use their arms better by pumping their arms
to get them to do the same. However, what these
coaches don’t understand is that as many
cues as they give their athletes, the athletes
cannot execute what their coach asks of them.
They simply lack some form of strength to be
able to do so. So while they try, they just
can’t. What would be more beneficial for
the coach and the athlete is to learn the cause
of the poor running form.
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| Video
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Video
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The
number one problem that I see in most runners
is that they are push runners. My definition
of a push runner is one who uses their quadriceps
to propel or push their body in a linear direction.
I am not sure why this tends to be so prevalent
with sprinters. However, after seeing many people
who play different sports, I see football players
push more than other sports. So, I would guess
that it is due to the football programs strong
desire to squat as much as possible which often
results in some type of half squat which focuses
on the quads rather than the posterior chain.
Becomes the quads becomes so strong, they assume
the role as the mover because the posterior
chain does not have the strength to do so. When
the quads propel the body, various characteristics
will show in the runners form. The easiest to
spot is a bend at the waist.(Video 1) A runner’s
butt will also stick out.(video2) They will
also be slightly curved in the torso.(video
3) This is so they can put their body in the
position to do quarter squats to push their
body down the track. Watching the video, it
will look like the runner is jumping the sprints.
(video 4) He will have a pronounced bounce on
video. (video 5) In fact, ask an athlete who
has to run and catch a ball what the ball does
when they are running. If they say it looks
like it is moving, they are probably a push
runner.
Also,
the contact point of the foot on the ground
is important. Usually, when a sprinter has the
above-mentioned characteristics, they will have
a foot strike that is in front of their center
of gravity with a bent knee compared to a straight
leg. (pictures 1&2) This is an indication
that the sprinter lacks “kick out”
or their ability to straighten their leg before
they snap down, which forces the athlete to
use his posterior chain to move. (picture
3 link)
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| Picture
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Picture
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All
of this results from having a weak posterior
chain. So when you tell a runner to stand up
tall when they sprint, they cannot do it because
they are too weak to do so. When you tell them
to paw the ground, they can’t because
they are too weak. Their hamstrings cannot take
the force so they pass it off to more powerful
muscles. So to take care of the problem, it
would be wise to start implementing more posterior
chain type exercises. First, to get them strong
through a strength phase using Glute Ham raises,
Reverse Hypers, Split Squats, HF Squats, Stiff
leg deadlifts and Romanian Deadlifts. From there
go into a power template by making your exercises
reactive in nature. In my opinion, the kings
of posterior chain runners are Reactive Glute
ham Raises, 4 way hip machine and Prime time
runs. I like Reactive Glute Hams because they
develope the kick out. I like the 4 way hip
because you can’t push. It forces the
posterior chain to pull and shuts off the quads.
It also helps develop extensibility, which is
flexibility under force. Lastly, Prime Time
runs are 4 way hip machine in action. It ties
the movements together so the body realizes
how it is suppose to move. Let’s not forget
the entire series of ADA drops and RA jumps
either. Plantar Flexor drops are great, as are
split squats. Both are important for the absorption
and toe off acceleration. I will get to these
exercises in the next article.
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| Picture
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