Running Rewired: Reinvent Your Run for Stability, Strength, and Speed

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DistributedintheUnitedStatesandCanadabyIngramPublisherServicesTheLibraryofCongresshascatalogedtheprintededitionasfollows:Name:Dicharry,Jay,author.Title:Runningrewired:reinventyourrunforstability,strength&speed/JayDicharry.Description:Boulder,CO:VeloPress,2017.|Includesindex.|Identifiers:LCCN2017049243(print)|LCCN2017049506(ebook)|ISBN9781948006019(ebook)|ISBN9781937715755(pbk.:alk.paper)Subjects:LCSH:Running—Training.|Running—Physiologicalaspects.

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CONTENTS

Introduction:SettingYourselfUpforSuccess

PARTI:THERATIONALE

1 ThinkBackwardtoRunForward

2 TroubleshootBrokenWiring

3 MobilityandStabilityforRunability

4 YourBodyDrivesYourForm

PARTII:DRIVEYOURRUNWITHPRECISION+PERFORMANCE

5 Don’tBreakYourPivotPoint

6 TheSecretofCounter-Rotation

7 PushforBetterPropulsion

8 AlignmentIsNotOne-Size-Fits-All

9 BuildaBiggerSpring

PARTIII:THERUNNINGREWIREDPROGRAM

10 AMasterPlantoMasterRunning

DrillWork

PrecisionWorkouts

PerformanceStrengthWorkouts

PerformancePowerWorkouts

Acknowledgments

References

AbouttheAuthor

INTRODUCTION

SettingYourselfUpforSuccess

There’sthatfeelingthatyougetafteryoucrushaworkout,hitanewPRonraceday, or beat your friend to the top of the local hill or high alpine peak. It’s afeelingofsuccess...anditfeelsgood,reallygood.Wethriveonchallenge,andtraininpursuitofthisfeelingofsuccess.Everyrunnerknowsthatittakesalotofhardworktogetthere.Butalotofrunnersgetconfusedbythisconcept:Theyendupinterpreting“alotofhardwork”tomean“ahighvolumeofwork.”Inthequest to log themiles it’seasy to losesightof thequalityof thosemiles.Firstplace isn’t awarded to thepersonwho racksup thehighestweeklymileageortrains the hardest. Instead, medals adorn the necks of those who nail thefundamentals,which in turnallowsthemto trainconsistentlyandsuccessfully.You’ve got to put in themiles to get fit, but how can you be sure that yourtraining is setting you up for success? Put simply, there are things that allrunnersofallabilitiesshouldbedoingoutsiderunningtoimprovetheirrunning.Ifyouwanttorunbetter,youneedtomovebetter.

Discussions about “running better” invariably seem to lead to the topic ofform,butbeforewegotherelet’stakeastepbackandlookatreality.Howyourun is an expression of you and your experience. You probably aren’t aTarahumaraIndianandyouprobablyaren’taKenyan.Weallenvy theperfectposture, legdrive,andeffortlesslyspringygaitof theserunners.That idealizedstridewasn’taresultofbeingbornatelevationorbestowedwithgreatgenetics—it was built through skilled movement. It was lifestyle that wired theserunners’bodiesforposturalalignmentandefficientmusclerecruitment,firstaschildren playing in the field, later working in those fields, and eventuallythroughalotofhardtrainingthatledthemtobeattheentirefield.Ifweconsiderhow a lifestyle structured around physical activity and progressive runningfactorsin,it’snotthecasethattheKenyanandTarahumaraculturesare“borntorun”;rather, theirbodieshave“adapted torun.”Conversely, itshouldcomeasnosurprisethatourownlifestyle,builtaroundmodernconveniencesandtoppedoffwithabunchofrunning,doesn’tproducethesameresults.

TrainingtomovebetterMovement skill is critical.Athletes competing inball sports spend thebulkoftheir time training their bodies to move better. Through practice they build astrategythatcanbeputtouseeverytimetheystepontotheturf,field,orcourt.They know how to execute good form before the first ball is put into play.Fighter pilots refine their reflexes until they reach a pointwhere they can flyintuitively.Your105-poundneighbor cannailyogaposesyou’veonly seen inpictures,notbecauseshe’sstrong,butbecauseshe’sskilled.Youdon’tstepintothehuddle,intoacockpit,orintoaone-handedhandstandontheyogamatuntilyouhaveabaselineofskillpreparation.Likewise,highlyefficientrunnershavemasteredtheskillofrunning.

ThelegendaryrunningcoachJoeVigiloncesaid,“It’shardbeingarunningcoachbecausethekidswhoshowupforpracticearehighlymotivated,buttheyarethesamekidsthatlackedtheathleticismtomaketheteamin[insertsport-of-choice].”Thesekidsaresteeped in thepromise thatworkethiccanbeat talentgivenenoughtimeanddetermination—theygetoutofbed,laceuptheirshoes,andrun.Sometimestheyruneasy,sometimeshard,andsometimesevenharder.Many of them end up running themselves into the ground, missing peakpotential,orworseyet,missingtrainingduetoinjury.Butharderdoesn’tmeanbetterandvolumedoesn’tmakechampions.

Therearespecificskills thatyoushouldhaveinyourrunningtoolbox.Therepetitive nature of running means that many of us take a body that reallydoesn’tknowhowtomoveatitsbestandrackupthemileage.Throughyearsofrepetitionyouwireyourbody tomoveonewayand runoneway.Thenwhensomeone comes along and tells you that you need to improve your form, ormoveadifferentway,youcan’t simplydowhat theyare saying.Youhaven’tbuilt the muscle memory to move differently. Even subtle changes to yourrunningformfeelawkwardandhard.Youcan’thelpbutnoticethatyourformstilllooksnothinglikethatoftheKenyans.Andyourtimesaren’timproving.Alot of runners have conducted this experiment and failed, concluding thatfocusingonformisawasteoftime.Well,thereisabetterwaytorunbetter.

Itstartswiththislittlesecret:Yourbodydrivesyourrunningform.Theoldadage says “form follows function.” Likewise, running form follows bodyfunction. Running better requires you to move better. Under stress. Underfatigue.Andunderthehotsunwithyourarchrivalbreathingdownyourneck.Inthesemoments,youdon’thave the luxuryofgoingoveraneight-pointmental

checklist on running form and body awareness.You should have learned thatroutinealongtimeago.Ifnot,thattimebeginsnow.

Thinkaboutwhereyouarerightnowasarunner,andwhereyou’dliketobe.Everyonewantsrunningtofeelsmooth,efficient,andlessstressful.Tohitthatgoalrequiresyoutotraininawaythatismorewellroundedandmoreathletic—butalwayswiththeintentionofspecificallyimprovingyourrunning.Weareallbusy,andaddingmore towhatyouarealreadydoingcanseemlikeabigask.But this process will be fun, because you’ll feel yourself improving in waysyou’ve never experienced. We’ll explore specific strategies to improve yourmovementandre-inventyourrun.

AstudyofoneThescienceoftrainingisevolving.It’sonlybeeninthepast20–30yearsthatwehavehadaccesstothetoolsandtechnologytofurtherourunderstandingofthebody and create progress in sports science.Nowwehave labs to do research,peoplewith lotsof lettersbehind their names, and coacheswhoarehungry tofind better ways for their athletes to train. And what difference has it made?Records are falling faster than rain. Look at any sport and you’ll see a sharpspikeinperformancegainsoverthepastthreedecades.Decadesago,peoplejustran.Whenwefoundouthoweffectiveintervalsareatimprovingphysiologicalperformancecapacity, theybecamestandardpractice.Theorychanges.Sciencechanges.Andifyouharnessthisknowledgeandchangeyourtraining,ultimatelyyourrunningtimescanchange.

Thereareafewthingsyouneedtoknowtogetmoreoutofthescienceontraining.First,itremainsthecasethatmostoftheresearchonrunningisfocusedon injury prevention, and there’s been a definitive evolution in howwe treatrunninginjuries inrecentyears.Wehavebetter information,whichmeansyoucan have better results. But when we survey the research on runningperformance, we face a harder task.Most of the running performance studiesinvolve either elite runners or college kids who play video games for severalhoursadayandgetbonuspointsforshowinguptobearesearchsubject.Unlessyouareaneliterunneroracouch-potatocollegestudent,theseresultsmaynotaccurately apply to you. To evolve running performance, we need to lookcomprehensivelyattheresearchbeingdonebothinsideandoutsideofrunning.The fields of biomechanics research, motor control, generalized strength andconditioning research, and yes, even bodybuilding make up a vast body ofresearchthattranslatestorunningperformance.Wewilldrawonthissciencetolearnhowtomovebetter.

Tobeeffective,researchneedstobetranslatedtoyourindividualneeds.Inmy work as a physical therapist and researcher, I consider each runner as auniquecase study. Ibeginbyaskinga simplequestion:Howcan I setup thisrunner for success? It’smy job to pinpoint problems that cause those runningouches andplug theholes in a runner’s performancepotential. I’ve conductedmusculoskeletal examinations andhigh-techgait lab assessmentson thousandsof runners in my career. While this book is no substitute for a one-on-onerunning gait lab examination, there is a pattern to the problems that plaguerunners. I can saywith confidence that youwill benefit from fixingyourown

imbalances to ensure that you put the best you into every run. I’ve takenadvantageoftheresearchthat’soutthere,alongwithmyownobservations,andconductedsomeofmyowntestsinthelabtoseewhatkindofeffortsbuildmoredurable and better runners. I know that if I can give you the tools to create amore durable body that can resist the stress of running, you can push theboundariesofyourownphysicalperformance.

RunningversuspracticingIt obviously takes time and practice to refine your craft. In his bookOutliers,MalcolmGladwellexplainsthetheorythatittakes10,000hoursofpracticetobethebest.It’shumannaturetozeroinonthetotalamountoftimepracticedandstart logging the hours. This is a big mistake, particularly when it comes torunning. Practicing the same thing over and over again just reinforces yourcurrentmovementpatterns.Addingmorevolumeofless-than-perfectmovementmeansyouget reallygoodatmovingpoorly.Whatyoupractice andhowyoupracticeitmakesallthedifference.Torunbetterwehavetorealizethatrunningisaskill.Andskilledrunningstemsfrompracticingskilledmovement.

Gladwell’s book was largely based on the work of psychologist AndersEricsson, who categorized practice as purposeful and deliberate. Purposefulpracticeiskindoflikerunning.Yourtrainingplantellsyoutorun,soyourun.Youkeep loggingmore volume, heartbeats, andmileage in your black box inpursuit of a certain goal, but the target is usually set on a specific time ordistance.Thisapproachdoesn’texactlymakeyouabetterrunner.Youdon’tgetbetteratrunninginawaythatavoidsinjury.Youdon’toptimizeyourstridetoyourfullperformancepotential.Instead,youkeepturningupthevolume,hopingtohearthatmagicsongthatinspiresyoutoanewPR.Mostrunnersjustwanttorun, but that’s not likely to make you better at running. And that’s where adifferenttypeofpracticecomesin.

Ericssondescribesdeliberatepracticeasdoingaspecifictaskwiththeintentof improvingperformance.Togetbetter at running,youmust first understandthe sport so you can identify the sport-specific skills that are critical toimproving.Then,youneedaformalplanofattacktodevelopthoseskills.Andthenthere’songoingworktocontinuetoimproveandrefinethoseskills.Forarunner, deliberate practice entails taking specific actions to improve durabilityandeconomy,andthisdoesn’talwaysinvolverunning.

Insteadof askingyou to runmore, I’maskingyou to start aplan tomovebetter.Withdeliberatepracticetheneurophysiologyinyourbrainwilladaptandrewire itsstrategyforrunning.We’ll tackle thewhat,why,andhowtochangeyourbodyandimproveyourmovementsoyoucanbeamoredurablerunnerandincreaseyourcapacitytorunefficiently.Wewillbuildyourproficiencyattheseskills,effectivelyrewiringhowyourbodymovessoyoucanrunbetter.It’sabigpromise,anditdoesrequireacommitmentfromyou:Youwillneedtofitatleasttwoadditionalworkoutsintoyourweeklytrainingschedule.

Iknowyourtimeisvaluable.Ifalackoftimeisyourprimaryobstacle,Iwillreassureyouthatit’swellworththeinvestment.VirtuallyeveryrunnerI’veevermet would be better served dropping one run a week and adding some skillwork.Ifyou’vegotthetime,simplyaddthisplanontopofyourrunning.

Maybeyouarestillunconvinced.ButwhatifItoldyouthatit’spossibletocraftabodythatmoveswell,undercontrol,inthemostefficientwaypossible?Imagine what it would feel like to develop a running gait that is moresymmetricalandlessstressful.Thepromiseofimprovedjointhealthandfasterrunningtimesishardtoresist.Therearenoshortcutstogetyouthere.Butifyouare ready to invest some hardwork and be consistentwith your training, thisplanwillbringyousuccess.Researchshowsusthatpeoplesticktoplanswhentheyunderstand“thewhy.”Let’slearnmoreaboutwhathappenstoyouasyourun,andhowtheRunningRewiredprogramwill takeyouandyourrunningtothenextlevel.

PartITheRationale

ThinkBackwardtoRunForward

Weallneedtobestudentsofoursport.Forsomeofus,it’sbeenawhilesincewe sat in a classroom. But you can probably recall that being a successfulstudentrequiresthatyouknowwhat’sgoingtobeonthetest.Whenyouknowthatmuch,youknowhowtoprepareandwhattostudy.Well,classisinsession:Whatdoesrunningtest?

When you run, each stride tests your body. If we understand the specificproblems or challenges that we face as runners we can work backward fromthereandestablishaplantobebetterprepared.I’msureyou’dbehappierwithanAonyour running reportcard, right?Let’s lookatwhatyouneed todo toprepareyourbodytorunbetter—therightworkdoneattherighttimeandintherightdose—tomaximizeyourresults.

WHATREALLYHAPPENSWHENYOURUNThethrillofrunningcandistractusfromtherealityofwhatishappeningtothebodywitheverystride.Yourheartbeatsharder,pumpingbloodthroughoutthebody.Sweatdripsdownyourforeheadasyourbodytemperaturerises.Youfeelthewindonyourfaceasyouturnroundthetrack,upthetrail,ordowntheroad.Thesearetheimagesthatrunningconjuresupinourheadsandtheyarereal,butwhileyourheartandlungsaredrivingyourenginetowardredline,yourchassisisunderalotofstress.Likeitornot,yourbodymustdealwith2.5to3timesitsbodyweightwitheverysinglestride.Thinkaboutthisforaminute.Ifyoustanduponbothlegs,youhavehalfyourbodyweightoneachleg.Andifyoustandon one leg, that’s 100 percent of your body weight on one leg. Now take abarbell,addabout150percentofyourbodyweighttoit,andhoist theloadup

andontoyourshoulders;thenstandononeleg.Likeitornot,thisishowmuchstressyourbones,tendons,muscles,cartilage,andligamentssupportwitheverysingle stride you take. As runners, we’ve been told that distance running is asmallamountofstressappliedtoyourbodyforalongperiodoftime.Well,wejustshotthatideaintooblivion.Ifanything,wecouldsaythatrunningislargestressesactingonourbodyforalongtime.

Further complicating matters, running isn’t just a single-plane sport. Inaddition to these vertical forces, we also have to deal with braking andacceleration forces thatamount to40 to50percentofourbody’sweight.Andthat’swhile our body is kicked laterally by forces of around 15 percent bodyweight just fromtheeffortof running.Runningcreateshugeamountsofstressthatactonthebodyfromallsideswitheachandeverystep.Nowonderrunningishard!

This load acting on your body is absolute and somewhatmechanical. Butyourbody’sresponseisn’tjustmechanical.Imaginearubberball.Ifyouthrowarubber ball off the roof, itwill first accelerate to theground.When it collideswiththeground,theenergyoftheimpactwillflattentheballoutabitandthentheballwillreboundoffthegroundandspringbackupagain.Theballispassive—itcompressesandreboundsbasedonthedensityoftherubberfromwhichitis

made.Thisisasimpleillustrationofhowapassiveobjectrespondstoload.Nowimagineyouaresoaringthroughtheairinmid-strideandthesamegravitythataccelerated therubberball takesyouback toearth.That’swhere thesimilarityends, because the body isn’t passive. It’s a complex system of parts with aneuromuscularsystemthatactivelymoves,adjusts,andcoordinates thesepartsinresponsetothemechanicalforcesofrunning.

YOURMOVEMENTSYSTEMTherearethreebasicsystemsthatyouuseforactivemovement.Youhavejointstructures,muscles,andabrain.Alone,thesepartscandonothing,andtogethertheycanbreakworldrecords.

Jointstructures:Themechanicalpartsofyourbodyarelikedoorsandhinges.Your bones have structure, and each of these bones connects to other bonesthroughajoint.Thejointsarelinedwithcartilage,acoolmaterialthatcushionsand lubricates the bones as they move, and the bones are connected byligaments, which tie one bone to the other. All of these support parts areimportant,buttheyarejustpassivepulleysandlevers.Thatis,theycan’tmoveontheirown.Doorsandhingesdon’tmoveontheirowneither.

Muscles:Thisiswheretheworkgetsdone.Togetthedoortoopenonitshingerequiresaforcetoopenorcloseit.Musclesprovidethisforcegenerationforourbody.Theyallowonejointtomoveonanotherorstabilizeajointwhilemotionoccurssomewhereelse.

Brain:Wehavejointsthatprovidestructure,andwe’vegotmusclesthatcreateforcetomovethejoints,butweneedsomethingtotellthosepartstomove.Thisiswhereyourbraincomesin.Actually, it’snotjustyourbrain,butyourentirenervoussystem.Thinkofitasacomputerthatiswiredtoanetworkofmuscles.Buttheincrediblethingaboutournervoussystemis that it’snot justanon/offswitch.Itmodulatestheforcewecreate.Whenyourbraintellsyourmusclestogenerate force to open the door, your brain adjusts howmuch force is neededbasedon theweightof thedoor,whether it’sdraggingon thecarpet,or if it’sstickinginthedoorjamb.Thisamountofcontrolallowsusnotjusttomove,buttomovewithprecision.

With each and every stride, these systems all talk to each other. Themechanical load accelerating you down to earth stimulates a chain of events.While your joints can’t move on their own, they can sense compression andmovement. They send signals out to your neuromuscular system, calling foraction.Yourbraintriggersthemusclestogenerateacertainamountofforceatjust the right time.Yourmusclesget thismessage anddo thework theyweretold.Theypullonthejointstocreatemotion.Andthenthere’scrosstalkamongthepartsaswell.Yourmusclessenseachangeinlengthandrelayinfotoyourbrain tomake sure that you don’t strain them.The joints relay information toyour brain since the amount of muscle force they need changes as they arcthroughtheirrangeofmotion.Thiscross talk isessentiallyasystemofchecksandbalances tomake sure things aregoingwell. If done correctly, yourbodyproduces a netmechanical force that is just enough to counter themechanicalloadtryingtosquashyoudownlikeapancake.Ifallgoeswell,youjusttookonesingle stride. Nice job. Now all you have to do is sustain this for severalthousandstridesontoday’srun.

betterbodyinput=betteroutput

PROGRAMMINGQUALITYMOVEMENT

Thesethreesystemsrunaprogramoverandoverwitheachstrideyoutake.Eachelement in the systemhas specific inputs andoutputs tomodify thequality ofyourstride.Thisiswhat’smissingfromourunderstandingofrunning.Runnershaveanunrelentingfocusonvolume.Moremilesperweekobviouslyputsmoremechanical loadonyour joints.It’s thebody’s jobtoproduceacontrolledandefficient response, rising to the challenge and controlling your body. A poormovement program equates to poor body control. When the body becomesoverwhelmed by the demands of running it sets us up for injury or leads tocompromisedperformance.Specifically, it ishowwedealwiththemechanicaldemandsof running thatdictateshowwellweperform.The twobigquestionsare:

1. Isyourmovementsafe?Whattypeofmovementskillandbodyawarenessdoyoubringtorunning?

2. Isyourmovementefficient?Couldyourewirethewayyoumovetodriveyouforwardwithlesseffortandlessformbreakdownduringyourruns?

Anefficientmovementprogramimprovesthequalityofyourstrideforlong-termjointhealthandefficiency.Justaswecanadjustthequantityofourrunningvolume,wecanlearntoimprovethequalityofourrunningvolume.Yourbrainlearnsthroughmovementandawarenesstoknowwhen,howmuch,andhowfasttodriveyourlegs.Youcanimproveyourskillsbybetterunderstandingtheinputyour brain is receiving and rewiringyourmovement program to get your legsmovingmoresafelyandefficiently.

DynamicplasticWhat’smy favorite thing to eat?Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. You didn’tknow that 5 seconds ago, but you do now.Do you knowhowyou learned toswim?Doyouknowhowthebrainrecoversafterastroke?Theanswerstothesequestionshaveonethingincommon:neuralplasticity.Yourbrainiscapableoflearning.Notjustrotememorization,butactuallylearninghowtodonewthingsatanyage!Whenyoulearn,yourbrainmakesnewconnectionsfromonecelltoanother.Themoreyoupractice,themorerobusttheseconnectionsbecome.It’stheoldpracticemakesperfect thing.Yournervesare literallybuildingskillbylayingdownconnectivityfromnervetonerve.

Thewiresthatconnectyoursystemsaredynamic.Theyadjust theirsignalsdepending on your needs. Running on asphalt, concrete, grass, and over trail

irregularitiespresentdifferentinputs,andallrequiredifferentoutputsintermsofmuscleactionand timing.Changingpace requiresmodificationsaswell.Yournervoussystemmakesallof thenecessaryadjustmentsbehind thescenes.Thesamethinghappenswhenyougetanewpairofshoes—yourbodymakesslightchanges toaccount for thenewenvironmentyour footnowsitson.Allof thislearningthatyourbodydoestoaccountforthesedifferencesisevidencethatitcanalsolearnandadapttorunbetter.TheRunningRewiredprogramusesneuralplasticity to trainyourbody to runwithmore control for better durability andbetterperformance.

MovingwithprecisionandforceAlotofcoacheswilltellyouthatrunnersself-selecttheirownefficientrunningform.Well, kindof.There’soptimal form,whichwe’ll callPlanA.And thenthere’smakingthebestofwhatyou’vegot,orPlanB.Mostrunnersfigureouthowtocompensate foranyshortcomings in theircurrentmake-upofmobility,stability, strength, and power. In other words, your brain’s ability to adapt isbeinghijackedbyyourbodyanditslimitations.YourefineandpracticePlanBoveryearsofpurposefulpractice.PlanBcancertainlyget the jobdone to logyourmiles.ButI’darguethatPlanBissecondrate.

It’s not my intention to come at you with guns a-blazing and tell youeverythingyouknowaboutrunningiswrong,butgiventhefactthatyourbraincan be rewired and your running form can actually change,why notwork onrecoveringyourownpersonalPlanA?Movementsthatfeelawkwardtodaycanbecome instinctual. Through deliberate practice, Plan A can also becomeinstinctual. Settle for Plan B and you will leave performance on the tablebecausePlanBstopsshortofharnessingyourdurabilityorcapacity.

Ifyouhaveproblemsorinjuriesthataffectthewayyourun,it’stimetofixthem.Takeyourachingbackandpainfulkneesandthrow35–50milesaweekatthem,andrunningwon’thelp.Neitherwouldsoccer,basketball,oricehockey.Placingahugeloadontopofexistingproblemsonlymakesthingsworse.Yourinjurycyclesdemandresttimethatpreventsconsistenttraining.Breakthecycle.You don’t need to be a freak of nature to be successful, but you do need toimproveyourmovementquality.

There’s another issue I frequently see in runners that compromisesmovement.Manywilltellme,“Ican’tjump.”Here’swhatthisreallymeans:“Ican’tcoordinatemybodywellenoughtodeliverasolidchunkofforcedowntothe floor to blast me up and forward against gravity.” This is a big problem

becausethisisexactlywhatrunningdemandsofus.Infact,researchshowsthatpeoplewhodrivemoreforcedowntothegroundinashorterperiodoftimerunfaster.Period.Everyrunner,ateverylevel,cantrainandimprovethisskill.

Wearegoingtoopenuptheblackboxofrunningandestablishasystemformakingyouabetterrunner.Yourbodydrivesyourrunningform.Buildabetterbodyandyouwillimproveyourrunningform.Byfocusingonthespecificskillsthatimproverunning,youcanmovewithprecisionandstrengthenyourspring.Tomovewithprecisionyouneedenoughmobilitytomoveunencumberedandenoughstabilitytocontrolthepathyourbodytakesovereachmile.Buildingtheskills ofmobility and stabilitywill reduce your “stress per stride” and ensureyour body symmetry is dialed. Moving better makes you more durable as arunner,whichallowsyourtrainingtobemoreconsistent.Astrongerspringleadstobetterperformancebecauseyourability todelivermoreoomphdown to thegroundmakesforafasterstride.TheRunningRewiredWorkoutsactasastep-by-stepprogramtochangeyourbodyandevolveyourrunning.

TroubleshootBrokenWiring

Imagine you are out on a beautiful trail run with your buddyWes. You aretalkingtoWesaboutthevacationyouareplanning,butallhewantstotalkaboutisthefactthathisrightIT(iliotibial)bandiskillinghim.Hetriedthefoamrollerbut that didn’t help.He got amassage lastweek; that didn’t help either.Youfadebacktotakealookathisstrideandnoticethathisrightkneeiscollapsinginward. You tell Wes to steer his leg straight. But Wes has no idea how tocorrectthisproblem.Soheovercompensatesbyforcinghiskneesoutward.Nowhe’srunningontheoutsidesofhisfeetandthathurtshisfeet.Runningthiswayfeels strange, and it’s much harder, and Wes becomes frustrated. The realproblem is thatWes’s hip is collapsing inward.Most peoplewould think thatthisisduetomuscleweakness,andthatisapossibility.Butforthevastmajorityof runners, there’s something else entirely different going on. Systems don’tworkwhentheyaren’tpluggedin.

Mostrunners’hipmusclesareinhibited,orunplugged.Putsimply,youcan’tmake toast if your toaster isn’t plugged in. Likewise, your hipmuscleswon’tturnonunlessyouteachthemtoconnectwithyourbrain.Personaltrainersoftenmake the claim that heavy squats fix everything. I couldn’t disagree more.Crammingmorebreadintoatoasterthatisn’tpluggedinwon’tfixtheproblem.Squattingwith 200 poundswon’t fix your issues because your bodywill justshift load to othermuscles and continue to compensate. Likewise, if you pilerunning volume on top of inhibited hips, it doesn’t help because running andstrengtharen’ttheproblem.Yourbodyistheproblem.Toplugthemusclebackin,weneedtoteachittoworkandcoordinateitwiththerestofthebody.

Recently a runner came to seemewith hip pain. Itwasn’t bad enough to

keepherfromrunning,butitwasconsistentlythere.Hercoachandfriendshadtoldher tostrengthenherglutes, soshebegangoing toaButtsandGutsclasseveryweek.Whatwas thenet impactafter twoyears?Nothing—shesawzeroimprovement.Herstrengthtrainingclasscouldn’tfixtheproblem;infact,itwasthrowingstillmore loadon topofherproblem.Herbodyhad learned tocheatthemovementandmovemoreweightonthebar,butshecouldn’tmovebetter.Andnoneofthetimesheinvestedhadhelpedherrunningstride.Wetookastepback and cleaned up her movement problems. Within three weeks she wassymptom-free and set a PR in the half-marathon.When she returned to thoseclasses,shehadbettermovementandshecouldseetheresults.Whenyoumovecorrectly,youmoveatyourbest.Andmostimportantly,yourbodylearnsskillsthatimproveyourrunning.

DON’TSETTLEFORPLANBGoodrunnershaveagaitthatisinstinctivelysmooth.Witheachstride,brainandbodydeliveranoptimalstride.Theseathleteshavetrainedtodevelopa“PlanA”strategytomoveandrunasefficientlyastheycan.Runnerslooktotheelitesforadviceonhowto improve theirownform. It’s frustratingwhenputtingadviceintoactiondoesn’tplayoutsowellwhenthefoothits theground.Let’stakeastepbackandlookathowourbodieslearntomove,andhowyourownlearnedmovementsmaybethebiggestblocktorealizingyourbestrun.Forbestresults,wehavetopracticequalitymovement,butthequalityofyourcorrectmovementisonlyasgoodasyourbodyallowsittobe.

Caseinpoint:OurfriendWeswouldliketocleanuphisgait.Buthedoesn’tbringaperfectbodytorunning.Andhisworklifestyledoesn’thelp.Hesitsonplanesformorehoursatastretchthansomepeoplesleepatnight,andthenhesitsmoreinmeetingsallday.Sittingcancorruptposture,effectivelyshuttingofforinhibitingthecoreandhipmuscles.Also,Weshasanoldinjurythatmakeshisrightanklejointstiff.Thetightness inhishipspreventshimfromgettingagoodpush-offsohislegswingsfartherinfrontofhisbodyandlessbehind.Thisshiftinstrideoverworksthemusclesaroundtheknee,sothatthey’renotcapableofsteeringthelegstraight,andthatmakesrunningmorestressfulonhisbody.Andthestiffnessinhisrightankleshiftshimtotheoutsideofhisfootwitheachandeverystep,whichimpartsyetmorewobbletothepathofhislegswingingthroughspace.

Weswantstoimprovehiscontrolwhilerunning.Butwithsomanyfactorsat

work,hisbodyhasresortedtoPlanB.Weshasadaptedtohisproblemsbyjerry-rigginghisgait.Wesisnottheonlyone—evolutionhasprogrammedustofigureoutthemostenergy-efficientwaytowalkandrun.Wes’sbodyhascompensatedandrewiredhisgaitreflextomakeitasefficientaspossiblewithinhisbody’scurrentlimitations.Thebodygetsgoodatwhatitpractices,andwitheachrun,Wes continued to engrain a compensated gait thanks to his stiff ankle andunpluggedhips.

Andthenoneday,Wessoughtsomehelpfromhisfriendatthegym.Hegotallsortsofadvicetohelpimprovemotion,andafterafewmonths’time,hishipandanklemotion improveda lot.ButWes’srunningformdidn’tchangeabit.Why?Youcanhavebettermobility,butyourbodyhastoknowhowtouseit.Ittakespracticetointegratenewmovementintoyourbrain’sprogramming.Ifyouwanttodothat,you’vegottorewirethewayyoumove.

REWIRINGREFLEXIVEMOVEMENTScratchyournose.It’seasy—justdoitrightnow.Whathappened?Youreadacommand.Yourbrainagreed.Itsentamessagetothemusclesinyourarmtoliftyourhand,bringit toyourface,preciselyfindthelocationonyourfacewherethenoseis,andwigglethefingerstocreatemovementandscratch.That’salotofstepsjusttoscratchyournose,isn’tit?Allofthisoccurredthroughsomethingcalledvoluntarymovement.Youmadeaconsciousdecision tomoveandyourbraincarriedoutthetask.

Now,getup,walktotheendoftheroom,andthenback.Onceagain,yourbrainmade a voluntary decision to give this a try. You got up and started towalk.Butafterthat,thingswentverydifferently.Witheachstepyouflexedyourhip up, extended the knee, swung the lower leg through, let a foot fall to thefloor,rolledthroughtheankle,pushedthroughthecalftopropelthebody,andthen repeated. This happened, but you didn’t think through it. Gait is notvoluntary,butratherreflexive.

Reflexivemovements occurwithout conscious thought. In fact, the signalsthatbouncearoundyourbodytellingyoutocrawl,walk,andrunarecarriedoutbya specialprogramcalledyourcentralpatterngenerators,orCPGs.ThekeythingtounderstandisthattheseCPGsarelocatedunderthebraininthespinalcord,and this iswhygaitdoesn’t require focusedbrainpower.Sinceconsciousthoughtoriginatesinourbrain,inaway,it’slikerunninginyoursubconscious.Everystepyoutakereinforcesyourgaitpattern,whetherit’sbestforyouornot.Sometimesachesandpainsyou’veaccumulatedalongyourrunningcareerresultinalimpthatisnoticeabletoyourfriends,butnottoyou—itjustfeelsnormal.TheCPGslearnfromallthepracticeyoudoinarepetitivemovementlikegait,andpracticebuildsconnectivity.Sure,itispossibletooverpowerthisreflex.Ifyouwant, you canpush off harder on your left leg versus your right, but thiswouldrequirebrainpowerbecauseyouwouldbemodifyingthenormalreflexivepatternofgaitsentoutviatheCPGsinyourspinalcord.

This iswhychangingrunningformcanbehard.Tryingtohitperfect formwithyourless-than-perfectbodyresultsinyoufightingyourownmovement.Ifyouhaveever tried tochangeyourcadence,youknowthis firsthand.Runningalongat162stepsperminuteforeightyearsandthentryingtohit180stepsperminutewill requirehugeefforton thepartofyourbrain.Youcan’tmake thatshift quickly. The same goes for posture.How can a runner “stand tall” for ahalf-marathonwhenshehasno ideahowtofindaneutralspinepositionwhensheisstandingstill?

Still, thereareplentyofrunningcoachesouttheretellingpeopletoshortentheir contact time on the ground to run faster. This advice started with anexperimentwithagroupofthebestrunnersintheUnitedStates.Theyweretoldto shorten their contact timeduringall their runs,but this requiredcompletelyreorganizinghowhardtheypusheddownoneachandeverystride.Eventhough

thesewereelitebodies,theyhadnoideahowtoactuallydothisandforcedhugechangesinmusclerecruitmentandintensity.Itwasatotaldisasterthatresultedineverysinglerunnerbeinginjured.

Reducingcontacttimewillmakeyoufaster,butyourbodyhastobetrainedhowtodothisproperlybeforeyoucanexpectit tointegrateandimproveyourgait.Youcanmakechangesinyourrunningform,butgoodformisnotgoingtohappen in one session with one cue. Your body needs to build a database ofpropermusclememory.Onceyourbodyhas“been there” itcaneasily find itswayback,justlikeridingabike.

NeuralPlasticity

Many years ago, I experienced a severe head injury that put me in acoma for a while. The swelling shifted parts of my brain that arenormallyonthetopoftheskulltobedownbelowit,andmyspinalcordwascompressed.WhenIwasreleasedfromthehospital,Icouldn’twalkin a straight line down the sidewalk. The traumamy brain and spinalcord sustained made it impossible for me to maintain balance andcoordination.IrememberhavingtothinkaboutwalkinginawayIneverdidbeforemyinjury.Sincethenormalreflexivemessagecomingoutofmyspinalcordwasdamaged,voluntarycommandsfrommybrainwererequired.AndIpracticedwalking...alot.EventuallymybrainandtheCPGs in my spinal cord got together and wrote a new program. Mybrainwentbacktothinkingaboutotherstuff,gaitbecameautomaticandreflexiveagain,andIcouldwalkstraightonthesidewalk.Don’tworry,I’m fine now, but it goes to show that plasticity is real: It’s entirelypossibletolearnhowtoimprovethewayyoumove.

BUILDINGMUSCLEMEMORYWhenWes came to seemewe foundout that his external rotators,which areresponsible for steering the hips, were unplugged. Through treatment, Weslearned how to feel and engage his hip muscles through a very isolated

movement.Initially,hecouldn’tcarryaconversationwhiledoingit—whilenothardphysically,hefoundittremendouslydifficultmentally.Formostofus,thementalconcentrationneededtoengageinanewmovementranksaround7onascaleof1to10.Thisisthecognitivestageofimprovingmovement.Duringthisstage,movementisnotsmoothandrequireslotsofbrainpower.Andatthisearlystageof thegame, thecue“steer the legstraight”doesn’t typicallywork.Wesjustdoesn’thavethemusclememorynecessarytoaddthisnewskilltohisgaitreflexprogram.

Twoweeksofexerciseslater,Weswasmovinghishipmoresmoothly—hehad laid down a few new wires. It was time to incorporate some of themovements he had practiced to becomemore of a full-bodymovement. Nowwhen Wes is cued to steer his hips straight, he does it correctly. Instead ofturninghiskneesoutsohisweightisontheoutsideofhisfoot,hemaintainsastrong, planted foot and moves properly from the hips. Wes feels that thismovementismorecorrect,butitstilltakessomeextrathoughtandrequiresabitmoreworktorunthisway.Wesdoesn’thavealargementaldatabaseofcorrectmovement.HisPlanB still feels normal, andPlanA feels forced.Remember,running is reflexive. ForWes to modify his form, he has to coordinate extrainput from the brain into his normal gait pattern to control his body positionwhile running. This is now called the associative phase of improvingmovement.Wescanmoveproperlyoncommand,butthemovementisnotquitefullyrewired.

Amonthintopracticingthemovement,Wesfindstheexerciseeasy—almostautomatic.Anditshows.Thisistheautonomousphase.Hismusclesarefiring,and Wes has learned to coordinate this movement into his gait. His hipalignmentwhenrunningissymmetrical.Heisextendinghishipscorrectlyandhis pain is completely gone. We fixed a neuromuscular problem throughneuromusculartraining.

Let’s recap.Weswas running in painwith visible issueswith his runningform. The collapse of his leg was creating shear on the outside of the knee,whichmadehisITbandangry.Butwhatwastheunderlyingproblemthatcausedhislegtocollapse?Weknowitwasn’tmuscleweakness—ittakesabout6to8weeks formuscles to enlarge (hypertrophy) andproducemore force, andWeswasbetteroffinjustfourweeks.Sowhathappened?

Wes’slegcrashedinwardbecausethemusclesinhishipsthatstabilizeandmovethejointwereunpluggedfromhisCPGs.Consequently,hecouldn’tsteerhis hip straight even if you told him how to fix it. Moving with precisionrequirescoordinatedmovement—bothintra-andintermuscularcoordination.

Intramuscularcoordinationishowamuscletalkstoitself.Amuscleismadeup of lots of fibers that shorten together to produce amuscle contraction thatcreatesmovement.When themuscle is inhibited,orunplugged,notenoughofthese fibers get the signal to engage. To fix this, it takes very specific, evensometimes isolated,movements, to train the fiberswithin themuscle to talk toeach other formore uniform contraction. This type of training targetsmuscleintelligence.

Intermuscularcoordination ishowmuscles talk toeachother.Youcan trainlikeabodybuilderanddoeight setson the legextensionmachine, improvingyourintramuscularcoordinationandstrengthuntilyourquadscan’tfitintoyourjeans,but fixingonemusclewon’thelpyou runanybetter. In sports,musclesdon’tactinisolationthewaytheydoonthelegextensionmachine—youneedtotrainmovements,notmuscles.Thistypeoftrainingtargetssystemintelligence.

Some people view intermuscular coordination and the work involved ascrosstraining, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Research shows thatneuromuscular trainingdelivers excellent results—reducingyour risk of injuryand improving coordination, speed, agility, vertical jump, and contact times.Thisworkiscomplementary toyourrunning.Crosstrainingdescribes theworkrunners do to keep their hearts and lungs in shape in the absence of runningvolume. Complementary training refines your skills and makes you a betterrunner.

When we say muscles are unplugged, we mean they are unplugged fromyourdefaultreflexivemovement.Thisiswhywefocusonbuildingcoordinationbothwithinandbetweenmuscles.Throughpractice,neuralplasticityallowsustoplugtheseprecisionmovementsintoourCPGsandconvertthemtoautopilotforprecisionrunningform.

Coordination,control,andprecisionareallskillsthateveryrunnerneedstopractice.Thesemovementsrequirehighvolumeandlittleresistance.Theseskillsshouldbepracticedacoupleoftimeseveryweek,allseasonlong,toensurethatthe movement skill can be put to use while running. You need to own themovement.Notjustinanexerciseordrill,notjustatmile1,notjustatmile5.But at every repeatofyour trackworkout, everyhill effort, andeverymileofyourrace.Theendgoalistomakethatrefinedmovementawarenessreflexive.This is critical on race day when you need to execute the program you’vepracticedsomanytimesoverwithoutspendingyourbrainpower.

MobilityandStabilityforRunability

It’s3:15onaWednesdayafternoon.Aftersittinginclassallday,ourtrackteamboundedontothefieldabout5minutesago.Togettheteammovingwebeganwith a warm-up. It’s pretty easy to see that Eva, Cole, Sam, and Jack aren’tsquatting correctly. What we are looking for is essentially an up-and-downmotion, where the ankles and knees track forward and the hips track back.However,wenoticethattheiranklesaren’tbending.Thelackofmotionintheiranklesiscausingthemtocheatsomewhereelse.Inanefforttokeeptheirweightovertheirfeet,eachathleteshiftsbackwardandthespineroundsintoaslumpatthebottomofthesquat.Weconcludethatthestiffanklesarelimitingtheirformanddecidetosendthefourathletesovertothewallfora30-secondcalfstretchtogettheiranklesmoving.

When they are finished,wewatch them squat again.Eva is now squattingwithperfect form.ButCole,Sam, and Jack lookprettymuch the same.Well,oneoutof four isn’tbad,butweneed to takeacloser lookat those three.Weknow that reflexes are only as good as the body allows them to be. In otherwords,thebrainfiguresoutthemostefficientwaytomovearoundtheproblemsitencounters.Andanyproblemsinthesystempreventthebodyfrommovingaswellas it should.Let’s lookathow thisplaysout.Sometimes, the jointwon’tmove, and we need to figure out why it won’t move—we have a hardwareproblem.Andsometimesthejointwillmove,butwedon’tknowhowtomoveit—thisisasoftwareproblem.Bothofthesesituationscreateimbalancesinotherplacesof thebody.Stretching,yoga,dynamicwarm-ups, and foam rolling arenot always theway toget thismotionback.To find the right answer foryourindividualmovement problems, you need to understandwhat is limiting your

mobility.Fromthere,youcanworktowardsafe,stablemovementforyourrun.

MOBILITYISNOTFLEXIBILITYFlexibility is passive.You can pick up your shoe, and flex the toe box of theshoe back and forth. It can bemoved, but the shoe can’t flex the toe box byitself.Mobility is active.You can activelymoveyour own toes up anddown.Whileitmayseemlikesemantics,thisdifferenceiscriticalinhowwefixblocksinarunner’srangeofmotion.Andit’sthekeytohelpingCole,Sam,andJacksquatcorrectly.Thereareseveralreasonswhyarunnermaylackmobility.

In Eva’s case, the ankle wasn’t moving. After a 30-second stretch, themovement improved.Here’swhy:You’vegot a sensation inyourbody calledproprioception. It’s the ability to feel the positions of your joints, which is asensoryskill.Thisiswhyyoucancloseyoureyesandknowwhetheryourhandis open or clenched. Some of this sensation comes from “wires” in the jointsurface and its surrounding tissue, and some comes from circuits within themuscle. Thesemuscular circuits have names that sound important—the Golgitendonorganandmusclespindle.Thesecircuitsarestimulatedbyloadinsidethemuscle.Ifthestraininsidethemusclegetstoohigh,oneofthemturnsontotellthemuscles tochilloutandrelaxso itwon’tpull toohardand tear.Theotherdoes theoppositeand tells themuscle“uh-oh,pullharder rightnoworwearegoing to be in trouble!” and stimulates a stronger contraction. They worktogetherinafeedbacklooptokeepmusclesworkingtogethertokeepyousafeandyourmovementprecise.

AftersittinginclassalldayEvasimplyneededsomeextratimetowarmup—not unlike your car engine on a cold day. Dynamic warm-ups have gainedpopularityinrecentyears,andwithgoodreason.Somelightmovement,suchasleg swings, hops, and other stuff we’ll get to later, effectively prepares yournervous system to move smoother. Eva’s Golgi tendons and muscle tendonswere cold, so they held the muscles around her ankle tight during the initialsquats. The calf stretch lengthened the calf muscles—it doesn’t takemuch tostimulatethesetwoprotectivecircuits.Thecircuitshaveapowwowandagreetostand down and allow Eva to move her ankle. This is dynamic warm-up inaction. It’s not stretching (even though it’s called a calf stretch) and it’s notincreasingbloodflowtothemuscle.Ratheritresetsthemuscletoallowyoutomovesmoothly.ButhowdoweknowEvaimprovedbasedonherwarm-up,and

notsomethingelse?Actually,it’sreallytheonlyplausibleexplanation,becausea30-second“stretch”isn’tabigenoughdosetocauseaphysicalelongationofanystructuresaroundtheankle.ThinkofthisasimprovingEva’ssoftware.

MOBILITYSOFTWAREPROBLEMS

Youdon’tlookatyourfeetwhenyourun.Insteadyoufeelthepositionofyourbody.You are running down the road and you stumble on a rock.You don’thavetolookdowntoconfirmtherealitythatyouranklerolledout—youcanfeelit. In that split second, something needs to happen or you are going to sprainyourankle.There iswhere thecross talkbetweenyourstructure,muscles,andbrain,whichwelearnedaboutinChapter1,factorsin.Specialnervesinsidetheligaments relay a sensoryphenomenon that helpsus feelwhereour joints are;this isproprioception.Thissensoryinputguidesthewaywemoveinreal timeandisrelayedmuchfasterthansight,smell,sound,ortouch.Thespecialnervesoverridethenormalreflexivegaitsignalsthataretellingyourbodytopushoffand instead fireoff amuscle sequence toquickly steer the insideofyour footsafelybackinline—andtheligamentsoutsideofyourankleareforevergrateful.

Butyoumaynotbeanormal,healthyrunner.Let’ssaythatyouaresomeonewhosprainsand rollsyouranklesa lot.Witheverysprain,youare tearing theligamentsthatsurroundthejoint.Thegoodnewsisthattheligamenthealsbacktoabout98percentofitsoriginalstrengthtorestoremechanicalstabilitytothejoint. But there’s some bad news, too. Those proprioceptive nerves wementionedaretornforgood.Withlesssensoryinputcomingintoyourbraintomake the micro-corrections that keep your joints safe, your ankle controlbecomessloppy.

Whenyoufeelwrong,youmovewrong.Thevastmajorityofanklesprains—90percent—occurwhenpeoplerollouttotheoutsideofthefoot.Ifyouaresomeone who rolls your ankles a lot, it seems that you would want to avoid

walkingandrunningwiththeanklebiasedtowardanoutwardroll.Ironically,achronicanklesprainerkeepstheanklerolledoutallofthetime,evenwhenthefootisoffthegroundandswingingthroughtheair,becausetheycan’tfeelit.

Luckily, thebody isa little redundant inhowithandles inputs.With thosenervesintheligamentstorn,there’sanotherpathtobewired.YoucantrainthebodytobemoresensitivetotheinputitgetsfromtheGolgitendonandmusclespindlecircuitsinsidethemuscleandimproveyourfeelofyourankleposition.

betterfeelofyourjointposition=saferjointmovement

It’snot justaboutanklesprains.Proprioceptionproblemsaffectotherpartsofthebodyinthesameway.DoyouknowwhatthebiggestriskfactorisforanACL tear? It’s not weakness, or genetics, or the fact that you are glutenintolerant. It’sapriorACLtear.You tearyourACLthefirst timebecause thewayyoumovedyourbodywassosloppythatyoubrokeyourparts.Youfailedthe“safemovementtest.”WhileyoucansurgicallyrepairyourACLandmakethekneemorestructurallystable,theresearchworldclassifiesyouasanathletewith“badmovementawareness.”Becauseyoucouldn’tmovewithprecisionthefirsttime,researchshowsyouaren’ttobetrustedinthefuture.Infact,youhavea20–50 timeshigher riskof tearinganACL in the samekneeor theoppositekneeascompared tonormal,healthyfolks.But remember, theseare justodds.Oddsthatpeopleearnbecausetheydon’tmovewell.Don’tletyourselfbecomeastatistic.Justasputtingajetengineonapaperairplanewon’tmakeyourplanefly farther, building strengthon topofpoor awareness isn’t the answer.Learnhow toown themovement forbetter, safer,andmoreefficientcontrolofyourbody.

MOBILITYHARDWAREPROBLEMS

IncontrasttoEva’ssoftwareissue,Cole,Sam,andJackaren’tmovingbecausesomething iswrongwith theirhardware.Weaskeachof themwhy theycan’tsquat,andwegetthreedifferentanswers.Colesayshefeelstiffnessinfrontofhisankle.SamsayshefeelstightinthebackofhiscalfandAchilles.Jacksayshe is starting to get a little bitmoremotionwith each rep, but his calves feelincrediblytight.Wehavethreedistincthardwareproblemstoaddress.

Gettingunstuck

Normallydoorsopenandclose. If you shoveadoorstopunder thedoor, it nolonger swings freely, but it can still swing back the opposite way. Althoughjointsarea littlemorecomplex thanhinges, this is agreatway to thinkaboutmotioninsidethejoint.Whenjointsmove,theyrollandglideoneachother.WewanttoseeColekeephisfootflatonthegroundsohisshincanrollforward,butsomeonehasstuckadoorstopinthefrontofhisankle.Whentherestrictionyoufeelisonthesideofthejointthatisshorteningit’sasignthatthejointneedstoimprovethewayitrollsandglides.Stretchingwon’tworkandtypicallycausesmore stiffness and pain. This is a good time to call your trusted physicaltherapist for somemanual therapywork. In the chapters that follow, youwillalsofindsomeDIYfixestoaddressproblemswithvariousbodyparts.

Lengtheningtissue

Samhasproblemsontheoppositesideoftheankle.Hecan’tgethisshintorollforward because the parts on the backside of the joint (the calf muscles andAchilles)are tooshort toallow themotion. It’s likewhenyouwent toDisneyWorldasakidandthesigninfrontofSpaceMountainsaid“youmustbethistallforthisride,”andwell,youjustweren’ttallenough.Ifthesofttissuelengthonthebackofthejointistooshorttoallowthejointstorollandglide,it’stimetostretch.Whenwestretchwearephysicallylengtheningthetissue,tearingandrippingyourmuscle.Itdoesn’tsoundlikesuchagreatthingtodo,doesit?Thisiswhystretching for stretching’ssakedoesn’tmakesense. If something is tooshort,thenlengthenit.Otherwisestretchingdoesn’thelpanything,andinsomesituations ithasbeenshown to impairperformance. Ifyouarea runnerwithapartthat’stooshort,ittakestimetophysicallylengthenyourbodyparts.A30-secondstretchisn’tenoughtochangetissuelength.Theresearchshowsittakesaboutthreeminutes,4to5daysaweek,forabout10weeks, tostretchabodypart—i.e., to physically lengthen the tissue. If you need to stretch, it shouldalways be done after your workout. We’ll use the word “stretch” only inreference to holding static stretches. And yes, we’ll look at some importantstretchesinChapter5.

Mobilizingtissue

It’stimetofigureoutwhatisgoingonwithJack.Hetellsusthatthreedaysago,hedecidedtorunwithhisdad,Paul.Whileitwasgreatbondingtime,Paulisinpeak shape and he took Jack on a hard 12-mile run in themountains. Jack’scalves are just shredded from running too many steep inclines. Hard runningbreaksdownthebody—andthenitheals.Normallytheconnectivetissue(calledfascia)inourbodyisinalineararrangementthatallowsthemuscleslyingunderittoslideandglidefreely.Buttoomuchtrainingvolumecansendthebodyintooverdrive,layingdownscartissueasitfranticallytriestorepairitself.Insteadofanicelineartissuearrangementwithslideandglide,youhaveaspiderwebwithgunkandfunk,otherwisecalledfascialrestrictions.Theconnectivetissuebindsdown on the underlying muscle, creating focal areas of overload. Imagineputting on a pair of your snuggest running tights. Sticking your foot in andyanking them up as hard as you can would likely strain and tear the fabric.Instead,youhavetouseyourhandstoworkthemupandover thecontoursofyour leg. Likewise, trying to stretch the fascial restrictions would shift thosetightlyboundstresspointsintolonger,lesstightlyboundstresspoints.Thegoalis to address the tissue glide restriction so those layers can slide, glide, anddissipateloadsoyoucanrunhealthy.Foamrollersandlacrosseballsaretherulehere,and, ifyouareoneof the luckyones,amasseusecanbe invaluable.WehaveJackrollouthiscalfonthefoamrollerforafewminutesandsuddenlyhefeelsgreat.

We’ll highlight a few key tissue mobility moves in later chapters, buthonestly,thisisaproblemyoucansolveprettyeasily.Ifyouareanenduranceathlete,yourbodywillgointohyper-repairmodeatvarioustimesintheseason.It’suptoyoutoensureyoukeepyourtissuessuppleforrunning.It’sworthyourtime to spend a few minutes each week rolling your thighs, shins, feet, orwhatever feels stiff. It doesn’t take long. It’s your own personal seek-and-destroymissiontogetthestiffspotsmovingagain.

Sothatmakesfourdifferentrunners.Noneofthemmovedcorrectly,butforcompletely different reasons. The same treatment doesn’twork for everybodybecause not everyone has the sameproblem.Now, a few caveats.Onepersonmightactuallyneedmore thanoneof these interventions. IfCole’sankle jointhasbeenmechanicallyblockedforyears,itmakessensethatthesofttissuesinthebacksideofthejointwouldhaveadaptedtonotmovingandshortenedovertime.So ifColedoes theanklebeltmobility exercise and is suddenlymovingwell,thengreat.Butafterwefreeupthejointglideproblem,wemightfindthatmovingtheshinforwardnowproducesasupertightstretchinbackofthejoint.Thismeansthejointblockiscleared,butwenowneedtolengthenthemusclesonthebacksideofthejointthathaveshortenedup.

STABILITYISCONTROLLEDMOVEMENT

We can get runners unstuck, but that’s just half of the job. Moving withoutcontrolalsocreatesinstabilityandinjury.Trytofireacannonfromacanoe,andyourwobblycanoewillsinkinstantly.Allthatforcerequiressomethingtohelptokeepitundercontrol.Ifwewerelookingtostabilizeacanoewecouldaddanoutriggeroneachside.Butthisdoesn’thelpyouasarunner—youhavetobuildsupportwithin the system.Running throwshuge loadsatyouwhetheryouarereadyforthemornot.Theonlypersoncapableofcontrollingthoseforcesisyou.If you can’t control your body, you’ll likely wind up like the 80 percent ofrunnerswhogethurtbyrunning.Buildingcontrolofyourbodycanchangeyoufromastatisticintoarunner.

Remember that mobility is active. If a runner frees up a joint, the runnerneedsto learnhowtousethisnewmotion,refiningthemicromovement insidethe joint. This comeswithmore proprioception training to help the body feelwhereitis.Thissenseofmovementisrelayedthroughthebodytohelpusmakeaplantomovebetter.Andthisisthekeydifferencebetweenflexibility(passivemovement) andmobility (activemovement).Goodmobilitymeans the sloppystuff isgone,andyouareable tostabilize100percentof themovementof thejoint.

Whenwe talk about stabilizing amovement,we are not referring to staticstability, as in holding an isometric plank. The body is dynamic and alwaysmovingwhenwerun,soourstabilityneedstobedynamicaswell.Thisiswhymostofthestabilityexercisesinthisbookaredynamic.Afterall,ourendgoalisnottoimpressourfriendswitha4-minuteplank,buttoimprovemobilitywhilerunning.

Dynamic control needs to be built in all three planes of running—vertical,side-to-side,andforward-backward.If themuscles thatkeepthejointbalancedaren’t showing up, don’t expect the movement to be balanced.We spend somuch time running in the forward plane of motion that we develop relativeimbalancesin themuscles thatsteerourpartsstraight.Welosecontrolandweloseprecisioninourmovement.

hugeforces+unstablelevers=problems

Underoptimal conditions, roughlyhalf of thework required topropel youforwardcomes fromstorageand releaseof energy in thebig rubberbandswecall tendons.Andwhenyou are throwing this elasticity around, those tendonswould like to have a solid foundation on which to attach. When you lackstability, tendonsdon’tworkaswell as they should.Thismeansyourmuscleshavetoworkhardertomakeupthedifference.Buildingbetterstabilityaroundyourjointshelpsintransferringenergyacrossthejointsandimproveseconomy.

By increasing the load on the muscle, we can decrease the load on yourjoints.Improvingstabilitywilltaxthemusclecontrolaroundthejoints,butthisisagoodtrade-off.Sloppycontrolaroundthejointcreatesinstabilityandshear,whichleadstoprematurewearandtear.Yourmusclescanrestandrecover,butjointstresshasbiggerrepercussionsforyourlong-termhealth.

Whenyoumovewithprecision,youownthemovement.Andifyouownthemovement,youownyourrunningform.Yourreflexesareonlyasgoodasyouallowthemtobe,soratherthanrunwithasecond-ratePlanBmovementpattern,

let’s begin fixing the underlying problems in theway youmove. It’s an easytwo-stepplan:

Step 1: Improve your joint roll and glide, tissue length, or fascialmobility torestorenormalmotionatthejoint.

Step2:Getconnectedtoyourbodytobuildstabilitywithinthemotion.

YourBodyDrivesYourForm

What does good form look like?Well, it looks like a lot of different things.Becausepeoplebynaturearequitedifferent,youaren’tgoingtorunexactlylikeyourtrainingpartnerorthepersonlinedupnexttoyouatthestartingline,andquitehonestly,youshouldn’t.Theyaren’tyou!Somerunnersaretall.Someareshort.Somehavelongthighsandshortcalves.Othershaveshortthighsandlongcalves.Widehips.Narrowhips.High-archfeet.Flatfeet.TherearepeoplebuiltlikeTheRock.Andpeoplebuilt likeanOlsen twin.Wecan’tpossiblyexpecteveryone to landwith theexactsamekneeangle,orelbowangle,or footstrikeposition.Differentisthenorminpeopleanddifferentisthenorminform.

Eventhoughwedon’thaveaone-size-fits-allrunningformula,wedohavesome basic goals for good running form. Your running form should be 1) aseconomicalaspossibleatagivenspeed,2)asstress-freeaspossible,and3)assymmetricalaspossible.Let’sdigabitdeeper.

GOAL1:RUNNINGECONOMY

Thisisdefinedastheenergyrequiredtorunacertainspeed.It’salittlelikefuelefficiency in a car: A vehicle with better gasmileage,measured inmiles pergallon(mpg),cangofartheronthesameamountoffuel thanacarwith lowermpg. If you improve your running economy, you can run faster at the sameperceivedeffortandlowerenergyexpenditure.

Ideally, about half the work required to run comes from active musclecontractionandtheotherhalfcomesfromstoredelasticityinthetendon.Thinkabout a slingshot—you can’t fire the rock unless you cock it back first. Fromfootcontactuntilmidstance(whenthefootisdirectlyunderthebody),energyisstored in the tendons. From midstance until push-off, we fire the rock. Thisstoredenergyisreleasedtohelpdriveusforward.Improvingrunningeconomyisallaboutcapitalizingonelasticrecoil tosaveourmuscles.Therearequiteafew things that can boost your running economy, but form stands out.Specifically posture alignment and where your foot contacts the ground inrelation to your body affect the use of your elasticity. As a general rule, youwanttomaintainaneutralspinepositionandstrikethegroundasclosetoyourbodyasyoucanforagivenpace.

GOAL2:LOW-STRESSRUNNING

Thestress-per-stridethatyourbodyendureswhenrunningisdrivenbytwomainfactors. And, interestingly, it’s these two factors that are responsible foressentiallyallofthesport’soveruseinjuries.

LoadingrateRunners who land with their foot too far in front of their body, calledoverstriding,areoftenoverwhelmedbytheloadingrate.Why?The250percentbodyweight load theymust dealwith on each stride rampsup tooquickly. Iftheykeepdoingthisformilesonend,theirbodiesbreak.Andkeeponbreaking.Let’sconsiderhowthisworkswithacommonoveruseinjury.Stressfracturesinthefrontoftheshin(tibia)aretypicallyaresultoftwodistinctissues.Intermsofgait,therunnerisoverstriding,throwingloadatthebodytooquickly.Andontop of that, the runner typically has a stiff foot that doesn’t do a good job atabsorbingshock.Consequently,allthatexcessloadgoesrightupintotheshin.Puttheseproblemstogetherandyou’vegotaperfectrecipeforoverload—andastressfracture.

Tohelpthisrunner,wewouldneedtofirstgethisfootworkingsoitcandoitsjobofdissipatingthestresswithlesstraumachanneleduptotheshin.Thenwe’dworktoachievefootcontactclosertothebody.Forthoseofyouwholikenumbers: Let’s say Keith is running with a loading rate of 7,500Newtons/second(N/s)andweimprovehisgaittoachieveanumberintherangeof5,000N/s.Thismeanshehasroughly33percentlesstissuestrainonhisbodywitheverystrideforallhisweeklymileage.Win.FixingthefootandbringingthepointofcontactclosertothebodyrequirestrategiesrevealedinChapter10.

WeAllLandinFrontofCenterIt’s commonly said that you should “land with your foot under yourcenter of mass” but unless you are accelerating, it is physicallyimpossible to landwithyourfootdirectlyunderyourcenterofmass. Ican bring tomy lab any form guru or any runner from any school ofrunning bias and demonstrate that at steady-state speed every singlerunneronplanetEarthcontactsinfrontofhisorhercenterofmass.Itistruethatcontactingtoofaroutinfrontofyou,oroverstriding,isbadforanumberofreasons—namelythat it increases themechanicalstressofrunningandhurtseconomy.However, landingslightly infrontofyourcenterofmassisgoodbecauseitallowsustostoreenergyinthetendon,

therebyreducingtheforceyouneedtogeneratewithyourmuscles.Doyouwanttoknowwhatit’sliketorunwithoutthestorageandreleaseofenergy in the tendon?Try sprinting.Whenyou sprint, the timeon thegroundissoshortthattheelasticitycan’tbeabsorbedandthenrebound.This is why you need to take a break after sprinting for 100 meters.Elasticityisthereasonyoucanrunalldayataneasypace.

LandingontheForefootThereisacontingentstillpushingthemessagethatrunnersmustlandonthe forefoot. I’ll share with you some reconnaissance on that topic.Yearsago,IwasinvitedtoabarefootrunningeventinNewYorkCity.Thiswasapassionategroupofrunnerswhoconsideredrunningshoestobeanunnecessaryevil.Theypreachedthatunlessyouwererunningonyourforefoot,youwererunningwrong.Afriendofmineplantedavideocamerainthebushesandfilmedtheserunnersastheywentby.Amongthis group of highly passionate runners, over half of them were notlanding on the forefoot. Most of them were closer to midfoot and asurprisingnumberofrunnerswerelandingontheheel.Footstrikeisworthtalkingabout.However,it’sonetreeinabigforest.Makingcontactontheforefootcangreatlydecreaseloadingrate,butitcostsextraenergytorunthisway.Additionally,researchhasshownthatmost runnerswill change their footstrikeas they fatigue,andpaceandrunning surface play a big role here aswell.Consequently, I typicallydon’tcueafootlandingposition.It’sbesttojustletithappennaturally.It’s much more important where the foot contacts in relation to yourbody,thanwhereyoumakecontactonyourfoot.

InstabilityRunnersmuststabilizetheforcesactingontheminallthreeplanesofmotion.Ifthey can’t control their position, things getwobbly. It’s normal to have someside-to-sidewobble,andit’sapartofthenormalshock-absorptionstrategyofahealthygait.However,whenpeoplecan’tstabilizetheirparts,weseetheirentirebodystarttowobbletoomuchandwithtoomuchvariability.Let’stakeanotherlook at a stress fracture developing in the shin. However, this time there’s acompletelydifferentreasonforthisdiagnosis—therunner’sfootcoordinationisoff.Sincemuscles inside the foot aren’t firing, themuscle thatdecelerates thefootontheshinisforcedtoworkmuchharderthanitneedsto.Theoverworkedmuscleyanksontheshinboneandeventuallycrackstheouterwallofthebonerightoff. In this situation, theprimarygoal is to improve thecoordinationandcontrol ofmuscles inside the foot so the body canmaintain its alignment andpositionwhenrunning.Next,weneedtolookaroundtherestofthebodytoseeifwecanidentifyanyredflagsthatindicatetherunnerisunstableandmakingthebodyworktoohard.(Youwillfindouthowtospottheseinlaterchapters.)Highbodystress,eitherduetolackofshockabsorptionorinstability,cancausetissuestobeoverloaded.Thegoalinbothofthesesituationsistoensurethatweimproveformtomakerunninglessstressful,andtogetyourbodypartstoworktogetherproperlytocontrolyourmovementandreducethestressperstride.

GOAL3:SYMMETRYSomepeopleareleft-handed,andsomepeopleareright-handed.Youhavebetterfinemotorskillononehandtowriteanddraw.Noproblemhere.Andthoseofyouwhoplayedsoccerlikelynoticedthatyourgoalshotsandpassesweremore

accuratewhenyoukickedwithyour right foot.Again,whendealingwith finemotoraccuracyinthissituation,anasymmetryisnoproblem.Butgrossmotortasks like running require both legs to show up equally.No onewants to runwitha limp. Ifyousprainedyourankle threedaysagoandcanbarelywalk, itwouldn’tbesmart tomeetyour friends foraneasy8-miler. Ifyoucan’tmovesymmetrically,youwon’trunsymmetrically.Andasymmetryeventuallycomesbacktohauntyou.

WHENFORMSWINGSOUTOFBALANCERight from the startwemade it clear that these three aspects of running formoccurunder“idealconditions.”Tounderstandwhatthislookslike,let’senvisionagrandfatherclock.It’snormaltohaveaslightarchinyourlowback,andwewant to preserve that normal curve in a neutral spine posture. The uprightgrandfatherclockechoestheideathat theupperbodyisgenerallyupright.Thependulumswings freely fromside to side, just as the legs swing fromfront toback for an efficient and low-stress stride. Let’s see what happens when wechangetheclock.

If we tilt the clock forward or backward it will affect the swing of thependulum.Inthesameway,runningwithpoorpostureshiftswhereyourfootisin relation toyourbodymass. Interestingly, either excessive lowback archorleaningtoofarforwardboth increase thedistancefromfootcontact infrontofthebodymass,whichimpairseconomyandincreasesthestress-per-stride.Thetake-homehereisthatyourupperbodypostureshouldbemostlyuprightwithaslightforwardlean.

Sometimes it’s the swing of the pendulum that creates issues. Running acertain pace requires you to have a certain stride length, requiring your leg toswingthroughanarcbelowyourbody.Ifyoushowupwithastiffhipthatwon’tlet you extend your leg behind you, the dynamics of the pendulumwill shift.Whilethedistancethelegmustswingbeneaththebodymuststaythesame,theswingshiftstoextendfartherinfront,andlessinback.Thisimbalancechangesthedynamicsof the slingshotbycurtailingyourelastic recoil.Youstoremoreenergyintheslingshot,butblocksinyourbodypreventitfrombeingreleased.Elastic recoil is compromised, muscle work goes up, and running economytanks.Additionally,thefootcontactingoutinfrontincreasesthestressonyourbody due to the higher loading rate. And now imagine that you’ve got twopendulums—twolegs—swingingoppositeeachother.They’vegottobeinsync

orelsethingswillendupoutofbalance.That’ssymmetryatwork.

CADENCETheideathatahighercadencecanhelpyourunbetterhasbeenahottopicforsometime.Therealityisthatmostrunnersdooverstride.Whenrunnersincreasetheircadence, theyhave less time to swing the lead legas far forwardas theytypicallydo.Rememberthatanyformchangethatenablesthefoottolandcloserto the body is a great strategy to reduce your stress-per-stride and improveeconomy. It isactuallymoremetabolicallyefficient to takemoresmallerstepsthanitistotakefewerlongerstepsatagivenpace,butagain,thisisunderidealconditions.

Butwhat feels good at one pacemay not feel the best at all paces.Whenrunningeasy,yourlegturnoverdoesn’tneedtobeashightomaintainspeed.It’snormaltorunwithaslightlyslowerturnoversinceyouaren’tcoveringasmuchdistancepertime.Biggerissuesoccurwhenwetalkaboutrunningfasterpaces.Somerunnersnotethatitfeelshardtorunfasterwithahigherturnover,whichtheymightdescribe asbeingunable to strideout.This is abig clue.To runaspecific speed requires a certain turnover and stride length. The cadence cuetypicallyhelpsrunnersshortentheirstrideupfront,buttheyneedtoopenuptheswingof theirpendulumout theback to increase their stride length,andsomerunners just don’t know how to move this way. Their preferred method ofincreasing speed is to elongate their stride from the front. Running economytypically gets worse as these runners pick up speed. This is not a cadenceproblem, but rather a body awareness problem that can be improved withtraining.

YOURBODYDRIVESYOURFORM

FatherTimehastaughtusagoodlessonhere.Chancesarethatyouwouldliketocraft a running stride that lowers the stress per stride and boosts yourperformance.And you’ve likely picked up onmy not-so-subtle argument thatyourownbody is the singlebiggestobstacle standing in thewayofachievingyourpeakrunningform.

ImprovingCadence

Beforeyousetout to increaseyourcadence, therearea few importantpoints you’ll want to keep in mind. First, running with your existingcadenceisreflexive.Yourbrainhaswiredandtrainedyourbodytousethatgaitpattern.Modifyingthispatternrequiresyourbraintodoahugeamountofworktooverrideyourreflexivegait.Ifyouforcetoohighofaturnovertheresultwillbeanoddlyshortandchoppyrunasyourbrainoverthinks your turnover.While this strategy can reduce the stress toyourjoints, itcostssignificantlymoreenergytorunthisway.Throughtraining it is possible to improve your gait, but it should be donegradually.Thisbringsus to themythical optimal cadence.Many tout the ideaof180stepsaminuteasthegoldstandard.Someresearchdoessupport180asanaverageoptimalvalue,butnoteveryone’saverage.Soitservesasa nice reference point, but it’s not absolute. Your optimal cadencedependsonyourmusclefibertype,limblength,tendondensity,terrain,andspeed.Worldrecordshavebeenachievedatcadencesbetween172and212stepsperminute.Iwouldn’tstressaboutwhereyoufallinthisrange or how close your cadence is to 180. Then who should makeefforts to adjust their cadence? If your cadence is less than 170 at amoderate pace, it is worth your time to improve it a bit. Rather thanstruggle to hit 180, try to increase it by 5 to 10 percent at a time.Research has shown that this smaller percentage increase providesbenefits to your joints without compromising economy. Likewise, it’sbeneficialtomonitoryourcadenceoverlongerruns.It’snormaltohavesomevariationofapproximately5percentduringarunatagivenpace.Ifyourcadencedrops from176 to160 toward theendofyourweeklylongrun,it’sasignthatyourformisvastlydifferentwhenfatigued.Logyourcadence inboth runsand races inyour training journal foramonth, and look forpatterns inboth. If your racingcadence is alwayshigherthanyourtrainingcadence,youshouldstarttopracticewhatyoupreachonracedayandensureyournervoussystemwithhighercadenceruns during the week. Likewise, if you are one of the runners wementioned above who just can’t stride out at race pace with a lowerracingcadence,it’stimetounlockyourformtoensureyoucangetthependulum to swing out behind you at speed. Be mindful of yourcadence,butdon’tbeaslavetoit.

Training places stress on your body. The body is actually quite good atadapting to body stress, as long as increases in volume and intensity areprogressive. But training with your Plan B running form is far from yourindividualoptimalgait.Andtrainingwithapoorlypreparedbodymeansyou’llneverbeabletoimproveyourform.Ifyoucan’tmaintainpostureandachieveapendulum-like leg swing, you’ll never be able to hit your best running form.You’ll be stuck in aPlanB running gait.Deliberate practice of specific skillswillunlockyourbodyandtransformyourstridefromaPlanBworkaroundtoaPlanAoptimal stride.Getyourbodyoutof thewayand letyournewmusclememorytakeover.

Atthispoint,wehaveidentifiedsomespecificskillsthatmaybearoadblockto your running. Now it’s time to divide and conquer.When you bring theseskills to each and everyworkout and race, you are able to run your best.TheRunningRewiredprogramwillfocusonprecisionmovementanddurabilityin:

1. Posturalcontrol2. Rotationalstability3. Hipdominance4. Individualskeletalalignment

Inthechaptersthatfollowwearegoingtomakethecaseforeachof theseskills and provide fixes to ensure that you can move with precision. Someproblems in the way we move are due to mobility blocks, some are due tomusclesnotcontrollingourbodywellenoughforproperstability,andsomeareduetobadhabitsandmusclememory.We’llbreakthisdowntogether.Insomecasestherewillbespecialtestsandcorrectionsformobilityblocks.Ifyouhavemobilityissues,I’mgoingtoaskyoutomaketimetoaddressthembecausetheywon’tfixthemselves.Everyfewweeksormonths,runyourselfthroughthetestagainandseeifyoustillneedsomehelp.Ifso,keepgoingwiththeadjustments.Ifyoupasswithflyingcolors,youcanmoveonbecauseourworkoutplanwillbuildonyournewandimprovedmovementonceyou’veunblockedyourbody.

Ineachsection,wewillintroducenewmovementsthatapplytotheconceptpresented. After you read each chapter, practice each movement. Deliberatepracticeiseye-opening,anditmaypushyououtofyourcomfortzone,butthat’sthe state inwhichyou learnmusclememorybest. If youwant to changeyourbody,youneedtochangewhatyouaredoingonaconsistentbasis.So tryout

each move as introduced. In the workout section, you’ll see I’ve selectivelyplaced these movements into these workouts to help you improve your skill,precision,andathleticismforbetterrunning.

PartIIDriveYourRunWithPrecision+

Performance

Don’tBreakYourPivotPoint

Several years ago, Iworkedwith a collegiate runnerwhowas strugglingwithlowbackpain.Collegekidsarehealthyandspry—theyaren’tsupposedtohavelowbackpain.Intheclinic,thisrunnercouldfindanddemonstrateperfect,pain-freespinepositioning,butwhilerunning,hewasinpain.SoIwenttothetrackandwatchedafewofhisworkouts.Inoticedthatheraninthe“backseat”—hisbackhad an exaggerated arch that created a stresspoint inhis lowback.Thisstressworsenedashisspeedincreased.Rememberthat250percentbodyweightloadthatrunnerssupportwitheverystep?Well,withthisrunner,thatloadwasmagnified inhis lowerback.Nomatterhowstrong thisathlete’scorebecame,hispoorbackpositioncausedoverload.Themoreheran,themorehecontinuedtoirritatethetissuesatfault,andheneverhadachancetoactuallygetbetter.

Butposture isnoteasilychanged.Posture reflectsyourcore strength,yourmobility,andyourhabits.Certainpositions feelnormalandothers feel forced,odd, incorrect. Instead of giving this runnermore corework to do,we had tochangehisperceptionthroughpractice.

Sowemadeadeal.Hewasallowedtorunasmuchashewanted,andasfastashewantedintraining,aslongashemaintainedahealthyspinepositionwhilerunning.Whenheranwithgoodposture,heran like thewind.Whenhis formfellapart—whetherfromfatigueorhisminddriftingoff—hisworkoutwasover.Period.Thereisnosenseinpracticingandreinforcingbadhabits.

Laterthatseasonheraninthenationalchampionshipsinthe800.Thestartgunfired,andeightguysrantheirheartsoutinadisplayofamazingfitness.Just200metersfromthefinish,everybodygot tired.Asifoncue,fiveof theeightrunnersfellintothebackseat.Instantly,theywereoutofviewoftheTVcamera

andoffscreen.Theextraenergyittakestorunwithpoorposturetookthemoutof the race.The threeguyswhomaintainedproperpostural alignment crossedtheline1,2,and3.AndourathletewoninwhatwasoneofthemostamazingracesI’veeverseen.Butthatwinisn’tthepointofmystory.

It’s this:Runningwithpoorposturewillcostyouenergy. InChapter1weasked,“Whatdoesittaketogetfromheretothere?”Smarttrainingshouldcovereachandeveryaspectthatyoucanimprove,sothatyourrunningcanimprove.Weknowrunningistiringandeveryonegetsfatigued.Youneedtoensurethatyourbodyiswiredtomaintaincorrectformunderstress,becausestressisyourtruenemesis.Whyputyourselfinapositiontohavetoworkhardertomaintainspeedinthelast200metersoftheNCAAnationalchampionship?Oryourlocal5K?

Somepeoplethinkrunningpostureisjustadetail.Butpostureisnotadetail—it’s one of themost important aspects of running form. It keeps your bodyhealthy and helps you beat the clock. Let’s take a closer look at how postureaffectsthebodyandperformance.

REDEFININGCORESTABILITYDrinkyourfavoritebeverage,thensettheemptycanonthetable.Withoutliquidor carbonation inside, the top and bottom are supported only by the cylinderitself.Thisconstructionprovidesalotofstrength,evenwhenthecanisempty.Placea10-poundweightontop,andthecanwillsupporttheload.

goodposition=goodstabilitypoorposition=instability

Nowtakethissamecan,dimplethesideabit,andputthesameweightbackontop.Thecanwillcrumpleundertheload.

Whenyourun,youhavetosupportaround250percentofyourbodyweightwitheachandeverystepformilesonend.Ifyourcaniscrushed,youcan’tkeepyourpartsinposition.Thiscreatestwomajorproblems:

1. Youlosesomecoordinationandyourmovementsstarttogetsloppy.2. Youhavetoworkhardertorun.

Yourbrain ishardwired fromanearlyage toput thebody inapositionofstabilitycentrally(inthecore)andtomovedistally(throughthearmsandlegs).Whenthatcentrallinkisblown,certainmusclesunwirethemselvesfromnormalreflexive movement, others fire late, and you lose the ability to move withprecision.Whenpostureandalignmentarecompromised,thetypesofinhibitionwediscussedinChapter2begintogetyourattention.Thestressisn’tdistributedaround the entire wall of the can, but is focused at certain points which thenbecomeoverstressed.Partsofyourbodythatusuallytolerateagivenamountofstrainasyourunarenowaskedtotolerateevenmorestress,whichsetsyouupforinjury.Becausegoodmovementrequiresafullyfunctionalsystem,youhavetolookpastisolatedpartstofindtherootoftheproblem.Forexample,alotofrunners do hip exerciseswithout experiencing improvements in hip control orrunningformbecausethelinkbetweentheirhipsandtheircoreisfaulty.

FindingNeutralinanUn-NeutralWorldThinkabouthowmanyminuteseachweekyouspend...

sittinginanofficechair?standinginaslumpedposition?walkingwithaheavyload?walkinginheels?hunchedoveryouriPhone?running?

Mostofusspendasignificantamountof timereinforcingbadposturalalignment. This starts early in life—think of kids carrying overloadedbackpacks and spending hours slumped over their devices. We arecreaturesofhabit.Howmanysignalsisyourbraingettingtoimprintthispositionintothewayyousit,stand,walk,squat?Youspendmorehoursnotrunningthanyouspendrunning.Practicingpoorpostureindailylifeteachesustomoveacertainway,andthat’sallwelearn.Thisposturalalignmentbecomeswhoweare.Andthenweputourrunningshoesonandexpecttohaveperfectalignmentforour3-miletemporunandourupcominghalf-marathon. It’s this simple: If you can’t stand right, youcan’trunright.

Poor postural alignment shifts the propulsion of running away from theefficientmuscles around thehipsand toward the less efficientmuscles aroundtheknees.Whetheryouslumpforwardorleanbackward,yourfootwillcontactthegroundtoofarinfrontofyourbody—thedreadedoverstride.Doyoureallywanttoworkharderthanyouneedtoatagivenpace?Ididn’tthinkso.

What’scrushingyourcan?Whendealingwithadimpledorcrushedcan,manyathleteswilladdcrunchesandcorework,thinkingcorestrengthwillfixeverything.Trainingyourcoreisimportant, but unless your goal is posing on the bodybuilding stage, youshouldn’t train your core in isolation. Let’s look at how problems above orbelowthecorecancrushyourcan—evenifyoucanholdaplankfor20minutes.

You have two big ball-and-socket joints both below and above the core.Below the core, each hip should be able to swing freely from front to backwithoutcrankingyourlowbackintoanarch.Abovethecore,youshouldbeabletoreachyourarmoverheadwithoutarchingyourlowback.Butonceagain,youcanonlymoveasefficientlyasyourbodyallows.Sittingandslumpingforhoursonendtightensthemusclesaroundthefrontofthehipsandpullstheshouldersforward. These mobility restrictions on top of the can (your shoulders) andbelowthecan(yourhips)willcrumpleyourcanfromthetop,orbottom,orboth.Andsoyouadapt.Thiscrumpledpositionbecomesthenewnormalasyoustand,walk, and run.Youmightbe strongenough topower throughanexercise,butthere’snosenseinfightingyourbodyeverystepoftheway.

UnloadingthetopofthecanIhavelostcountofthenumberofrunnersIhaveseenwithsignificantproblemswithposture, runningmechanics, and even lower-body injuries that aredrivenby upper-body issues. As the tissues in the shoulders tighten, they pull theshoulder blades forward. And over time, they pull themid back (the thoracicspine)forwardwithit.Andthemidbackandribsgetstifferandstiffer.Thefrontof the can starts to crumple—and your mom or coach tells you to stand upstraight.Butthemidback,ribs,andshouldershavebecomesotight,youcan’tfix the frontof thecan. Insteadyouarchyour lowback tocompensate,whichcrumplesthebackofthecan,whichfurthercomplicatestheinhibitionproblem.And this position creates breathing restrictions as well. Instead of your ribsexpanding laterally and down to allow diaphragmatic breathing, you have toraise themup against gravitywith chest breathing. In theworst-case scenario,runnerscanwaste10percentoftheirenergybreathing.That’senergythatwouldbebetterspentdrivingthebodyforward.

Tounload the can,weneed to applywhatwe learnedaboutmobility.Theupper-bodypostureproblemswill require a combinationof improvingglide atthe joints, lengthening the structures that are tight and bound down, and thenbuildingcontrolofthenewmotion.

The back is made of bones called vertebrae. If each of those vertebraeattachedtoonlyoneotherbone,astheydointheneckandlowback,wewouldhaveafairamountofmotionavailabletotwistourheadandlumbarspine.Butthemid-backvertebraeanchortheribs.Andafteryoucountthejointsbetweenthevertebrae,andtheribattachmentsaboveandbeloweachvertebra,thereare12 different joints on each thoracic vertebra. Somany joints around one boneimposes a lot of stiffness into the system. It’swhy you can’tmove yourmidbackasfreelyastherestofyourspine.

Ifyouhaveexcessivetightnessinyourmidback,it’sajointproblem,notaflexibility problem. It’s not possible to stretch your mid back, and you can’tactively reverse the curve in your mid back either. In order to improve themotionontheshortenedsideofthejointweneedtousesomeprops.

Once we improve the joint glide of the vertebrae and ribs, we can use atraditional stretch to open the pec minor muscle in front of the chest that ispulling us forward. Because a slumped spine puts your pecs into a shortenedposition, you can’t stretch the pecs in front until you open the stiffness in theback.Opening the spinegetsyoumore length in the frontof thechest so that

stretchingcanbeeffective. Ifyouhavestruggledwithastiffmidback,do theTravoltapeanutsor thebasketballmobility exercises1–2 times everyweekoruntilyoubegintofeelthestiffnessimproving.Onceyourchestisallset,we’llusealittletricktohelpdriveyourshoulderbladesdownandbacktotheplacethey should be, and reinforce this position with a simple band exercise. Theoverheadcarryandtheshoulderpackexercises(bandedarmcirclesandbandedpull-aparts)willplayaroleintheRunningRewiredWorkoutsthatyouwillfindafterChapter10.

Thegoodnewsisthatthissequenceisn’tascomplexasitmayseem.Infact,thisentireroutinetakeslessthan10minutes,anditisapowerfulwaytoimproveyourposture.Ifyouhavepostureissues,thefullPostureFixroutinethatfollowswillfeelincredible.You’llbesurprisedtofindouthowmuchyourposturereallycanimprove.Dotheworkandstraightenouttheside—orsides—ofyourcan.

THEPOSTUREFIXStep1:Openthespineandribs

BASKETBALLMOBILITY

Sitonthefloorwithabasketball,soccerball,orevenahardmedicineballbehindyou,feetonthefloorandkneesbent.Putyourhandsbehindyourhead,elbowspointingforward,andleanbackontheball,positioningyourselfsoyourmidbackrestsontheball.

Keepyourheadandelbowspointedtowardyourknees.Don’tlookupattheceiling—youwantthefulcrumoftheballtobeatyourmidback,notyourneck.

Spend2–3minutesrollingtheballupanddownalongyourspineandlaterallyintotheribstofindspotsthatfeelstiff.Restonthesespots,breathinginandout,andtrydoingsmallcrunches.Thinkaboutrelaxingandextendingintotheballasyoureturntorestingposition—don’tcurlupintoatightcrunch.

Workfromtheshoulderbladesdowntothebottomoftheribcage.Donotgointothelowerback.

Spendafewbreathsineachspot.Afterafewsessions,you’llknowwhichareasneedregularwork.Thebenefitcomeswiththeexhale.Holdingyourbreathstiffensthemidback,sorelaxintothemovementandbreathesoyourribsglide.

Note:Ifyouhaveahistoryofosteoporosis,skipthisexerciseasitplacesalotofpressureonafocalpointinyourback.

TRAVOLTAPEANUTS

Lieonyourbackwithyourkneesbentandyourfeetflatonthefloor.Placethepeanuthorizontallyunderyourmidbackatthebraline(or“broline”)andrestyourheadonthefloor.

Holdsmallweights(2–3lbs.)ineachhandandreachthemuptotheceiling.Relaxandallowtheweighttoglideyourshoulderbladesbackandopen.

Reachonearmupoverheadsotheweightcontactsthefloor,anddroptheoppositearmdownalongyourside.

Do10reaches(5repsoneachside).Thenmoveyourbodydownapproximately1inchsothatthepeanutmovesuptohitthenextvertebrainyourmidback.Repeattherepswithyourarms.

Continueuntilthepeanutisafewinchesbelowthebumpatthebaseofyourneck.

Note:Lacrosseballsareusedinphysicaltherapytoimprovemobility.Tightlytapetogethertwolacrosseballswithathletictape(orducttape),wrappingthetapetightlyinafigure-eightpattern.Whenyouarefinished,itwilllooklikeapeanut.

Yes,thisfeelsintense,butitworkswell.Ifyouarechronicallystiff,dothiscorrectiveexerciseregularly.

Theworkhappensasyouexhale,sorelaxintothemovement.Thesmallhandweightswillhelpyourelax,soforbestresults,don’tskipthem.(Ifyoudon’thavelightweights,cansofsouporbeerwillworkjustfine.)

Note:Ifyouhaveahistoryofosteoporosis,skipthisexerciseasitplacesalotofpressureinfocalpointsonyourback.

Step2:Openthefrontofthechest

PECMINORSTRETCH

Tostretchtheleftside:Lieonyourstomachwithyourleftarmouttothesideat90degreestoyourbody,andwalkitoutlaterallyuntilalltheslackisgoneinthefrontofyourchest.Gentlybendyourleftelbowabout45degrees.

Placeyourrighthandunderyourrightshoulderandpushsothattherightsideofyourbodytwistsoffthefloor.

Bendyourkneesandhipsupto90degreesonyourrightsideandrelax.You’llfeelthestretchinthefrontoftheleftshoulder.

Holdthispositionfor2–3minutes.Switchsides.

Thispositionallowsyoutostretchthemuscleandthenerve.Ifyoufeelnumbnessortinglinginyourfingers,dropyourelbowabitclosertoyourwaist.Thismodificationwilldecreasethestretchyoufeelinthemusclea

little,butmoreimportantly,itwillalsounloadthenerve.Nervesdon’tliketobestretched!Thefloorsupportsyourshoulder,whichmakesthisasafewaytostretchthepecminor.Theclassicdoorwayorwallstretchcancauseshoulderinstabilityandshouldbeavoided.

Step3:Putyourshoulderbladesbackwheretheybelong

OVERHEADCARRY

Forthismovementyou’llneedanOlympicbar(45lbs.)oralightertrainerbar(15–45lbs.),bothofwhichcanbefoundatmostgyms.AthomeyoucanuseabroomstickorPVCpipewithafewankleweightsoneachend.Thekeyistogetthebarheavyenoughthatitpushestheshoulderbladesdown,butnotsoheavythatyoustraintoholditup.

Holdthebarwithyourhandsaboutsixincheswiderthanyourshoulders,palmsfacingforwardwhenoverhead.

Pressthebaroverheaduntilyourelbowsarelockedstraight.Focusonkeepingyourribcagedroppeddownslightlyinfronttoavoidarchingyourlowback.

Walkforatleast45seconds.Do3sets.

Keepyourribslow.Whenyourarmsmoveup,don’tallowyourchesttofollowsuit.Lettheweightofthebarpushyourshoulderbladesbackanddown.Don’ttryandshrugitupanyhigheronceoverhead.Relaxyourneckandfocusonkeepingyourelbowslockedandtheweightwilltakecareoftherest.

BANDEDARMCIRCLES

Stand,feetshoulder-widthapart,holdingaTheraBand(orresistanceband)inbothhandsaboutwaistlevelwithyourpalmsfacingforward.Widenyourgriptoplacesometensionontheband.Yourhandsshouldbepositioned10–12incheswiderthanyourshoulders.

Keepyourelbowslockedasyoureachoverhead,thenbehindyourbodywiththeband,andthenbacktocenter.

Do20repsofthismovement,thengostraightintothepull-aparts.

PULL-APARTS

HoldaTheraBandinyourhandsaboutwaisthigh,armsstraightandhandsaboutshoulder-widthapart.Keepyourelbowslockedandraiseyourarmsuntiltheyarejustbelowyourshoulders.

Pullthebandendsinoppositedirectionsuntilyourarmsarespreadwide,thenreleasetostartingposition.

Do20reps.

LookingbelowthecanAsyou run,your legs shouldbeable to swing in front andbehindyourbody.I’ve never seen a distance runnerwho couldn’t get their legs in front of theirbodywhilerunning.Butthebacksideisanotherstory.It’scriticalthatyourlegcan swing freely behind youwithout exaggerating the arch in your low back.Let’stestandtacklethisnow.

KNEELINGHIPFLEXORSTRETCH

Kneelonapadorpillow,makingsuretokeepthethighofthelegyouarekneelingonvertical.

Tuckyourpelvisunder(seetheposteriorpelvictiltinstructioninthehipmobilitytest).Holdthispositionfor3minutes.

Toincreasethestretch,positionthefootofyourkneelinglegouttothesideafewinches(thiswillrotateyourthighinward)beforemovingintoaposteriorpelvictilt.

ANKLEBELTMOBILITY

Positionabeltaroundsomethingsturdyandplaceoneleginsidetheloop.Turnsotheattachmentpointisbehindyouandslidethebeltdowntoyourankle.

Stepyourfootforwardtoremoveanyslackinthebelt.Itshouldbetightjustabovetheanklejointinthefront.

Keepyourfootfullyflatonthegroundandmoveyourshinforward,asthebeltglidesthefrontoftheanklebackward.Holdfor1or2seconds,andrelax.

Do20repsandswitchlegsifbothsidesaretight.

BURRITOCALFSTRETCH

Standwithyourfootontopofarolledtowelsothatyourbigtoeispositionedonthe“burritoroll”andyourlittletoesdrapeofftheside.

Bendyourkneeforwardwhilekeepingyourheelflatandsquaretothefloor.Holdthisstretchfor3minutes.Youwillfeelthisacrossthebackofthecalf.

CALFSMASH

Sitonthefloorwithafoamrollerunderonecalf,andcrossyouroppositelegontop.Putyourhandsbehindyourbuttandliftyourweightontoyourhandsandcalf.

Rollyourcalfupanddownontherollerandfindspotsthatfeelstiff.Flexandextendyourankletobetteraddresstightness.

Dothisfor2minutesafewdaysaweekuntilyourcalffeelssupple.

NEWPOSTURE,NEWRUNNINGFORMIt’simportanttobeabletofindandfeelyourneutralspine.Onceyouknowwhatit feels like to stand straight, you can replicate your best posture in standing,walking, doing these exercises, and even when running. Better posture helpsyourbodyworkatitsbestineverythingyoudo.

Remember,everyonehasacurveinhisorherneck,midback,andlowback.It helpswith shock absorption. If paratroopers landwith a straight spine, theyrunaveryhigh riskof theirbackbones literallyexplodingon impact.Runningwith poor posture is not likely to blow up your back, but we can agree thatrunningwillfeelbetterifthenormalcurvatureofyourspinecanabsorbsomeoftheshock.Everyonehassomewhatdifferentanatomy,butwecanfigureoutyourspecificposturealignmentbyfeel.

Manyrunners(andtrainers)thinkthatanarchedlowbackisbad,andsotheytry to correct their posture by drawing the belly up and in, which puts theirtailboneinatuckedposition.Thisdoesn’tworkfortworeasons.

First,ittasksimportantmuscleswiththewrongjob.Thedeepspinalmusclesstabilizethewallsofyourcan.Ifyoutuckyourtailbone,youinadvertentlyendupusingthemusclesthatflexthespine(yourrectusabdominus,orsix-pack)tomovethetailbone,whichmakesthewallsunstableandultimatelycrumplesthecan.Yoursix-packisforshow,notforgo.

Makingmattersworse,atuckedtailboneaffectsyourrangeofmotion.Trytotuckyourtailboneandthentakeastep.Youwillfindthatit’snearlyimpossibleto move. Tucking under the tailbone uses nearly all of the available hipextension range you’ve got, and now you can’tmove your hip behind you. Itdoesn’twork. It’s important to feel that thisdoesn’twork, soyoucan ruleoutthisstrategyonceandforall.Inacasewherearunnerhasaprominentlumbarcurve,ourcorrectionshappenabovethepelvis.

Thefirsttimeyoudotheposturetestandcorrectintoamidfootweightbias,youmayfeel likeyou’refightingyourself. If that’s thecase,youlikelyhaveamobilityorstabilityblockonthetoporbottomofyourcanthatistryingtopullyou out of your ideal alignment. Before you do anything else, I stronglyrecommendthatyoufixanyblocks.Dotrytomakechanges,butifyou’vegotablock,youhavetofixtheblockasweoutlinedinthetests.Youcanonlymoveaswellasyourbodyallowsyouto.Asmobilityimprovesandasyoucontinuetoprogress through the exercises to rewireyourmovement, thiswill start to feelmorenormal.

Building a solid foundationwill positively affect loads in your back, yourbalance,thestressyourbodysees,andultimatelyyourruntimes.Repetitionofcorrectmovementbuildshabit,andpostureisadisplaywindowforyourhabits.Themoreyoupracticegoodposturewhennot running, theeasier itwillbe tofindandmaintainiteachmile.Takeamomenttofindgoodposturebeforeeveryexercise,andeveryrun,tooptimizethewayyoumove,andbeattheclock.

Corestabilityhasbeenbeatentodeathbythefitnessworld.Yourcoreisnota singular part you’ll find in Netter’s anatomy textbook. And you don’t(effectively)strengthenit justbydoingcrunches.Rather, it’sasystemofpartswiredtogethertoformastablefoundationsothatthemusclesthatattachaboveandarounditcanactuallydotheirwork.Yourjointsfeelposition,yourmusclescreate tension, and your neuromuscular system must be trained to coordinatemovementinarunning-specificmanner.

Thisfeedbackloopdoesn’texistsolelyinyourabdominalwall,butineveryplaceyoumove.Infacteveryjointhasacore—asystemofstabilizingmuscles

andmovermuscles.Andwe’llensure thatyouhaveasolidfoundationateachjointbeforewegetyoumoving.

Now that we have a plan to address the stiffness that pulls us into poorposition,andhavepracticedfindingandfeelingyourneutralspine,weneedtoteachthebodyhowtointegrateandstabilizetheupperandlowerbodytogether.Wewanttomakesuretotraintheabilitytomovethehipsandshoulderswithoutcrumpling the can. Because running requires dynamic stability, not just staticstability,therearenoisometricsorplanksintheprecisionmovementworkouts.Welearnthroughmovement,solet’sgetmovingandlearntomovebetter.

WIRINGPOSTURE

SLINGROW

Standandholdthehandlesofasuspensiontrainerataboutchestheight.Leanbackward,makingsuretokeepyourbodyalignedstraight,andyourelbowsfullyextended.

Drawyourhandsintowardyourchest,squeezingthespacebetweenyourshoulderbladestogetherwhilekeepingyourneckanduppertraprelaxed.

Do3setsof10reps.

Ifyoudon’thaveaccesstoasuspensiontrainer,aslingorboatstrapisanaffordablealternative.

REACHOUT

Kneelandholdthehandlesofasuspensiontrainer,keepingyourshouldersdownandback.Leanforwardintotherope.

Reachyourarmsoutoverheadasfarasyoucanwithoutshruggingyourshoulders.Keepyourshoulderbladesflatalongyourribs.

Holdyourspinestable,andifyoufeelanyincreaseinpelvictiltorlowbackarchatall,don’treachasfarout,andadjustyoursetup.

Do3setsof10reps.

Tomakethisexerciseeasier,adjusttheslingtobehighersothattheangleofyourbodyislesshorizontalatfullextension.Tomakeitharder,lowertheslingsothatyourbodyismorehorizontalatfullextension.

DONKEYTOES

Beginonallfourswithyourthumbspointingforwardandyourfingerspointingouttothesides.Comeupontoyourhandsandtoes,keepingyourarmsandthighsperpendiculartotheground(likeahumancoffeetable).

Maintainingastablespine,liftonethightowardtheceilingwhilekeepingyourkneebentto90degrees.

Returntoallfoursandrepeatwiththeoppositeleg.

Buildto2minutesofalternatingcontinuousmovement.

Ifyouneedtobuildupgradually,startoffwith4setsof30secondstolearnpropermovement.

BEARWALK

Onceagain,startonallfours,thencomeuponyourhandsandtoes.

Keepyourbackflatlikeatabletopandwalkforwardwiththeoppositearmandleg(e.g.,righthandgoeswithleftfoot).

Take30stepsforwardand30stepsbackward.

TheSecretofCounter-Rotation

Whilewerunforward,runningchallengesus,anddemandscontrol inall threedimensions: front to back, side to side, and twisting. The concept of twistingforceisnottalkedaboutmuchintherunningworld,butitiscriticallyimportant.Anancienttribaltoy,apelletdrum,illustrateswhy.

Ifyouholdthedrumandtwistthehandleequallyineachdirection,thebeadsattheendofthelineoneachsidewillswing,beatingthedrumonbothsidesinperfectsynchronization.Butifwebendthehandleabitthentwistit,thebeadshit out of sync. Instead of the fluid reciprocal energy exchange that we sawpreviously,thereisnowablockinthesystem.Andeverythingwobbles.

This helps us understand the concept of the free moment. As you runforward,alineoftwistingenergyrunsthroughyourentirebody.Whenyourfootcontactstheground,thistwistingforcetriestorotateyourtrunkandleginward.Under ideal conditions, this twist is balanced by the counter-rotation on theoppositeside,plussomehelpfromthemuscles,tosteerthebodystraightagain.It’sNewton’sthirdlaw,involvingequalandoppositereactions.

Counter-rotationallows thebody tomaintaina relatively smoothcourseasyourunforward.Butsometimesthepelletdrumdoesn’tmovesmoothly.Maybeit’sa resultofyour stiff foot,whichwon’tadapt to theground,ormaybeyouhavepoorcoordinationofyourspinalrotation.Ultimately,ablockin thebodydoesn’t allow it to twist properly. And when we can’t twist, we get kickedlaterally, which causes the normal forces of 10–15 percent body weight toincreaseasmuchas2–3 times thenormal load.This instabilitymakes runningmuch harder than it should be, and it plays a big role in instability injuriesthroughoutthebody.Itdoesn’thavetobethisway.

Let’sensure thateach jointhas thenecessary rangeofmotion to twistandthestabilitytocontrolitsoyoucanrunforwardwithoutgettingkickedtoofartoeitherside.Specifically,weneedtoensurethatyoucan:

1. Twistthespine2. Steerfromthehip3. Adaptthefoot

TWISTTHESPINERotationalcontrolthroughthespineisagreatwaytosequencethecoremuscles.Thesemuscles don’t necessarily have to be strong, but they need tomove uswith intent. When runners are told to rotate their spines, the overwhelmingmajorityofthemwillmovetheirspinesintoasidebend.Ifyouhaven’twiredapatterntobeabletotwistyourspineoncommand,yourbodywillneverbeabletofindthisrotationwhenrunning.Thecrunchesandplanksthatrunnersaretoldtofocusondon’thelpsolvethisproblem.Bytargetingrotationyoucanensurethatyourcoreisworkingintandemwiththerestofyourbody,notinisolation.And it creates a more stable spine, which is healthy for both your discs andjoints,reducingtheriskofinjury.

TWISTEDWARRIOR

Fromstanding,dropintoahighlunge.Positionbothhandsonthefloorinsideyourforwardfoot.Makesurethebacklegisextendedstraightbehindyou.

Raiseyouroutsidehandoffthefloorandtwistyourupperbody,reachingyourarmuptowardtheceiling.Twistyourtrunk,notjustyourarmsandhead.Holdforacountofone.

Untwistyourbody,andplaceyourhandbackonthefloor.Repeatwiththeoppositearm.

Twist10timesintotal(5timesoneachside),thenlungeontheotherlegandrepeat.

Imagineyouhaveacameraonyourchest,andthegoalistotwistthecameraallthewaytotheleftandtherighttotakeapictureofthepeopleoneithersideofyou.Ifyoujustforceyourarmsintoatwist,youwon’tgetthephoto.

MEDBALLTWIST

Lieonyourbackwithyourkneesbentata90-degreeangle.

Holdamedicineball(5–15lbs.)inbothhandsandkeepyourlowerbodyrelativelystillasyourotatetheball,yourtorso,andheadovertooneside.

Continuemovingtheballfromonesidetotheother,keepingyourheadrelaxedonthefloorthroughthemovement,withbotharmsmostlystraight.

Do40repstoeachsideforatotalof80reps.

BALLBRIDGETWIST

LieonaSwissballsothatyourheadandshouldersarerestingontheball,yourkneesareata90-degreeangle,andyourfeetareshoulder-widthapartonthefloor.Keepyourbody—shoulders,hips,andknees—inbridgeposition.

Raiseyourarmstowardtheceilingandinterlaceyourfingers.

Rollyourarms,torso,andheadovertooneside,thentheother.

Makesureyourbackstaysquietandthatyourglutesareworkingtokeepyourspinehigh.Ifyoufeelanytensioninyourback,dropyourhipsslightly.Continuealternatingfromonesidetotheotherfor2minutes.

SWISSBALLTUCKTWIST

Placeyourhandsonthefloorinpush-upposition(thumbspointingforwardandfingersout),andbalanceyourshinsonaSwissball.

Tuckyourlegsunderyourbodysothatyourhipsliftuptowardtheceiling.Holdingthisposition,twistyourtorsotorotatetheballasfarasyoucangofromlefttorightwithacontrolledmovement.

Do3setsof30secondson,30secondsoff.

Throughouttherotation,keepyourhipsandkneesbentat90degreesasifyouaresittinginachair.

BUTTSCOOTS

Sitonthefloorwithyourlegsextended.Trytositata90-degreeanglesothatyourlowbackandpelvisarestraightandnotrounded.

Claspyourhandstogetherandextendtheminfrontofyou,pushingyourshouldersdownandawayfromyourears.

Keepyourupperbodystill,hikeuponehip,andtwistitforwardsothatyourlegmovesforward.Thenhikeandtwisttheoppositehip.

Do3setsof10timesmovingforward(5scootsoneachside),andthen10timesbackward.

Imaginethatyouaretryingtolengthenyourlegsbytwistingfromthehips,andtakingstepswithyoursitbonesinsteadofyourfeet.

SUPERSWISSSIDEPLANK

LieonyoursideandholdaSwissballbetweenyourfeet.

Propyourselfuponyourelbowanddrawyourshoulderbladebackanddownalongyourribcageforsupport.

Raiseyourhipssothatyourupperbodyisparalleltothefloor,thenlowertostartposition.

Do25repsoneachside.

Thechallengehereistokeepthepulsingmovementinalateralplane,withouttwistingdowntothefloor.

THREADTHENEEDLEPLANK

AnchoraTheraBandtoapointthatisafewinchestoafootfromthefloor.Getintoaplankpositionwithyourarmsextendedandthebandperpendiculartoyourbody.Yourfeetshouldbeslightlywiderthanshoulder-width.

Supportyourupperbodywiththearmclosesttotheband’sattachmentpoint,andreachyouroppositehandunderyourchesttograbtheband.

Nowuntwistyourspineintoaplankposition,tuckingtheshoulderbladebackalongyourribs,andextendthearmholdingthebandtothesideuntilitisstraightandparalleltothefloor.

Returnthebandtoitsattachmentpointandrepeat.

Do20repsoneachside.

Themajorityofthetwistshouldoccurintheupperbodywhilethelowerbodyremainsstill.

LONGARMBANDSQUAT

AttachaPowerbandtoapointthatisbetweenchestandwaistheightandstandperpendiculartotheband.Positionyourselffarenoughfromtheattachmentpointtocreatetensionintheband.

Setyourfeetjustwiderthanhipwidth,holdthebandinbothhands,andextendyourshouldersoutinfront.Thetensiononthebandshouldtwistyourbodyinward.

Counterthisbytwistingbackagainstthebandenoughtoholdyourupperandlowerbodysquareasyousquatupanddown.

Do20repsoneachside.

Ifyourkneesaremovingtoofarforwardoryourbackisrounding,placeachairbehindyouandsquatdownuntilyoutouchit.Stepclosertotheattachmentpointtoeasetheloadandfartherawaytoincreasetheload.

HANGSPINETWIST

Hangfromapull-upbarwithyourarmsrelaxed.Bendyourhipsandkneesupasifyouaresittinginachair.

Trytokeepyourbellybuttonstillanddoasidebend,reachingyourrighthiptowardyourrightshoulder,thenyourlefthipuptoyourleftshoulder.Keeptheswayofyourbodytoaminimum.

Do25repsoneachsideforatotalof50reps.

STEERFROMTHEHIPSure,musclesinthehipsdrivethebodyforward,buttheyalsoplayahugerolein injurypreventionas theysteer thepathof the leg.This rotationdoesn’t justinfluencethehip;ithelpscontrolthepositionofthekneeandfootaswell.Somepeoplesaythegluteusmaximusisthebestorthoticmoneycanbuy.

GLUTERAINBOW

Startonallfours,withyourthumbspointingforwardandyourfingerspointingtothesides.Imaginethereisaplumbbobhangingfromyourchest—keepitstillasyoustartthemovement.

Liftonelegbehindyousothatyourthighishorizontallyalignedwithyourtorsoandyourkneeisbentat90degreeswiththesoleofyourfootpointingtotheceiling.

Keepingyourthighattheexactsameheightandyourpelvislevel,twistyourhipoutsothatyoumakearainbowandtheinsideofthefootpointsinward.

Keepyourspinestableandtwistthelegbackoutwardtocompleteonerep.

Do10repsoneachside.

Don’tletyourlowbackarchorshift.Theonlyjointmovingisthehip.

BANDEDHIPTWIST

AnchoraTheraBandatwaistheight,standsquaretotheband,andpullthebandaroundyourpelvissothatitsitsjustbelowyourwaist.

Putyourhandsonyourhips,holdingthebandinplacewithsometensiononit.

Standonthelegwherethebandends(ifthebandwrapsaroundfromtheright,standonyourleftleg)androtateyourpelvisinandoutwhilekeepingyourhipslevel.

Do40repsoneachside.

Stepclosertotheattachmenttoeasetheloadandfartherawaytoincreasetheload.

STANDINGHIPCIRCLES

Placeyourhandsonyourhipsandliftonekneesothatyourthighisparalleltothefloorandyourkneeisbentat90degreesinfrontofyou.

Moveyourlegouttotheside.

Whilekeepingyourkneeatthesameheight,twistyourfootbehindyou

whilekeepingthepelvislevel.

Pushyourlegstraightbacksothesoleofyourfootpointsbehindyou.

Bringyourhipbackintocenter,andthenbacktothefloor.Thisisonerep.Eachpartofthemovementshouldbespecificanddeliberate.

Do5repsoneachside,alternatingleftandright.

Payattentiontothepositionofyourhandsonyourhipstokeepyourbackstill.

ROTISSERIECHICKEN

Lieonyourbackandplaceoneleginthesuspensiontrainer,withthestrapjustbelowyourknee.Extendyourfreelegnexttotheslingleg.Liftyourhipsintoabridgeandextendyourarmsaboveyourchest,palmstogether.

Ontheslingside,keepyourkneecappointeduptotheceilingandrotateyourpelvisawayonanimaginaryaxis,asifyouwereonaBBQspit.

Rotatebackinwardpastthestartposition.Thehipsshouldtwistfullyinwardandfullyoutwardeachrep—yourbackstaysquietandyourhandsremainextendedaboveyou.

Do2setsof8repsoneachside.

Payattentiontowhetheryouaretwistingequallytotherightandleftsides.Ifyoufeelanytightnessinyourlowback,dropyourchestslightlyuntilitdissipates.

ADAPTTHEFOOTYourfootisnotabrick.It’saleafspringwiththeabilitytotwistandadapttothegroundtokeepyoustable.Forthistohappen,itiscriticalthatyourforefootand rearfoot have good mobility and that motion between your forefoot andrearfootisspecificallycontrolledbythemusclesinsidethefoot.Ifyouwanttoimprove your balance, the first thing youmust do is screw the big toe to thegroundwithoutcheatingmotionthroughyourrearfoot.

Step1:Getyourbigtoedowntotheground

FOREFOOTVARUSMOBILITY

Standwithalacrosseballunderyourfourthandfifthmetatarsals(justbehindtheballofthefoot)withyourheelincontactwiththefloor.Turnbothfeetintoaslightpigeontoeposition,andsoftlybendyourknees.

Putyourhandsonyourhips,androtateyourpelvisandtrunkrightandleftforabout90seconds.Theballshouldnotmoveatallunderyourfoot;insteadfocusontwistingyourbodyabovetheball.

Ifyoudriftedlaterallyinthefootmobilitytest,thisareaofthefootwillfeelquite sore after you do the forefoot varusmobility exercise. It’s okay to pushthroughthesoreness,buttrytoallowthefoottorelax.Whenyoutakeyourfootoff theball and standonone leg,you shouldnoticea considerabledifference.Thefootshouldfeelflatterfromoutsidetoinside,anditshouldbeeasiertouseyourbig toe forcontrol.After2or3weeksofdoing thisexercise, theplantarfascia should unwind, giving you a flatter foot position and less discomfort.

Onceyoufeelthechangeyoudon’tneedtocontinuedoingthecorrection.Juststandononefoottodoasimpleself-checkpriortoarunoraRunningRewiredworkout.Ifyourfootfeelsflat,proceed.Butifyoufeelshiftedtotheoutside,dothecorrectiveexercisefirst.

Step2:ControlyourbigtoeindependentlyofyourothertoesOnceyourbigtoeisontheground,it’stimetoimprovethecoordinationofthemusclesthatstabilizethetwistbetweentheforefootandrearfoot.Themainreasonsthatrunnersover-pronatehavenothingtodowithfoottype(higharchversuslowarch),andeverythingtodowithhowyoucontrolyourfoottype.Normally,thebigtoeprovidesabout85percentofthestabilityinyourfoot.Ifyoucan’tmasterthecoordinationofthebigtoe,it’saforefootproblem.Andwhenyou’vegotaforefootproblem,therearfootisunsupportedandcollapsesdownintoexcessivepronation.ThisproblemistypicallythecauseofsymptomsinAchilles,plantarfascia,metatarsals,shins,andalmostanyotherfootandlowerlegpain.Targetingtheforefootisthesolutiontokeepthefootandlowerlegalignedduringrunning.

Step3:ScrewyourfootdownwhilescrewingyourhipoutManyrunnershavebeentoldtousetheirbigtoe,andsotheycollapsetheirfootinward,whichinturncollapsestheirkneeandhip.Otherrunnershavebeentoldtofiretheirglutes,whichoftenleadsthemtorollthefootupandout,losingfootcontactintheprocess.Bothsituationsareproblematic.Ourgoalistogroundthebigtoetosupportthefootwhilesimultaneouslyengagingtheexternalrotatorsinthehips.

FOAMROLLERDRILL

Standwithafoamrollerbetweenyourshins.Squeezeittightlysothatyourbigtoesaregroundedandactiveastheypressdownthroughthefloor.

Nowplaceyourhandsonyourglutesandsqueezethemtight.Feelthemengageasyouscrewthehipsoutandthenbackinwhileyoukeepthetoegroundedandmaintaininwardpressureontheroller.

Practicethismotionforabout1–2minutesoruntilyoucanmovesmoothly.

Thismightfeelodd,butthistwistingbuildsthelinkbetweenyourfootandhipstosteeryourlegsstraightforhealthyalignmentwhilerunning.Oncethisskillbecomeseasy,youcantranslateitintomorecomplexexercises.

SINGLE-LEGSHOULDERPRESS

Standononeleg,witharelativelylightweight(8–10lbs.)intheoppositehand.

Dialinyourposture,drivingyourbigtoedowntosetupyourforefoottripodfromtheinsidetotheoutsideoftheballofyourfoot,andextendingtotheendofthebigtoe.

Presstheweightoverheadandbringitbackdown.Theaddedweightcreatesmoreinstabilityforyoutocontrolwiththeforefoot.

Asyourarmgoesoverhead,keepyourweightcenteredoverthemidfoottoavoidleaningbackthroughyourheel.

Do15repsoneachside.

Useawaterbottleormilkjugifyoudon’thaveaccesstoweights.Ifyouarchyourlowbackwhenreachingoverhead,trytodroptheribsdowninfronttokeepaneutralspine.

TIPPYTWIST

Placeyourhandsonyourhipsandbalanceononeleg,focusingonastrongtripodthroughtheforefoot.

Maintainaneutralspineandkeepyourhipslevelasyoubendforward,extendingthenonsupportinglegbehindyou.

Twistyourhipsintowardthefloor,thenoutanduptowardtheceiling.Keepyourweightbalancedacrossthemiddleofyourfootasyoupivotfromthehip.

Returntolevelhipsandthepelvisforwardtocomebackuptostartingposition.That’sonefullrep.

Perform2setsof10repsoneachfoot.

Ifyouwobbleinyourfoot,focusongroundingthebigtoetosolidifytheinsideofthetripod.Youlearnbalancethroughsuccessfulmovement.It’sbettertotwistthehipthroughasmallerrangewithgoodcontrolthantotrytotwisttoofarandfalleachtime.

FOOTSCREWS

Standonbothfeet,keepingequalpressureacrossthetripodofeachforefoot.

Twisttherearfootslightlyoutwhilekeepingthebigtoegrounded,thenraiseyourheelsaninchorso.

Stayinguponyourtoes,lettherearfoottwistinward.

Pressthebigtoeintothefloortopushyourarchupandscrewtheheelintotheoutwardposition.

Lowerthefoottothefloorandrelax.Thisisonefullrep.Keepthemovementspecificandcontrolled.

Perform20reps.

Thisisnotabalanceexercise,sofeelfreetoholdontoastationaryobjecttomakethemovementmorecontrolledandstable.Thegoalistomaximizethetwistbetweentherearfootandforefootwhilekeepingthebigtoeonthefloor,notmaximizingtheheightofyourcalfraise.

The exercises in this chapter are focused on precision movement. Rotationalcontrolisprobablynotsomethingyouhaveonyourradar,butit’sakeystrategytoimprovingyourrunning.Thesemovementshelptowireintramuscularcontrolinyourspine,hips,andfeettoimproveintermuscularcontrolthroughtheentirebody.Itepitomizestheage-oldsayingthatthewholeisgreaterthanthesumofitsparts.Deliberatepracticewillbuildtheskillyouneedtomovesafely,sotakeyourtimewiththeseexercises,movewithpurpose,andbuildasolidfoundationtocombattherotationaldemandsofrunning.

PushforBetterPropulsion

Whenyourun,especiallyasyourspeedincreases,moreandmoreoomphneedsto come from the muscles that extend the hips. But it’s likely that years ofoverstridinghavewiredyourmusclememorytofavorthequadsandneglecttheglutes.Saidsimply,thetypicalrunnerisquad-heavyandglute-light.

Most runners overstride.The lab data I’ve collected over a decade revealswhy—thevastmajorityofrunnersdon’tknowhowtofullyuse themuscles intheirbackside. Itwouldbemucheasier ifmusclecontrolwasbalancedaroundthebody,buttherealityismostpeopleareoutofbalance,aproblemthatisnotexclusivetorunning.Dr.VladimirJanda,apioneerinmusculartherapy,coinedtheterm“lowercrossedsyndrome”todescribetheimbalancethatoccurswhenthe hip flexors, quads, and low backmuscles are tight and overused, and thedeepcoreandglutemaxareasleepatthewheel.

Rememberthebestwaytoinhibitthemusclesaroundyourhipsistoscrewupyour posture.And then there’s the issue of tight hips. If thosemuscles aretight, your hip won’t have full extension to both sides of your pelvis. Thisimbalanceisn’tarunningproblem;it’sabodyproblem.Butifthisbodyproblemisn’tcorrected,you’llneverbeabletocorrectyourstride.About80percentofrunnerswillneedtodoalotofhipflexorstretchestoimprovethis.

Yourquadsarebigmuscles,capableofproducingahugeamountof force.Nomatterwhatyour running form,youneedyourquads to showup ready towork. Butmuscles don’t act alone, andwe certainly don’t want the quads tocarrythetorchwhenrunning.Changingyourdominantmusclesformovingandrunningiscriticaltoimprovingjointhealthandperformance.

THEPROBLEMWITHQUADDEPENDENCY

Beingoverlyreliantonyourquadscreatesthreebigproblems.First,itcanwreckyourknees.Nearlyeverystudyonrunninginjuriesrankspatella-femoralpaininthe top three injuries ailing runners. Your patella, or kneecap, is basically apulleyforyourquad.Whenyouoverstride,thetorqueormechanicalloadontheknee is greater. The quad has to work harder, creatingmore shear across thesurfaceofthepatella,whichisn’t thebest thingforthelong-termhealthofthe

cartilageunderneath it.Changingyourmuscledominancewill reducestressontheknee.

Second, there are some performance implications for our bias toward thequads.Yourquadhasagreaterpercentageof fast-twitchfibers.Soforagivenrunningpace,yourquadswillbeworkingclosertopeakcapacityandenterintoa fatigued,oranacidicstate, sooner.When themusclegets tooacidic, thepHleveldropsandthemusclecan’tcontractandrelaxaswell,soyouenduphittingthe wall. Since the glute has more slow-twitch fibers, it produces smalleramountsofacidicwasteproductsandcanlastlongerbeforebuildingupalotofwaste.Thismeansyoucandrillthepaceabitharderandlongerwithoutfallingapart.

Finally,yourquadssimplycan’tmatchthetotalbodycontrolyourglutesarecapableofsettinginmotion.Let’stakeacloserlook.

WHATTHEGLUTESCANDOABOUTITYourglutemaxhasthreeprimaryfunctions,allofwhichbenefityourrunning.First and foremost, the glute max is an incredibly powerful, fatigue-resistant,extensorofthehipjoint.Extensorsarethemusclesthatdriveyourhipfromthefrontsidetothebacksideofyourbody.Yourquadsdotheopposite,workingasflexors to move the hip from the backside to the front side. Because we runforward,theseextensorsgeneratethepushtodriveuspastourfootplantontheground. The muscles on the backside of the body move us in ways that themusclesonthefrontsidecan’treplicate.Theglutesdon’tactalonetomovethehip—thehamstringshelpoutaswell.Butwhiletheglutesandhamstringsbothmovethehip, theglute’sarchitectureallowsit toprovidetwocriticalelementsofstabilitythatthehamstringscan’tmatch.

Yourglutemaxisalsoyourprimaryhipexternalrotator.Peopleoftenshowme photos of themselves runningwith their knees crashing in, a problem thattheyattribute toaweakglutemedius.In theory, theglutemediusmusclepullslaterally on the outside of the hip to keep the knee from collapsing inward.However,thisisanoversimplificationthatcanleadyoutowastetimetargetingasmaller,lesspowerfulmuscle.

Arecentstudysetouttolookattheroleoftheglutemediusandmeasurethepathofthekneeinwalkingandrunning.Theresearchersanesthetizedthenervethat tells theglutemedius to fire.Thisshut itoffcompletely.Then theyaskedpeopletowalkandrun,expectingtoseemassivekneecollapsetotheinside—

butthatdidn’thappen.That’sbecausemusclesdon’tworkinisolation.Wemoveas a system. That two-dimensional knee collapse that you see in photos isn’treallyatwo-dimensionalcollapse.

Inmylab,Imeasureboththemotionofthefrontalplane(in-to-outmotion)androtationalplane(twist)ofthehip.Whenarunner’skneesdivein,Idon’tseesignificantlydifferentfrontalplanenumbers,buttherearesignificantdifferencesin therotationalplane.Thus, that2Dproblemis reallymoreofa3Dproblem.Better rotational control from the glutemaxwill keep your leg from twistinginwardandkeepittrackingcorrectly.

Finally,yourglutemaxalsoplaysahugeroleinposturalcontrol.InChapter5 we used a can metaphor to understand how posture problems happen. Theglutemaxisanchoredtothebottomofthiscanandattachesbelowthehip.Ifit’sfiring correctly, itwill keep the can upright by pulling it straight. If the glutemaxisshutoff,theentirecanwillpitchforward.Andassoonasthecanstartstippingforward,everythingfallsapart.Theexaggeratedforwardleanforcesyouintoahugeoverstride,whichmakesforveryhighloadingrates,puttingthebodyundermorestresswitheverystep.Don’tassumethatthisisaproblemonlyforoverweight or oversized runners toworry about.Thehighest loading rate I’vemeasured inmy lab didn’t involve a 280-poundClydesdale athlete, but a 12-year-oldgirlwhoweighed88pounds.Eachstepwasalmostshakingtheroom.Hertorsowaspitchedsofarforwardthatherfeetwereforcedtolandreallyfarinfrontofherbody,deliveringahugeamountofstresswitheveryimpact.Wegothergluteswiredup,andwithintwoweeksshedroppedherloadingrateby70 percent, back into normal territory and her pain disappeared. This stuffmatters.

betterbooty=betterposture

Weneedtobreakthislower-crosssyndromepatternandwireyoutocontrolanewpattern.Youneedasolidcoretohelpyourglutemaxwork,yetyoucansee how a glute deficiency affects your posture and your core. It’s a classiccatch-22. This is why we don’t train muscles to achieve this skill; we trainmovements.Andyouneedtoownthismovement.Youneedtofeelhowmuchyoucanmoveyourhipswithoutyourposture fallingapart.Andhowdoes theposition of your back influence themuscle demand of your hips? In terms ofbuilding this musclememory, we’ll use some intramuscular cues to help you

find these muscles, but the critical step is to integrate these cues withintermuscular coordination. It’s not isolation, but rather systemic coordinationthatproduces long-termgains.Here’syournewmantra: “Drive from thehips,keepthespinestable.”Repeatthisasyoudoalltheexercisesinthischapter...andthinkaboutitwhilerunning!

Finally, we know that flexibility does not equal mobility. Remember,flexibility is passive. Mobility is active. Just because you stretched your hipflexorsdoesn’tmeanthatyou’vemagicallyflippedthegluteswitchto“on”andchangedyourgait soyoucanstartdrivingwithyourhips.Thequad-dominantmovement patternmost of us bring to running is strong, andPlanBhas beenreinforcedbyyearsofrunning.ToregainPlanA,I’llteachyoutostabilizeintothis new range. Once you figure out how to tap into your backside muscles,you’ll stride less out front, andmore out the back. Thismeans you’ll do lesspullingyourselfalong,andmorepushingyourselfalong.

Solet’sgettoworkonthemovementsthatwillgetyoutofirefromthehips.

STABILIZETHEHIPS

BANDEDHIPJACKS

PlaceoneTheraBandlooparoundyourkneesandanotheraroundyour

ankles.

Standononelegwithneutralposture(withevenweightdistributionthroughyourmidfoot),makingsuretodrivethebigtoedowntothefloor.Placeyourhandsonyourhipstofeelforanytippinginthepelvis.

Whilemaintainingstabilityononeleg,movetheotherlegoutandbackata45-degreeanglefromyourbody.Themotioniscontinuous,notastatichold.Movethehiponlyasfarasyoucanwithzeromotioninthepelvis.Asyoubecomemorestable,aimtomovethelegfarther.Dothisfor30seconds.

Repeatthismovementfor30secondsontheoppositeleg.

Keepthebandsinplaceandreturntothestartpositionwithyourhandsbyyoursides.Do10jumpingjacks.That’sonefullround.

Continuethissequencefor3rounds:30secondsofmovementontherightleg,30secondsontheleftleg,and10jumpingjacks.

Imagineyouhaveafullglassofwateroneachshoulderandyouwanttoavoidtippingormovingfromthespineorpelvissoyoudon’tspilladrop.

SLINGABDUCTOR

Lieonyoursideandplaceyourlowerleginaslingsothatitsitsjustbelowyourknee.Claspyourhandstogetherandextendyourarmsstraightinfrontofyou.

Pressdownintotheslingtoraiseyourhipsupwhilekeepingyourspinestable.Useyourshoulderasyourpivotpointandstaystraightthroughyourtorso.

Tomakethiseasier,movetheslinguptowardyourhip.Formoredifficulty,movethebandtowardyourankle.

SLINGADDUCTOR

Lieonyoursideandplaceyourupperleginasling.Claspyourhandstogetherandextendyourarmsstraightoutinfrontofyou.

Pressdownintotheslingtoraiseyourhipsupwhilekeepingyourspinestable.

FocusonFormForthoseofyouwhoarenewtostrengthtraining,thisisacriticalexercisetodevelopthecorrectskillofsquatting.Trytodoasetof15repsbeforeyoudotheperformanceworkoutstoensureyoubuildmusclememory,movingsafelyandgettingthemostfromyourtraining.

DRIVEFROMTHEHIPS

PIGEONHIPEXTENSION

Getintoapigeonposition.Restthekneeofthelegextendedbehindyouonthefloor.

Bringtheforwardleghorizontallybelowyourtorsoandrestyourlowerlegonthefloor.Useittoensureyouaren’tcheatingwithyourback—itisnotnecessarytodroplow,evenifyouarequiteflexible.

Withoutmovingyourpelvis,tightentheglutesandraiseyourbackkneeoffthefloorandmoveyourbodyintoextensionatthehip.Keepyourbackfootonthefloor.Maintaintightnessinthegluteasyoulowerthekneebackdowntothefloor.

Do40repsoneachside.

It’seasytocontractamuscleandshortenit(togetyourkneeoffthefloor),buthardertolengthenitundercontraction(loweringthekneedown).Keepyourglutesactiveduringtheentiremovement.

FROGBRIDGE

Lieonyourbackwithyourlegsbentatroughly90degreesandthesolesofyourfeettogether,kneesopen.Claspyourhandstogetherandextendyourarmstowardtheceiling.

Pressyourhipsupashighaspossiblewithoutarchingyourbacktoengagetheglutemax.

Do50reps.

CHAIROFDEATHSQUAT

Usingyourhands,holdadowelverticallyalongyourhead,midback,andtailbone.(Thedowelensuresyoukeepaneutralspineandhingefromthehips,nottheback.)Standwithyourfeetabout2inchesfromthebaseofaboxorchair.

Keepthedowelinplaceandsquat,makingsurenottopullyourbodyawayfromthecriticalpointsofcontact.

Perform20reps.

Theboxorchairwillpreventyourkneesfrommovingtoofarforwardandtrainyoutomoveyourhipsbackward,whichcuestheglutesandkeepsthequadsincheckforaproperhiphinge.

SINGLE-LEGDEADLIFTWITHDOWEL

Standononeleg,holdingadowelverticallyalongyourback.

Bendforward,makingsurethatyouholdthedowelfirmlyagainstyourhead,midback,andtailbone,toforceyourselftomovefromthehipandnotthespine.Extendyourfreelegbehindyoutohelpcounterbalanceyourbody.

Pushthepelvisforwardtohelpactivatethegluteasyoureturntoastandingposition.

Do20repsoneachside.

Maintainequalpressureacrosstheballofyourfoottoimproveyourstancecontrol.Ensurethatthelowbackdoesnotround(whichwillcauseyourtailbonetopullawayfromthedowel)orthatthebackdoesnotarch(whichwillcause

themidbacktopullawayfromthetailbone)asyoumove.

FocusonFormThisisacriticalfoundationalmovementtomasterbeforetryingtomoveontoweighteddeadliftslateron.

SWISSCURLS

LieonyourbackwithaSwissballunderyourheels.Liftyourhipsintoabridge,keepingyourspinestraight.

Withoutchangingthepositionofyourhips,bendyourkneesasyoupressyourhipsup.

Atthetopofthemovementthesolesofyourshoeswillbeontheballandyourthighswillremainparallelwithyourtorso.Don’tletthehipsflexup.Ifyoufeelanytightnessinyourlowback,dropyourribsslightly.

Do3setsof10reps.

KNEELINGBANDEDDEADLIFT

SecurelyattachaPowerbandtoarackseveralinchesoffthegroundandstepinside,facingawayfromtheanchorpoint.

Positionthebandatyourwaistandkneelonapadpositionedfarenoughawaythatyoufeelafairamountoftensionpullingyourhipsbacktowardtheanchorpoint.

Allowthebandtobendyouatyourhipsandsinkbacktowardyourheels,thenpushyourhipsforwardintothebanduntilyourhipsmoveintoextension.Donotarchyourback.

Do50reps.

IfyoudonothaveaPowerband,amountainbikeinnertubeisagoodsubstitute.Ifyoufeelyourbackarchingatthetopofthemovement,droptheribs

downinfronttoputyourspineinneutral.

BANDDRIVETHRU

SecurelyattachaPowerbandtoarackatkneeheightandstepinwithoneleg,facingawayfromtheanchorpoint.

Positionthebandatthetopofyourthighclosetoyourhipcrease.Standonthatlegandallowthebandtopullyourhipsbackasyourtrunkhingesforward.Hingefromthehips,notthelowback.Keepyourkneesoftlybent.

Pushyourhipsforwardandintotheresistanceofthebandanduseyourglutestoquicklydrivethekneeoftheoppositelegforward,simultaneouslydrivingthetorsoupward.Returnfoottofloor;that’sonerep.

Do15repsoneachleg.

Avoidarchingyourbackatthetopofthemovement.Thegoalistopushthehipsthroughwhilekeepingthespinestable.

BANDEDHIPDRAG

SecurelyattachaPowerbandtoarackatkneeheightandstepinwithoneleg,facingtheanchorpoint.Positionthebandbehindyourkneeandstandfarenoughawaytofeelsometensionwhenyourkneeisslightlybent.

Usingyourglutes,extendyourhipbehindyou.Theamountoftensionshouldcreateresistance,butstillallowyoutomovethethighbehindyourbody.

Itiscriticalthatyoudragyourfootalongthefloortotargettheglutes;ifyouraiseyourfootyou’llrecruitthehamstrings.Keeptheglutesengagedasyouletthebandpullyourlegforward.

Do15repsoneachside.

SLINGBACKLUNGE

Placeyourfootintoaslingataboutkneeheight,shoelacesfacingdown,andbalanceontheotherleg,withtheslingbehindyou.Claspyourhandsinfrontofyourchest.

Bendyoursupportingkneetodropintoabackwardlunge,keepingtheshinontheforwardlegasverticalaspossible.Maintainaneutralspinesothatyourhipextendsbehindyou,butyourbackstaysquiet.

Drivebackuptothestartingpositionbydrawingyourlegstogether.

Ifyoudon’thaveasling,youcanalsouseaboxorachairforthisexercise.

SLINGPISTOLSQUAT

Holdthehandlesofaslingataboutchestheightwithbothhandsandstandononeleg.

Extendtheotherlegstraightoutinfrontofyouasyousquat,keepingthepelviscompletelylevel.Besuretomaintainaverticalshinasyousquatdownandbackup.

Standfartherawayfromtheanchorpointtomakethemovementeasierandclosertoittomakeitmorechallenging.

AlignmentIsNotOne-Size-Fits-All

Thequestforperformanceinsportleadstotheassumptionthatthereisa“best”way.Whenitcomestorunningform,ifAthleteXperformsexceptionallywell,it’stakenasevidencethatX’swayisthebestway.Sothecoachingworldtellseveryone to replicateAthleteX’smechanics.Roundand squarepegs alike areforcedintothesameroundhole,eventhoughthereisaconsiderableamountofvariabilityamongpeople.Mostallofushaveexperienced thewell-intentionedguidanceofacoachorteacherastheycramyourbodyintoits“best”position.“Runwithyourfeetpointedstraight!”thecoachtellsthekidwhorunsbyduck-footed. “Come to the front of themat andpoint your feet straight ahead,” theyogainstructorsaysinasoft,soothingvoice.“Keepyourfeetstraightwhenyousquat!”theCrossFit®coachyellsastheathletessetupattheweightrack.

Buthowcan someone tellyouhow toalignyourbody if theydon’tknowyour specific alignment? It’s impossible to cue alignment without taking intoaccounttheidiosyncrasiesofanindividualathlete’sbody.

Think about how a door works. You pull on the doorknob, and the doorswings open around the axis of its hinge. You can open and shut the doorhundreds, thousands,millions of times.All iswell.Butwhatwouldhappen ifyoudidn’tpullthehandle,butinsteadtriedtotwistthebottomofthedoorouttoopenthedoor?Well,thetwistingwouldapplyadifferentforcethroughthedoor,andovertimetheleveragewouldeitherwarpthedoor,breakthehinge,orcrackthedoor frame.Trying tomakesomethingmove inaway it’snotdesigned tomovewillultimatelybreakit.Whenitcomestimetoquestionhowyourfeetandhipsshouldbealignedwhenrunning,remember:Assess,don’tguess.

IcannotcountthenumberofpatientsI’veseenduringmycareerwhohave

hadinjuriesbecausesomeonetriedtoforcethemtopointtheirlegsstraight.Justas people have variability in eye color and shoe size, there is biomechanicalvariability,too.Wedon’tallmovethroughthesameaxisofmotion.Let’sstopthismadness. Insteadof looking for theoneway runners shouldposition theirlegs,let’sassesshowyouaredesignedsowecanhelpyoufigureouthowyoushouldmove.

Thepositionofyourbones isnotaresultofmuscle tightnessorweakness.And it’s not something you can “stretch” to fix. Some peoplewere bornwiththeir bones in a certainposition and someplayed sports that involved a lot oftwistingintheirformativeyears.Thereisevensuspicionthatspendingalotoftimesittingonyourkneeswithyour feet in the“W”positionmayplaya role,butnoneofthatmattersnow.Yourbonesareset.

If you don’t like the rotational alignment of your bones, you could breakyour legand twist itbackniceandstraight.Clearly, that’sa terrible idea!Buthere’smy point: Someonewhose body alignment is 100 percent straight isn’tnecessarilybetterorworseoffthansomeonewhohassometwistintheirbones.It’sjusthowitis.Itonlybecomesaproblemifyoudon’trespectyourbody.

OWNYOURMOVEMENTTofigureouthowyouneedtoalignyourbodywhenyoumove,wehavetolookat the rotational alignment of your bones, specifically your hips and shins.Imagine that you have a kebab skewer running lengthwise through your leg.Let’sfigureouthowyourthighsandshinsarepositionedonthatskewer.

Alignmentstartsatthehip.Yourfemurconnectstoyourpelvisatacertainangle. This angle can be described as neutral (oriented straight ahead), ante-verted(twisted inward),orretro-verted(twistedout).Therotationofyourhipsalwaysdictateswhereyourkneeswilltrack,regardlessofwhatweseegoingonfurtherdowntheleg.Onceweknowhowyourhipisaligned,wecanlookatthetwist of your shin. Just like the hip above, the shin can be straight, twistedinward,ortwistedoutward.Yourshinpositiondetermineshowyourfeetshouldbepositioned.

Sohowdoesthisplayout?SusanandMeganarecollegiaterunners,andtheyalso do yoga together a few days aweek. Both their running coach and theiryoga instructor tell themto“point their feetstraight.”Susandoes just thatandher body feels great, butMegan experienceskneepainduringher runs and in

yogaclass.Wehavetherunnersstandinfrontofamirrortowatchthewaytheymove.

Susan notices that her thighs and feet are pretty much pointing straightahead. She squats halfway on both legs and sees that her knees are trackingstraight ahead. Next, she stands on one leg and performs a small squat toreplicatetheamountofbendinherkneeassheruns.Onceagain,herkneetracksstraightahead.Spoileralert:Susanhasaneutralhipandshinalignment,andhernaturalmovementrespectsherjointalignment—whichistosaythatshemovesthewaysheissupposedtomove.

Meganlooksinthemirrorandseesherfeetpointingstraightandherthighspointingstraightaswell.Butwhenshesquatswithbothlegs,herkneescollapseinward.Nextsheperformsasingle-legsquat,justlikeSusan,andagainnoticesher knee collapsing inward.Megan feels really frustrated. She has been doinghip-strengtheningexercises tohelpherknees track straight and feelbetter,buttheyobviouslyaren’tworkingandshe’sstillinpain.

Megan has a neutral hip position like Susan, but her shins twist outwardabout15degrees. If shemovesnaturally and respectsher alignment, her kneewill trackstraightahead,butherfeetwillpointoutward.It’snowherenear thefootpositionofaFlintstonecharacter,butinsteadofherfeetpointingstraightto12o’clock,theynaturallywanttopointtoward11and1ontheclockface.WetellMeganthatsheneedstoletherfeetpointout.Thisfeelsreallyweirdafteranentirerunningcareerofbeingtold—andtrying—topointherfeetstraightahead.She squats down. Her knees track straight. She stands on one leg and squatsdown.Again,herknee tracksstraight.Andnothinghurts.Meganflashesabigsmile.

Whenwe see a runner wobble ormove differently, we often jump to theconclusion that theymust have amobility or stability problem.However, thisisn’talwaysthecase.Megan’skneesweren’tcollapsingasaresultoftightnessorweakness—itwasaresultofover-ridinghernaturalalignment.Sheneedstorespect her alignment in everything she does: running, practicing yoga poses,doing single-leg stabilitywork, and strength and plyometricwork.Every timeMeganhears thecue“pointyourfeetstraight,”shenowknowstoaimherfeetfor 11 and 1 on the clockface.You’ll be amazed at howmuchmore efficientyourbodycanmove,andhowmuchlessstressyourjointswillsee,whenyouletthemmoveastheyweredesignedtomove.

ASSESS,DON’TGUESSAssessingtherotationalalignment,ortwist,ofthelegbonesisabasictestthatphysiciansandphysicaltherapistslearnearlyonintraining.Alongtimeago,adoctor named Craig realized the importance of rotational alignment. Hedeveloped a testing protocol and named it after himself. In recent years, Imodified this test to make a DIY version, and many athletes have used it tosuccessfullyassesstheiralignment.Ifyoudon’thaveconfidenceinyourabilitytofindtheselandmarksonyourown,goseeaclinicianyoutrust.Butyoushouldtry this test first:You’ll get critical information about exactly how your bodyshouldmoveduringrunning,andallothersports.

Allyouhave todonow is lookatTable8.1 to seehowyoushouldmove.Matchbothyourfootpositionandthedirectionthatyourkneecapspointtofindoutifyourbonesareneutrallyaligned,orifyou’vegotsometwistinyourhipsorshinsthatyouneedtorespect.Here’soneexample.Let’ssayyoufoundoutthatyourkneespointoutandyourfeetpointstraight—thismeansthatyouhavehips that are twisted out, and shins that are twisted in. You can listen to thecoachtellingyouto“pointyourfeetstraight”becausebasedonyouralignmentthat’swhattheyshoulddo.Justbeawarethatanytimeyousquatdoingworkinthe gym, ride a bike, or run, your knees will shift out more than average. Ifsomeonetoldyoutokeepyourkneestrackingstraightoveryoursecondtoe,thatwouldbeproblematicbecauseyourbodydoesn’tmovethisway.

Knowingwhatproperalignmentlookslikeforyouisreallyimportant.Whenyou begin doing strengthwork in theRunningRewiredWorkouts,make sureyou set yourself up according to what you discovered in the trochanter test.When running,make sureyou run in away that respectsyourbody.Somanyproblemscanbesolvedwiththisonepowerfulnuggetofknowledge.

BuildaBiggerSpring

Whenrunnerstellmetheycan’tjump,Imakeitmygoaltogetthembouncingofftheground,andhere’swhy.Whilerunninghasbeendescribedasaseriesofsingle-leg squats, no one can repeatedly perform a single-leg squat whilesupporting250percentoftheirbodyweight.Theremustbemoretothestory.Inreality, running is more like a series of single-leg bounces. Squatting andbouncingplacecompletelydifferentdemandsonyourbody.Asquat isa time-independenttask.Youstartfullyuprightwiththeweightonyourback,lowerittoacertainheight,andrisebackup.Theloadisyourfocus,andtheworkis100percent dependent onmuscular contraction. Conversely, themechanics of thebouncedon’tfullyrelyonmuscularwork;yougetaboostfromthestorageandreleaseofenergyinyourtendons.

Whenyourunatasteady-statespeed,yourfoothits theground infrontofyourcenterofmass.Fromfootcontact tomidstance (when the foot isdirectlyunderyourcenterofmass)youareinanenergystoragephase.Frommidstancethroughpush-off,youreleasethatenergy.Underoptimalconditions, thestoredelasticity inyour tendonscovers abouthalfof themechanical costof running.That leavestheotherhalfof thecontributiontoactivemusclecontrol.Soeachleg needs to producemuscular contractions equivalent to 125 percent of yourbodyweightforeverystepofyourrun.Thatsoundsalittlebetter,but it’sstillthecasethatrunningisn’teasy!

TheRunningRewiredprogramisdesignedtowireyourbodytomovewithprecisionfromyourfootallthewaytoyourheadsothatyourbodycantoleratethe stress of running andbecomemoredurable.This plan alsouses resistanceexercises and explosive movements to train your body to develop speed.

Improving your bounce is best achieved with safe exercises that trainmovements,notexercisesthatbuildupindividualmuscles.Thiskindoftrainingwill transform your body and running stride in ways you’ve never felt fromrunningalone.It’swherethefunstartsandperformancebarrierscomecrashingdown.Don’t worry—this is not CrossFit for runners. Thatwould entail a bigdoseofexercisevolumetoconditionthebodyforgeneralfitness.Ourgoalistoimpose a specific stress on your body to produce a specific result that willimproveyourrunning,makingyoufaster.

ECONOMYVERSUSPERFORMANCEWealllovebeingeconomical.Whetherit’syourfinances,groceries,orrunningform,itfeelsgoodwhenyourchoicesdon’tbleedmoneyoreffort.Andaswe’velearned,onekeytobetterrunningiscapitalizingonthefreestorageandreleaseof elastic energy. If you can improve your stride so you’re using lessmuscleenergytorunatagivenpace,youcanholdthatpacelongerwithoutfatigueorhavetheenergyreservestorunfasteratthesameeffort.Buttherecomesapointwherewe sacrifice economy for speed:Clearly, thehigh schoolkidwhowinsthestoplightdragraceisdrivingaMustang,notaPrius.Runningisnodifferent;it’sspeedthatwinsmedals,noteconomy.

MuscularEnduranceDoesn’tEquatetoSpeedRunning applies a stress to improve or at least maintain muscularendurance,whichistheabilitytoapplyagivenloadoverandoveragainforalongtime.Itstopsshortofdevelopingtheskillofforceproductionforimprovedspeedandrunningeconomy.Researchshowsthatstrengthin distance runners declines with age. So endurance training alonedoesn’t develop all the skills you need to run. Failing to do anythingoutside of running eventually leads to a loss of athleticism. The goodnews? Targeted strength training helps younger runners, middle-agedrunners,andolderrunnersimprovetheirrunningeconomy.Ifyouneedmoreincentive,anincrediblestudyinvolvingmorethan26,000athletesfoundthatstrengthtrainingreducedsportsinjuriesby33percentandcutoveruse injuries inhalf.Deliberatestrength training iswellworthyourtime.

Asspeedincreases,yourfootspendslesstimeincontactwiththeground.Soto run faster, you’vegot to trainyourbody todeliver forcemorequickly. If Itake anuntrained runner intomy lab andmeasure the amount of forcehe canproduce, itwill takeabouthalfa second forhim tohithismaxvalue. It takestime to develop peak force. But you don’t have the luxury of being on thegroundverylongwhenyouarerunning—infact,mostrunnersspendonlyaboutaquarterofasecond(orless)ontheground,soweneedtotrainourbodiestoproduceresultsinthiswindowofopportunity(seeFigure9.1).Researchshowsthattherunnerswhoputmoreforcedowntothegroundatafasterratewillrunfaster.Increasingmaximumstrengthathalfaseconddoesn’tcorrespondtorunspeed.This is theentirepremiseforaninterventionofstrengthandplyometrictraining. It sounds promising, but before we get started, let’s look at how itworks.

BUILDABIGGERSPRING,GETABIGGERBOOSTLet’s imagine that you come across a pogo stick that belongs to a kid in theneighborhood.It’sprettyold,sothespringisn’tverystiff,andtobehonest,youaren’tthe50-poundkiditwasdesignedfor.Feelingnostalgic,youpickitupandbounce around, but the pogo stick doesn’t rebound very high and you don’tcovermuchgroundperhop.Soyoubuyapogostickmadeforadults.Ithasamuchbiggerspring,andthere’sahugedifferenceintheamountofreboundyoucanachievefollowingeveryhop.Itfeelsabitawkward,butyoucancovermoredistanceperjumpthanyoudidontheneighborkid’spogostick.Afteraweekofpracticeyoufigureoutthetimingoftheenergystorageandreleaseinthespring.Youdiscoverthatifyoureallyjump“intothespring,”itlaunchesyoubackup.Nowyouarecoveringmoregroundperstridethanyoueverdidasakid.

Thedistanceandspeedofyourbouncedependsonhowmuchloadisappliedtothegroundbothintermsofthestorageandreleaseinthespringofthepogostickandthetimingofyourjump.Thisissimilartowhathappenswhenyoudorun-specific strength training. By incorporating strength and plyometric work

intoyourtraining,youbuildastifferspring.Thisstifferspringallowsyoutoputmoreforcedownto thegroundwitheachstride.Andoptimizing the timingofyourmuscularoutputwillyieldevenmoregains.Theadditional forcecomingfrom both your muscles and the loaded spring translates to more hang time,whichmeansyouarecoveringmoregroundperstride.Andthat’showyougetfaster.

moreforce+higherRFD=runningeconomy

Togeneratemoreoomphfromyourmuscles,weneedtotargetyourrateofforce development (RFD), which is directly correlated to running speed andathletic performance. We’ll use a combination of strength and plyometricexercises to build the skill of force development.And that’s a key distinctionbetween the Running Rewired plan to improve your running and a plan toimproveyourcalfcircumference.Yoursuccessinasingleexerciseisn’tthekey.The exercises in this chapter are simply a vehicle to teach the skill of forceproduction.

WorkforaStronger,LongerStrideIfyoucanincreasetheamountofforceyouapplytotheground,you’llcovermoredistanceperstridewithouteventrying.Thisisthesafewayto improveyour stride.You could simply force a longer stride length,butthatwouldputexcessivestressonyourbody.Thinkofitthisway.Amarathon takes around 20,000 steps. If you can gain 1 or 2 freecentimetersperstride,you’llbeaheadofwherethepre-trainedversionofyourselfwouldhavebeenatthesamestepcount.AndyouwillfinishaheadofyourpreviousPR.

Force production requires both muscular changes and wiring changes.Musclesgenerateforce.Afterabunchofstrengthtraininginthegym,musclesgetstrongerandeventuallytheybecomeabitbiggeranddenserasaresultofaprocesscalledhypertrophy.Alargermuscleproducesmoreforceperarea.Thisprogram targets the movements that will improve your muscular forceproductionforrunning.Butwealsoneedtotrainthebraintoeffectivelytrainthemuscle.Remember that amuscle needs to be told to contract by the nerve towhichitisattached.Eachmusclefiberconnectstoanervecalledamotorunit,whichcoachesthemuscletoworkefficientlyandapplymoreforce.Withalittlerewiringyouwillgetbetterat:

Training more muscle fibers (or motor units) to activate at once. Yourmuscle isn’t amonolithicmass, but rather thousands ofmuscle fibers. If youwanttoextendyourkneestraightwhilesitting,youonlyneedasmallpercentageofthosefibersinsidethemuscletofireandliftyourleg.Tolift200poundsoffthefloor,yourbodywillneedtorecruitmoremusclefibersatoncetoproducemoreforce.

Delivering the message to the muscle faster. An explosive movement iscritical to run-specific training because running requires you to deliver a bigforce down to the ground in a short period of time. When the nervecommunicatesfaster,themusclecanbefiredmorequickly.

Musclecoordinationandsynchronicity.Musclesdon’tworkinisolation.Thisplanwilldevelopintermuscularcoordinationtopreparetherightmusclestofire

together at the right time and allow the opposingmuscle to dial down so youaren’tfightingyourmovementswithexcessiveco-contraction.

TheRunningRewired plan ultimately targets bothmuscle intelligence andsystem intelligence so your body can coordinate its movement and you canoverhaulyourstride.

HOWTOBUILDASTRONGERSPRINGA solid plan to build a better spring doesn’t have to be grueling or time-consuming.Italsodoesn’thavetofeaturemuscleconfusion,muscleocclusion,or a host of other trendy terminology.Wewill use the process of overload of

fundamentalmovements todemandmore fromyourbody inacalculatedway,andyourbodywillrespond.

Toachieverun-specificgains,youwillneedtopracticethemovementsthatwillachievethesethreeobjectives:

1. Producehorizontalforcewithapowerfuldeadliftpattern.Thisincludesfront-to-backmovementsthatengagethepowerfulmusclesaroundthehips.

2. Producevertical forcewitha fluidsquatpattern.This involvesmostlyup-and-downmovements that split thework between themuscles aroundthekneesandthehips.

3. Establish3Dposturalcontrol in thecore.Movingheavy loads requiresthecoretobeengaged,anchoringthelegsandupperbody.

Everymovementfitsintooneofthesethreecategories.Andeverymovementhasaspecificpurpose: to improveyourrunning.Varietyandrepetitionare thebuilding blocks of motor learning and skill development. When you becomestronger, your preferredmuscle recruitment shifts from the front side of yourbodytothebacksideofyourbody.Thisallowsyoutomaintainbetterposturalcontrolandputmoredriveintoyourgait.Sometrulymagicalthingshappento

yourrunningformonceyouchangewhatyourbodyiscapableofachieving.

First,focusonformCorrect movement starts with your ability to maintain a stable spine whilemovingintoasquatanddeadliftpattern.InChapter7wepracticedthisskillwiththechairofdeathsquatandthesingle-legdeadlift,usingadoweltotestwhetheryourspineremainedinneutral.Ifyourbodypullsawayfromthecriticalpointsofcontactduringthechairofdeathsquatsyouwillnotbeabletosafelygeneratetheverticalforceproduction.Likewise,ifyourbackroundsoryourlowerbackmovesawayfromthedowelduringthesingle-legdeadlift,youwillnotbeableto produce the horizontal force needed for a powerful deadlift. In either case,you’dbebetterservedspending10minuteseverydayforaweeknailingthesemovementswithprecision.Onceyouaddweighttothesemovementsorattempttomovefaster,smalldetailsbecomehuge.Ifyoucheatthemovementwhenloadis increased, you risk overstressing your body and the gains we are workingtowardwillnotreadilytransferintoyourrunning!Somerunnersnaturallyhavebodyawarenessandothersdon’t.Somewillprogressquickly toward themorecomplexmovementsinthisplan,andotherswillneedtotakeaslowerapproachto the program. Whatever the path, every athlete can improve. If you arestrugglingwith fundamentals, focus on achieving skilledmovement, andwithconsistency you will progress through this program. There’s nothing to begainedbymixingpoorformwithastackofweights.

Keepinmindthatgoodformrequiresfeedback.Recruitafriendtojoinyouintheseworkoutssoyoucanhelpeachotheronpropermovement.Oruseyoursmart phone to record a video and see if yourmovement follows the exercisecues.Again,formisthekeytotransferringtheseskillsintoyourrunninggait.

Howheavyistooheavy?Intensity is fundamental to these exercises. Go as heavy as you can whileretainingperfectform.Thegoalistobuildaresilientmovementstrategyunderstress; that’s the skill thatwill improveyour running.Asyou add load, you’llfindthecracksinyourmovementprogram.Forexample,yourlegsmaybeabletopushaheavyweight,butyourcorecollapses.Whenyoucan’tstabilizewhatyour legs are driving, you are driving drunk—and that’s just not safe! If yourbackstartstoroundwhenyoudeadlift150pounds,masterthepositionwith135pounds.Rememberthatyourbodyisadaptingmanythingstoallowyoutomove

wellunderstress.Use this guideline to decidewhen you are ready to increase your load: If

yourformdoesn’tbreakdownandyourliftspeeddoesn’tdecreasemorethan50percentwithintheset,addweight.

Someoftheliftshaveweighttargetsforyoutoworktoward.Thesegoalsarewithinyourreach.I’vehelpedpeoplewhohaveneverbeeninagymtransformintohip-dominant runnersusing these sameguidelines.Onceyouchangeyourrecruitmentstrategy,you’llbeshockedathowmuchbetteryourrunfeels—andwhatyourbodycandoifyoucommittotheeffort.

Don’tBelieveEverythingYouHearAboutStrengthTrainingBeforeyougetstarted,thereareafewmythsaboutstrengthtrainingtodebunk.Thefirstconcernsbarspeed.There’salotofbuzzaboutsuperslow lifting, or taking 5–10 seconds to press the bar up and the sametimetolowerit.Slowliftingskillswon’ttransfertorunning,soskipit.Keepyourbar speed smoothandconsistent.Your liftingand loweringmovementsshouldn’ttakelongerthanabout2.5seconds.Infact,ifyourbarspeedslowsconsiderably,yoursetisover.Admittedly,thelastfewrepsofasetwillbemoredifficult,butwearenotliftingtofailure(i.e.,thepointwhereyouliterallycan’tpushanymoreandthebariscreepingalong). If the plan tells you to do 6 reps, and you hit 4 reps at aconsistent rate ofmovement, but the final 2 reps are really slowwithexcessivestrain,youneedtoreducetheweight.Thinkofitlikeatrackworkout.Ifyourgoalistohit8quartersin78seconds,intervals7and8need to be on pace. Choose a challenging weight that allows you toachievequalityrepsforthefullset.Plentyof experts claim that you shouldhold your breath during a lift,but this isbadadvice.The theory is that the trappedair adds stability.The coremuscles in your back need to fire up to provide the stabilitythat prevents your body from bending under an increased load. Yourcorewillworkovertimeduringheavy lifts, andyoucan’tdependonabubbleofairtokeepyouinalignment.Plus,youdon’tholdastagnantbubbleofairinyourdiaphragmwhenyourun,sodon’tdoitwhenyoulift.Ifyoufindthatyouhavetoholdyourbreathforeachandeveryrep,

it’s a sign that your legs are writing checks your core can’t cash, soreduce theamountofweightuntilyoucanexecute themovementwithgoodformandsteadybreathing.

Finally,there’sthecommonmisconceptionthatstrengthworkwillcauseyoutobulkup.Let’sconsidertheriskversusrewardtrade-off.Ofcourselighterisbetterwhenitcomestorunning—it’slessmassthatyouhaveto lift with each and every stride. But all mass is not created equal.Haulingexcessfataroundisgoingtodonothingpositive.Youwanttobeasstrongandpowerfulasyoucanatagivenbodyweight.Giventhedemandsoftraining,it’sunusualforrunnerstoputonmuchweightatall,butlet’ssayyoudoinfactgainapoundonthisplan.Thatpound of total muscle mass will equate to massive improvement inapplyingforcedowntotheground.Andthatincreasedstrengthdirectlyimpactsstridelength.Abiggerspringisbetter...andfaster.

TRAININGHORIZONTALFORCE

LANDMINESINGLE-LEGDEADLIFT

Positiononeendofa45-poundOlympicbaronthefloorinthecornertoanchorit.

Withthefreeendofthebarperpendiculartoyourbody,standonyouroutsidelegandholdthebarintheoppositehand;letyourarmhangdownstraight.Raiseyourfreearmouttothesideforbalanceifneeded.

Hingeyourhipsbackwhilekeepingyourspinecompletelystraightandlowerthebarwhileraisingyourbacklegbehindyou.

Pushyourhipsforwardintothebartoreturntothestartingposition.

Facetheoppositedirectiontoworktheotherside.

Do3setsof8repsoneachleg.

Alwayslookinthesamedirectionasyourchestisfacing.Movingyourheadbeforebeginningthebendwillbringthespineoutofneutral.

ROMANIANDEADLIFT

StandinfrontofanOlympicbarwithyourshinstouchingthebarandfeetshoulder-widthapart.Squatdownandholdthebarwithanalternatinghandgrip.Imaginetwistingyourarmsoutwardasifsnappingthebarinhalftolocktheshoulderbladesbackanddownalongtheribs.

Keepingastraightspine,driveyourhipsupintostandingposition.

Pushyourhipsback,awayfromthebar,asyouloweritstraightdowntothefloor(oryoufeeltightnessinthehamstrings).

Pushyourfeetdownthroughthefloortodriveyourhipsforwardfromtheglutesandreturntostandingposition.

Do3setsof8reps.The8-repgoalis1.5–1.8timesbodyweight.

Maketheweightasheavyaspossiblewithoutroundingyourlowback.Thebarmusttrackstraightupanddownashipsmovebacktofront.Keepyourshoulderslockedbackanddownonyourribsthroughtheentiremovementtohelpstabilizethespine.Yourheadpositioniscriticalforspinalstability.Imagineacameraonyourchestpointingforward.Throughoutthemovement,onlylookexactlywherethecameraisfilming.Ifyourchestisdown,youshouldbelookingdown.Don’tlookupearlyasyouaredrivingbackup.

ModifiedStartPositionIfyouhavetighthamstrings,don’tattempttopickupthebaroffthefloor.Insteadstartwiththebaronarackorboxesatmid-thighheight.Tighthamstringswillforceyouintoaroundedlowbackandpreventyoufromgettingintogoodposition.Tightnesswillalsodeterminethedepthofyourhiphinge.It’sbettertohaveashallowhingeandpreserveperfectposturalalignmentthantogetthebarlowerandroundtheback.

HIPTHRUST

SitwithaweightedOlympicbaracrossyourhips.Useabarpadorrolled-upexercisematasacushionbetweenthebarandyourhips.

Liebackwithyourheadandshouldersonthefloor,yourhandsonthebarseveralinchesoutfromyourhips,andyourkneesbent.

Pushyourhipsandbarstraightupwhilemaintainingacompletelyneutralspine.

Thegoalis2timesbodyweight.

Do3setsof6reps.

Don’tgoanyhigherthanneutralsothatyoudon’tirritateyourlowback.

KETTLEBELLSWING

Standwithyourfeetsetslightlywiderthanshoulder-widthapart,andholdakettlebellinfrontofyouwithbothhands,armsstraight.

Pressyourhipsbackasifyou’resquattingwhileleaningyourtorsoforward,allowingthekettlebelltodropdownandbackbetweenyourlegs.

Explodequicklytogettheweighttoshoulderheight—enoughthatyouhavetobracethecoreto“brake”theweightfrommovinghigher.

Astheweightfallsbackdown,hingebackwardagainatthehips.

Do3setsof8reps.

Youshouldfeelthisinyourglutesandhamstrings,notyourlowback.Toincreasedifficulty,haveafriendstandinfrontofyouandpushtheweightdownwitheachrep.Chooseaweightthatyoucanmovequickly.

TRAININGVERTICALLIFT

KETTLEBELLSQUAT

Holdakettlebelltighttoyourchestinbothhandswithshoulderbladesspreadwideandlockeddownontheback.Yourfeetshouldbeslightlymorethanshoulder-widthapart.

Stayingcenteredoveryourfeet,sinkyourhipsbackanddowninasquatuntilyourelbowstouchyourthighs.

Keepingneutralspine,drivebackuptostandingposition.

Do3setsof8reps.

Youcanalsouseadumbbell,sandbag,oranykindofweightforthisexercise.Don’tarchyourbackatthetopofthemovementtocountertheweight.Maintaininganeutralspinethroughthemovementensuresthatyourcoreworksasmuchasyourlegs.

SPLITSQUAT

Holdaweightineachhand,armsextendedbyyoursides,andrestthetopofonefootbehindyouonabenchinastaggeredstance.

Lettheweightshangstraightdownasyouperformasingle-legsquat.

Aimtokeepyourtrunkasverticalaspossibleandyourshoulderspackeddownandalongyourribsasyoumovedownintothesquatandreturntostanding.

Do3setsof8reps.

SetuptheOlympicbarintherackatapproximatelytheheightofyourshoulderblades.Walkunderitsothatthebarisrestingjustaboveyourshoulderbladesandacrossyourtraps.

Sinkyourribsdowninfronttofindaneutralspine,andmaintainthispositionasyoureachyourhandsuptogripthebar.

Focusonbreathing360degreesaroundyourspine.Imagineyouaretryingtoinhaleandexpandabeltaroundyourwaist.Youaren’tgoingtoholdthebreath,butinsteadfocusonusingyourbreathtoprovidetensionforyourspine.

Performa“pull-up”asyoupullthebardownintoyouruppertrap.(Thisentiresequencewillestablishasolidbasethoughthecoreandimproveyourspinepositionasyoudropintoasquat.)

Nowstandupstraightandstepbackoutoftheracktobeginyourset.

Pushyourhipsbacktodropintoasquat.Thereisnoneedtosquatpastthepointwhereyourthighsareparalleltotheground.

Pushyourfeetthroughthefloortoreturntostanding.

Do3setsof6reps.The6-repgoalis1.3–1.5timesbodyweight.

Thekeytomaintaininganeutralspinewithasquatisyoursetup.Keepthissequenceinmindbeforeeachandeveryset.Properformatthetopofthesquatensuressuccessonceyoudropdown.Haveatrainingpartnerassistyouwithgettingthebaronandoffyourshouldersandspotyouifthebargetstooheavy.

OtherSquatVariationsBoxSquat:Placeabenchbehindyousothatatthebottomofeachrepyouwillbrieflymakecontact.Thishelpsyoulearnpropersquatdepthandensuresaproperhipdrive.OffsetSquat:Foracorechallenge,placeanadditional10percentofthetotalweightononesideofthebar.Theoffsetloadcanhelptargetimbalances.Splityoursetstotrainbothsides.

TRAININGPOSTURALCONTROLFORLIFT

SLINGROW

Grabthehandlesofyourslingtrainerwitheachhand,andleanbackward,makingsuretokeepyourbodylinestraight,andelbowsfullyextended.

Drawyourhandsintowardyourchest,squeezingthespacebetweentheshoulderbladestogetherwhilekeepingtheneckanduppertrapsrelaxed.

Do2setsof10reps.

ARCHERPRESSBRIDGE

Setuptheslingtrainersothatthehandleisatchestheight.Holdthehandleinonehandandalightweight(5–15lb.)intheother.

Loweryourbodyintobridgeposition,bringingtheweightedarmparalleltothearmholdingthesling.

Twistyourbodydownandawayfromtheslingasifyouareanarcherpullingbackonabow.

Pullyourselfupwiththehandontheslingsothatittwistsyourbodywhilesimultaneouslypunchingthedumbbellforward.

Ifyoufeelanytightnessinyourlowbackduringthemovement,dropyourhipsaninchortwolower.Ifyoudon’thaveasling,youcanholdontoabarinasquatrack.

PUSH-UPS

Placeyourhandsonthefloorwithyourthumbspointingforwardandfingerspointingouttohelpscrewtheshoulderbladesflatalongtheback.Startinahighplankposition.

Dropdownintoapush-up,butdon’tletyourelbowsmovepastthetorso.Thiswillkeepyourshouldershealthy.

Returntostartposition.

Do3setsof10reps.

Tomakeiteasieryoucanswitchtoyourknees.Foranadditionalchallenge,liftonelegslightlyoffthefloorandswitchlegshalfwaythroughtheset.

SLINGPUSH-UPS

Placeyourhandsintheslingandstartinplankposition,witheitheroneortwofeetonthefloor.

Dropdownintoyourpush-up,withoutlettingyourelbowsmovepastthetorso.

Returntostartposition.

Do3setsof10reps.

Moveyourbodyforwardoftheattachmentpointtomakethemovementeasierandstraightbeneaththeattachmentpointtomakeitmorechallenging.

WAITERCARRY

Holdakettlebellordumbbellinonehandandraiseyourarmsothatyourupperarmisparalleltothefloor,andyourforearmisvertical.Allowtheweighttoslideyourshoulderbladesback.

Keepyourribsdowninfronttoavoidarchingyourlowback,andwalkaroundforatleast30seconds.

Do4reps.

Thegoalhereisnottogoheavy(5–15lb.),buttobuildaposturalstabilitybymaintainingashoulderbladethatisflatandbackalongyourribsandahighelbow.

SUITCASECARRY

Holdakettlebellordumbbellinonehand,andletithangdownatyourside.

Keepyourshoulderbladespackeddownalongyourribsandactivelycounteryourtendencytoleanawayfromtheasymmetricload.

Holdyourselfcompletelyverticalasyouwalkfor30seconds.

Do430-secondcarries.

FARMERCARRY

Holdaweightineachhand,allowingthemtohangdownatyoursideswhileyoukeepyourshoulderbladespackeddownalongyourribsandthebackofyournecklong.

Holdthispostureasyouwalkforwardfor40seconds.Takefull,naturalsteps,notshortandchoppyones.

Perform3sets.

TRAININGPLYOMETRICSPEEDANDSTRENGTHSomeof themovementswedo tobuild abetter spring consist ofmoving lessweight (and sometimes only bodyweight) very fast. Plyometrics are jumpingmovements that train tendon response to optimize elasticity. To achieve this,your timeon thegroundhas tobeverybrief.Thisentailsone fluidmovementwhereyouexplodeoffthegroundlikeyourlifedependsonit.Tofacilitatethisquickness,Iexpectyoutorestasneeded.

The goal specified for the plyometric exercises is the total number ofrepetitionsperformedathighintensity.Iftheexercisespecifies10repsandyouneedabreakafter3repstomaintainahigh-intensityeffort,take15–20secondsandthengetbackatit.Ifyouarenewtoplyometrics,takeashortbreakafter5repsofanyexercise.Evenexperiencedathleteswillneedtorecognizewhentorest. If you notice that you are double bouncing on your landing, you’ve lostyourspring.Doublebouncingworksthemuscle,notthetendonresponse.Takeas much rest as you need to do quality reps with both quickness and high-intensity.

Whenitcomestoplyometrics,keepinmindthatbiggerisnotalwaysbetter.Someoftheexercisesuseaboxjump.Itlookscooltojumpuponaboxthat’satchestheight,butitwon’thelpyourunbetter.Excessivelytallboxjumpsrequireyoutomusclethroughthejump,whichincreasesyourtimeontheground.Onceagain, this means you are no longer training the spring; you are doingnonspecificstrengthwork.Thebestheight foraplyometricexercise is theonethatallowsyou togetoff thegroundquickly.Formostathletes, the jumpboxshouldbeatmid-shinorkneeheight(around14–18inches).

Onlywhen you can jump higherwithout compromising the speed of yourtime on the ground should you use a taller box. Even then, there really isn’tmuchbenefittobefound.I’veneverusedaboxtallerthanhipheighttotrainanathlete. Instead of looking for a taller box to jump, aim to get off the groundquickerwitheachjump.Ifyoudon’thaveaccesstoajumpbox,parkbenches,highcurbs,orretainingwallsworkgreat.

TechniqueforPlyometricExercises

Form is as important as intensity for plyometric exercise. Practice infrontofamirrortogetfeedbackonyourform.

Don’tletyourkneescollapseinwhenyoulandajump.Asfortherestofyourlegalignment,itshouldbeexactlywhatyousawinChapter8(seeTable8.1).

Keepyourhipsbackonlanding.Ifyourkneesareroughlyoveryourtoes,yourhipsarewheretheyneedtobe.

Landwithyourfullfoot.Sure,yourforefootwillcomedownfirst,butthefullfootshouldmakeitswaydowntotheground.Thiswillhelpget your hips back, and allow you to fire the hip, knee, and anklemusclestogether.Whenallofthesejointsworktogetheritiscalledatriple extension, and it’s the key to getting mechanics of themovementright.Stayinguponyourtoesletsyoucheatandjumponlyfromthecalf.ForplyometricexercisesIusethecue“driveyourfeetthroughthefloor”toensureeachjointfirescorrectlyasyoudriveupofftheground.

If you can’t land a jump correctly, focus on strength workouts for 3weeksandthenattempttheplyometricexercisesagain(seeFigure9.6).

DUMBBELLPUSHPRESS

Startinasplitstancewithonefootjustinfrontoftheother,andholdadumbbellineachhandpositionedjustinfrontofyourshoulders.

Dipdownslightlyandexplodeupwardintoajumpsothatyourmomentumdrivestheweightsoverhead.Whileyouareinmidair,drivetheforwardlegbackbehindyoutolandinaswitchstance.

Thegoalistokeepthedistancebetweenthekneestight,asinrunning.Youdon’tneedtogointoadeeplunge.

Do10repsoneachleg.

Thisisnotashoulderexercise.Keeptheweightlightandtheexplosivedrivehigh.Ifyoufindyourselflandingforwardofwhereyoustarted,placeaboxinfrontofyourforwardfoottoforceyourselftofocusonanupwardmovement.

Thismovementatyourhipisidenticaltothebandedhipdragexercise.

NINJASQUATJUMP

Standfacingaboxorbenchthatisapproximatelymid-shinheight.

Jumpupoffbothfeetandlandassoftlyaspossibleontopoftheboxonyourfullfoot(notjusttheballofthefoot),withyourkneesbenttoabout90degrees.Staylowandholdforacountofone.

Asyoujumpbackdowntothefloor,startdrivingyourfeetintothefloorbeforeyoulandsothatyoucanimmediatelydrivebackupontopofthebox.

Do20reps.

Donotdoublebounce.Ifyourtimeonthegroundincreases,takeabreak.Thegoalhereistobeelastic!

BOXSQUATJUMP

Setupaboxorbenchthatisaboutmid-shinheightandanotherboxorbenchaboutthreefeetawaythatisroughlythesameheightorslightlytaller.

Startfromaquietseatedposition,andthenexplodeupandforwardsothatyoulandontheboxinfrontofyou.Standtallonlanding.

Step(don’tjump)backdown.

Do20reps.

LATERALHURDLEHOP

Placeasmallhurdle,foamroller,orotherobjectonthegroundandhopsidewaysoveritfromonefoottotheother.

Continuejumpingfor30seconds.Do3sets.

Keepyourhipslevelatalltimes—don’tallowthemtocollapseinward.

SPLITBOXJUMP

Findaboxorbenchthatisaboutmid-shinheight.

Placeonelegupontheboxandexplosivelydriveyourbodyupward,switchingyourlegpositioninmidair.

Whenyougetbackonthefloor,aimtoexplodeupagainuponcontact.Doublebouncingisnotallowed!

Do30reps.

Aimtodriveequallythroughbothlegsoneachjump.

BURPEES

Fromastandingposition,dropdowntothefloorinatuck,andthenintothehighpush-uppositionwiththumbspointingforwardandfingerspointingout.

Dropintoyourpush-upuntilyourelbowsareinlinewithyourtorso.

Inonemotionpushupandtuckyourlegsunderyourbody,andthenexplodeupward,reachingyourarmshigh.Thisisonefullrep.

Do3setsof6reps.

MedballexercisesThemedicineballcanbeusedtolearntheskillofforceproduction.Itgivesyouatargettoinitiatethemovementandthebodyisprettygoodatfollowing.Ifyouconcentrateondrivingtheballashardaspossible,itwillhelpensureyourlegsfollowwithintensedirectionalforce.Theseexercisesaredeceptivelyhardandequallyrewarding,andtheyserveasagreatintroductiontoplyometrictraining.

MEDBALLPUSHPRESS

Holdthemedicineballinbothhandsatchestheight.

Useyourlegstodriveupwardinanexplosivemovement.Yourlowerbodygeneratesthemomentumtodriveyourarmsandthemedballoverhead.

Do25repstotal.Eachoneshouldbemaxintensitywithrestasneeded.

Thisisnotashoulderexercise!Keeptheballweightlight(10–20lb.)andtheexplosivedriveupwardhigh.

MEDBALLGRANNYTOSS

Holdamedicineballinbothhands.

Quicklydropboththemedballandyourhipsdownandthenexplodeupward,blastingthemedballoverheadashighaspossible.Thelegsdoalltheworktoacceleratetheball.

Do25reps.

MEDBALLTWIST’N‘CUT

Holdamedicineballwithbothhandsandstandinaslightsquatposition.

Quicklywindtheballtooneside,andthentwistandexplodetotheoppositeside,aimingtothrowtheballasfaraspossiblelaterally.

Runovertotheball,pickitup,andrepeatthemovement,throwingtheballintheoppositedirection.

Perform20reps.

MEDBALLTRIPLEBOUND

Holdamedicineballwithbothhandsandleanslightlyforward.

Throwtheballforwardashardaspossiblewhilelaunchingyourselfintoaforwardbound,followedbytwomoreboundingjumpsfordistance.Themedballhelpsinitiateagreaterhorizontalforcethroughthehips.

Do5reps.

MEDBALLACCELERATIONSPRINT

Holdamedicineballwithbothhandsandleanslightlyforward.

Throwtheballforwardashardaspossiblewhilelaunchingyourselfintoafullsprintfor20meters.Themedballhelpsinitiatethehorizontalforcetoaccelerate.

Perform6reps.Rest1:30betweeneachrep.

PartIIITheRunningRewiredProgram

AMasterPlantoMasterRunning

Building a house requires a plan. Building a syllabus for a college courserequires a plan. Building a training calendar to develop your physiologicalcapacityrequiresaplan.Andrewiringyourmusclememoryandimprovingyourrateof forcedevelopment requires aplan.TheRunningRewiredprogram is asystemofworkoutsdesignedtobringaboutspecificadaptationsinyourbodytoimpactyourrun.Doingrandomexercisesandworkoutswon’thelpyoutargetaspecific result.Transformyour body and run for successwith theseworkouts,whichwill improve yourmovement precision and build your spring for betterperformance.

The movements in this plan are safe. Truth be told, there are even moreOlympicliftsthatcouldhavebeenaddedtotheperformanceworkouts,suchascleansandsnatches,thatarecapableofimprovingrunning-specificmechanicsinamazingways.Buttheyalsorequireconsiderableandprecisehands-oncoachingto get them right. It’s not worth spending extra time trying to learn complexexercises when you can nail the fundamentals and get all the benefits. Eachmovement in the followingworkouts has a purpose that is keenly focused onyourspecificneedsasarunner.Varietyandrepetitionarethebuildingblocksofmotorlearning.TheRunningRewiredplanhasenoughofbothtoproducesolidresults.But it’suptoyoutoaddtheconsistencythatwillbringresults toyourrunning.

PRECISIONWORKOUTSTheseworkouts (1–6)aredesigned tocuesmoothmovementsandbuildbettermusclememory.Youcandotheseworkoutsinjust15–20minuteswithminimalequipment.Infact,Workouts1and2usejustyourbodyweight.IfyouhaveaSwiss ball, a TheraBand, a sling or other suspension system, a Powerband ormountainbiketube,youcanaddthoserespectiveroutinesasapossibleprecisionworkout for the week. Because the body learns best with both repetition andsomevariety,don’tdothesameworkoutforeachprecisionworkoutsession,butmakesureyourepeatthemfromtimetotime.

Thebest timetodoaprecisionworkout isprior toarun—thinkof itasadynamicwarm-up.Usingdeliberatepracticetocuemusclesbeforearunisagreatwaytohelpyoufeelthemonyourrun.

There is some evidence to show that precision workouts may actuallyacceleraterecoveryfromyourharderworkoutsduringtheweek.

Ifyoucan’tfit inarunorgymsessionbutyouwant todosomething,dooneoftheprecisionworkoutstwicethrough.

Workout6,HipRuns,includesrunningtohelpbuildahip-dominantpattern.Youwilldoacircuit,thenrun,andrepeatthispatternforatotalof3.25miles.This is agoodoption for aneasydayandparticularly for runnerswhohaveahardtimefiringtheirglutes.

PERFORMANCEWORKOUTSTheseworkoutsaredesignedaroundtheprinciplesofoverload,specificity,andvariability.Theyaregrouped into threedistinctpurposes toelicit threedistinctresponses.

Workouts7–10buildgeneralstrengthandmusclerecruitment.Theseareyourstaples.TheybecomemorechallengingasyouprogresstowardWorkout10.Ifyouarenew to lifting, rotate through theseworkouts for at least threemonthsbeforeattemptingworkouts11–14.Youwillneedabiggerbaselineofstrengthto get the right stimulus from the otherworkouts.To increase the intensity oftheseworkouts,usemoreweight.

Workouts 11–12 are compound workouts. Even though the volume of theseworkouts isn’t much higher, the combination of strength and plyometricmovements demands a lot from your body. To increase intensity, try addingweight, but also increase the speed of yourmovement at the same time. Thistypeofworkpaysoff,butitisonlyeffectiveatspecifictimesoftheseason.

Workouts 13–15 improve your power generation to the ground.Workouts 13and 14 use body weight or mid-weight loads, but the emphasis is on fast,explosive movements. Workout 15 uses only the medball to help youspecificallyimproveyourhorizontalforceapplication.Thisoneisactuallyprettyfun as well. Because the load is minimal, it is a safe option even for newerrunnerstolearnbettermovementspeed.

Performanceworkoutswillrequireabout45minutes.Thisaccountsforboththeworkandrecovery timebetweensets,but itdoesn’taccountfor timespenttalkingorpostingaboutyourworkoutonsocialmedia!Admittedly,theexercisesmaytakelongerifyouarenotfamiliarwiththemovements.Ifthisisthecase,drop thenumberof sets foryour first fewworkoutsandpay strict attention toform. Unlike the precision workouts, these sessions will create fatigue and

possibly impact your runs. Plan your key running workouts to be at least 48hoursoutfromperformancetrainingworkoutdays.

It’s good practice to build recovery weeks into your training. While thisvariesfromcoachtocoach,thetypicalapproachinvolvesthreeweeksathigherintensityandvolume,followedbyalightertrainingloadinweek4toallowtimeforrecovery.YourRunningRewiredplanwillfollowthesameschedule:Takeabreak from the performance workouts every fourth week, but continue theprecision workouts. In the 6 weeks prior to key races, incorporate a weeklypowerworkout.

INTEGRATINGYOURPROGRAMWITHRUNNINGSuccessful training programs are designed to cycle, or periodize, the type oftraining over the season and throughout theweek to hit all the key aspects ofpreparation. There are high volume and intensity blocks when we feel likewalkingzombiesand lighter training toallowfor recovery.But it allworks toproduce a super compensation in fitness and help you to peak for key racesduringtheyear.Becauseyourstrengthandconditioningplancomplementsyourphysiologicaldevelopment,itisperiodized,too.

The dosage of any activity is broken down into frequency, intensity, andduration.Eachworkoutspecifiesintensityanddurationstoremovemostof theguesswork.Butyouwillneedtoknowhowtousetheseworkoutsthroughouttheyearandeachweek.

BigpictureplanningSkillsrequirepractice,andjustasourruntrainingisongoing,soisourrewiring.Torefineyourmovementprecisionandbuildabiggerspring,youwillneedtoperform thiswork2–3 timesperweek,working aroundyour run training.Forrecoveryweeks,youonlyneedtoperform1precisionworkout.

In times of higher training load (later building phases and racing), thisbreaks down into 2 precision workouts and 1 performance workout perweek,foratotalof1.5hoursperweek.

In times of general fitness and volume building (generally the off-seasonand early building periods), perform 1 precision workout and 2performanceworkouts,foratotalof2hoursperweek.

Whentimeistight,do1precisionand1performanceworkoutperweek,foratotalof70minutes.

RunningIntensityandCompatibilityInanygivenweek,your run training typically falls into threedifferentcategories:

Aerobicintensity.Theseworkoutsdelivermorebloodflowtoworkingmuscles, and improve your body’s efficiency at using energy to keepyou running. A bigger aerobic engine enables you to run longer at ahigherintensitybeforeneedingtotapthepowerful,butfatigue-inducinganaerobicfuelsystems.Mostofourtrainingvolumetendstofallintotheaerobic category. The timing of your performance workouts is notaffectedbytheseaerobicworkouts,atleasttoapoint.Marathonersandultra-runners can benefit from a buffer between their long runs. It’stypicallyokay todoaperformanceworkoutbefore48hoursof a longrun, but avoiddoing aperformanceworkout48hours after a long runlastingmorethan2.5hours.

Tempowork. Lactate gets a bad rap: Ultimately it’s your friend, notyourfoe.Itisanenergysourcethatyoucantapwhentheintensityneedstobeturnedup.However,whenyouuselactateforenergy,itproducesabunchofacidichydrogenionsthatneedtobeclearedoutofyourbody.Yourmuscles don’t like to be filled upwith acid. The goal of tempoworkistohelpyoupushtheacidoutofyourcellssoyoucanrunfaster,longer.Giventhatthistypeofrunisdoneintherangeof7.5to10ontheintensity scale, and under 40minutes, you shouldn’t experiencemuchinterferencefromschedulingaperformanceworkoutwithin48hoursofthisrun.

VO2max/high-intensity intervals. Some amazing things happen toyour physiologywhen you push yourself to themax, both aerobically

and anaerobically. But it doesn’t take much volume to seeimprovements.Lessthan20minutesofyourweeklytrainingshouldbehard.Thisisakeyworkoutoftheweekandallvolume,whetherstrengthandconditioningor run training, shouldbeadjusted toensure thatyouarrive rested and ready to run at max (10 out of 10 on the intensityscale).

TimingbetweenweeklyworkoutsLiftingandrunningarecomplementary,contrarytowhat’sbeenpreachedinthepast.However,it’scriticalthattheseworkoutsaretimedappropriatelytoadduptobetterfitness.Peaksorenessfromstrengthandpowerworkhappensabout48hours followingyourgymsession, so itmakes sense that youwon’t feel yourbest the day after. In the best-case scenario, strength and plyometric traininghelpsactivatethemuscles.

There are several studies to support the idea that lifting prior to runningactually improves the quality of key running workouts executed on the sameday.This iswhyIhavemyeliteathletes lift in themorning,eatbreakfastandrestforanhourorso,andthencompletetheirrunningworkouts.Typicallythesearetheharderworkoutsoftheweek,includingintervalsandtempowork.Iftheirscheduledoesn’tallowforthis,thenallotherkeyrunworkoutsaredoneatleast48hoursafterthegymsession.Thispreventssorenessfromcompromisinghardrunslaterintheweek.

Mostworkingfolksdon’thavetheluxuryofallthisfreetime,butthesamerulesapply.Keepyourhardruns48hoursapartfromhardgymsessionstomakesureyoucangiveityourallduringthesekeyruns,butitisokaytorunlowandmoderateintensitiesonsorelegs.Ifyourschedulehasyourunninginthedayortwoaftergoingtothegym,makeitaneasyrunbecauseitplaceslessstrainonyourmusclesandpromotesactiverecovery.

SOLIDIFYINGTHEBRAIN-BODYCONNECTIONIonceheardasportspsychologistsay,“Youmovethewayyouthink—mental

imagery and rehearsal actually improve the way you perform.” Yes, mentalimageryisanincredibleandpowerfultoolthat’sbeenusedforyearstoprepandrefinemusclememory.Butonestepup from imaginingbettermovement is toactuallypracticebettermovement.

Now that you are well into this program, your brain-body connection isbeingrewiredforbetterrunning.Whenyoutrustyourtrainingandpreparation,youdon’thavetoforceyourbestperformanceonraceday...orworse,simplyhope for it to happen. Each new skill you’ve practiced has made newconnectionsandliterallyadaptedyournervoussystemforreflexivemovement.Youknowhowtoexecuteprecisionmovementtosteeryourbodyundercontrol.Youcansustaintheheavyloadsthatoncethreatenedtocrushyourcanandyouknowhowtomaintainaperfectandpowerfulpositionovereachandeverymileyourun.Nowit’stimetousethisbrain-bodyconnectivitytoredefineyourlimitsasarunner.

practice›plasticity›growth=rewiredforsuccess

DrillWorkPrecision andperformanceworkouts lay a foundation to improve thewayyoumove.Addinginspecificrundrillsandcuesthroughouttheweekhelpssolidifytheskills that transfer toyourrunning.Thesearequick,funefforts thathaveahighbang-for-the-buckfactor,andcanbedonebefore,after,orevenduringyourrun.

INTHISSECTION

PrecisionStrideMechanicsDrillsPlyoRunPerformanceDrills

PRECISIONSTRIDEMECHANICSDRILLS

POSTURECHECK

Stopeverymileorsoandstandononeleg.

Makesurethatyourweightisevenlysplitbetweenheelandforefootonbothfeet.

Ifyouareheavyontheheels,dropyourribsdownslightlyinfrontuntilyoufeelcentered.Thendropyourarmsdowntothesidesandfacethepalmsforwardtohelptheshoulderbladesslidedownandbackalongyourback.

Maintainthispostureasyoutakeoffagain.

PUSHVERSUSPULL

Standwithyourbacktoawall(leftphoto),thenstepawayfromthewall.Feelyourlegpushingintothewalltomoveforward(rightphoto).

Practicethisdrillforaminutebeforeyouleaveforyourruntofamiliarizeyourbodywiththefeelingofpushing(notpulling)yourbodyforward—thissimpleconceptwillhelpyouunlockyourhipsforapowerfulstride.

Don’tPullResistthetendencytoreachandstepforward,whicheffectivelypullsyourbodyoffthewall.

SHOPPINGCART

Imagineyouarehavingapartyfor50ofyourclosestfriends.Youareatthegroceryandhave300poundsoffoodloadedinyourcart.Tomoveityoucan’tjustliftafootandreachforward.Youhavetodriveoffthebackleg.

Forbetterpropulsion,visualizeyourselfpushingthecartdowntheroadasyourun.

ELBOWJAB

Standfacingawallortree,onlyinchesaway.

Nowswingyourarms.Youwillquicklylearnthatyoucannotswingyourarmsforwardmuch.

Focusonswingingyourarmsfartherbackward.Imaginethatyouaretryingtodriveyourelbowsintotherunnerbehindyou.Jabyourelbowbacktoinitiatetheswing,thenrelaxandletgravitytakethearmbackdownforyou.

Don’tSwingOutWewanttoswingthearmsinawaythatcounterbalancesthetrunkoverthelegs.Mostrunnerswhoswingtheirarmsexcessivelyforwardoverstridetocounterthearmmovement.Whilewedon’trunwithourarms,thisdrilltrainsyoutorunwithmorecompactalignmenttoimproveyourtrunkposition.

PLYORUNPERFORMANCEDRILLSFLIPFLOP&PUSH-UPSPRINTS

Thisdrillcombinesbodycoordinationwithacceleration.

Startonyourback.Onceyouarerelaxed,flipyourselfoverintoalungepositionandinstantlyaccelerateintoafullsprintfor20meters.

Takea2-minuterestbetweeneachsprint,andaimfor6repeats.

INCLINESPRINTS

Runninghillshelpstocueproperform.Forthisdrill,run30-meterall-outsprintsonaslightincline(2–4percentgrade),taking2.5minutestorestinbetweeneachsprint.Therestiscriticaltoensuringthatyouhitpeakvelocityineachrep,sotakethefullrest.Aimtocomplete4–6reps.

STAIRBOUNDS

Thisdrillcanbedoneinastadiumoranywherewithseveralflightsofsteps.Usingbothlegsoneachjumpandlanding,explodeupandforward,jumpingupthestairsfor12seconds.Do5setswithatleast90secondsofrestinbetweeneachset.Youcanjumpstepsinsuccessionorskipsteps,butkeepyourtimeonthegroundasshortaspossible.Ifyouaredouble-bouncingwhileskippingsteps,gobacktodoingquickjumpsoneverystep.

OTHERPLYORUNDRILLS

Ninjasquatjumpsandburpeescanalsobeaddedwithinyourruntohelpintegratemusclefiberrecruitment.Usepicnicbenches,rocks,ordownedtreesasyourboxfortheninjajumps—do2–4setsof6reps.Orjustfindapatchofgrassandsprinkleinsetsof6burpees.

PrecisionWorkoutsDon’tthinkoftheseworkoutsasafitnessroutineandrushthroughthem.Practiceskilledmovementthroughyourfullrangeofmotion.Take30to45secondsrestbetweeneachexerciseinthecircuit.

INTHISSECTION

1.CoreCircuit2.HipCircuit3.BandCircuit4.SlingCircuit5.BallCircuit6.HipRuns

1 CORECIRCUIT TIME:15–20min.EQUIPMENT:none

3rounds1.PigeonHipExtension10repsoneachside2.DonkeyToes20repsoneachleg,alternating3.TippyTwist8repsoneachside4.FrogBridge20reps5.BearWalk20stepsforwardandbackward6.LateralHurdleHop20hops7.Burpees10reps

PigeonHipExtension10repsoneachside

DonkeyToes20repsoneachleg,alternating

TippyTwist8repsoneachside

FrogBridge20reps

BearWalk20stepsforwardandbackward

LateralHurdleHop20hops

Burpees10reps

2 HIPCIRCUIT TIME:15–20min.EQUIPMENT:none

2rounds1.TwistedWarrior10repsoneachleg2.ButtScoots20repsoneachside3.PigeonHipExtension10repsoneachside4.GluteRainbow10repsoneachside5.StandingHipCircles5repsoneachside6.TippyTwist8repsoneachside7.Burpees10reps8.FrogBridge25reps9.LateralHurdleHop20hops

TwistedWarrior10repsoneachleg

ButtScoots20repsoneachside

PigeonHipExtension10repsoneachside

GluteRainbow10repsoneachside

StandingHipCircles5repsoneachside

TippyTwist8repsoneachside

Burpees10reps

FrogBridge25reps

LateralHurdleHop20hops

3 BANDCIRCUIT TIME:15–20min.EQUIPMENT:TheraBand,Powerband

1.BandedArmCircles20reps2.Pull-Aparts20reps

CIRCUIT 2rounds

3.LongArmBandSquat10repsoneachside4.BandedHipTwist20repsoneachside5.BearWalk30stepsforwardandbackward6.BandDriveThru10repsoneachside7.ThreadtheNeedlePlank20repsoneachside8.FootScrews30reps9.BandedArmCircles20reps10.Pull-Aparts20reps

BandedArmCircles20reps

Pull-Aparts20reps

CIRCUIT,2roundsofexercises3–7

LongArmBandSquat10repsoneachside

BandedHipTwist20repsoneachside

BandDriveThru10repsoneachside

ThreadtheNeedlePlank20repsoneachside

FootScrews30reps

Pull-Aparts20reps

4 SLINGCIRCUIT TIME:15–20min.EQUIPMENT:sling/suspensiontrainer

2rounds1.SlingAdductor8repsoneachside2.SlingAbductor8repsoneachside3.RotisserieChicken8repsoneachleg4.ReachOut8reps5.SlingPush-Ups8reps6.SlingBackLunge8repsoneachleg7.SlingRow8reps8.SlingPistolSquat8repsoneachleg

SlingAdductor8repsoneachside

SlingAbductor8repsoneachside

RotisserieChicken8repsoneachside

ReachOut8reps

SlingPush-Ups8reps

SlingBackLunge8repsoneachside

SlingRow8reps

SlingPistolSquat8repsoneachside

5 BALLCIRCUIT TIME:15–18min.EQUIPMENT:Swissball

3rounds1.TwistedWarrior10repsoneachleg2.BallBridgeTwist20reps3.DonkeyToes10repsoneachleg,alternating4.SuperSwissSidePlank10repsoneachside5.SwissBallTuckTwist10repsoneachside6.SwissCurls8reps7.Push-Ups10reps8.FootScrews30reps

BallBridgeTwist20reps

DonkeyToes10repsoneachleg,alternating(TryitonaSwissball.)

SuperSwissSidePlank10repsoneachside

SwissBallTuckTwist10repsoneachside

SwissCurls8reps

Push-Ups10reps(TryputtingyourfeetonaSwissball.)

FootScrews30reps

6 HIPRUNS TIME:30–45min.EQUIPMENT:Powerband

WARM-UP

Run0.5mileeasy

HIPSERIES

1.KneelingBandedDeadlift10reps2.BandDriveThru8repsoneachside3.BandedHipDrag8repsoneachside4.TwistedWarrior8repsoneachlegRepeatHipSeriesbetweeneachrun.

Run0.25mileeasyRun0.25mile,buildingslowlyto80%Run0.25mile,buildingslowlyto90%Run1mileeasy,withsix10-sec.surgesto80%Run1mileeasy,withsix10-sec.surgesto80%

Note: Pay attention to formwhile shifting gears. This ismore neuromuscularworkthantraining.

WARM-UP

Run0.5mileeasy,thendoHipSeries—thisshouldtake2–3minutes.

HIPSERIES

KneelingBandedDeadlift10reps

BandedHipDrag8repsoneachside

Run0.25mileeasy.RepeatHipSeries.Run0.25mile,buildingslowlyto80%.RepeatHipSeries.Run0.25mile,buildingslowlyto90%.RepeatHipSeries.Run1mileeasy,withsix10-secondsurgesto80%.RepeatHipSeries.Run1mileeasy,withsix10-secondsurgesto80%.

PerformanceStrengthWorkoutsGuidelinesforperformanceworkouts:

Ifyouhaveneverdonestrengthtraining,cyclebetweenWorkouts7–10andWorkout15foratleast3monthstobuildbaselineskills.Ifyouhaveweight-liftingexperience,selectfromWorkouts7–15.NotethatWorkouts11and12arequitetaxing,andshouldnotbedeployedwhentrainingvolumeorintensityisatitspeak.Inthe11–14daysprecedingapeakrace,continuetheperformanceworkouts,butathalfvolume.(Thegoalofapropertaperistocontinueintensitywhileloweringvolume.ResearchshowsthatRFDtrainingisbeneficialintaperingtoproducesupercompensation.)

INTHISSECTION

7.PerformancePrep8.Single-LegFocus9.HorizontalForce10.VerticalForce11.CompoundA12.CompoundB

7 PERFORMANCEPREP

TIME:45min.EQUIPMENT:gymequipment

required

WARM-UP

1.BasketballMobility2min.2.BandedArmCircles20reps3.Pull-Aparts20reps4.OverheadCarry1min.5.BearWalk30stepsforwardandbackward6.ChairofDeathSquat25reps7.Single-LegDeadliftwithDowel25repsoneachside

MAINSET

8.KettlebellSquat20reps9.LandmineSingle-LegDeadlift3×8repsoneachside10.Squat3×8reps11.KettlebellSwing3×12reps12.Push-Ups3×10reps13.SuitcaseCarry4×30-sec.carries,with45sec.rest14.FootScrews30reps15.TwistedWarrior10repsoneachleg

WARM-UP

Takea30-secondrestbetweeneachwarm-upexercise.

BasketballMobility2min.

Pull-Aparts20reps

OverheadCarry1min.

ChairofDeathSquat25reps

Single-LegDeadliftwithDowel25repsoneachside

MAINSET

For exercises8–13, thegoal is a 90-second rest between exercisesunlessotherwisestated.

KettlebellSquat20reps

LandmineSingle-LegDeadlift3×8repsoneachside

Squat3×8reps(Setupabenchbehindyoutocuedepth.)

KettlebellSwing3×12reps

Push-Ups3×10reps

SuitcaseCarry4×30-sec.carriesoneachside,with45sec.rest

FootScrews30reps

8 SINGLE-LEGFOCUS

required

WARM-UP

1.MedballTwist80reps2.SuperSwissSidePlank25repsoneachside3.LongArmBandSquat20repsoneachside4.DonkeyToes2min.,alternatinglegs5.SlingRow2×10reps

MAINSET

6.LandmineSingle-LegDeadlift3×8repsoneachside7.SplitSquat3×8repsoneachside8.KettlebellSwing3×12reps9.HipThrust3×8reps10.ArcherPressBridge2×8repsoneachside11.WaiterCarry2×30-sec.repsoneachside

WARM-UP

MedballTwist80reps

DonkeyToes2min.,alternatinglegs

SlingRow2×10reps

MAINSET

SplitSquat3×8repsoneachside

HipThrust3×8reps

ArcherPressBridge2×8repsoneachside

WaiterCarry2×30-sec.repsoneachside

9 HORIZONTALFORCE

required

WARM-UP

1.LongArmBandSquat20repsoneachside2.ThreadtheNeedlePlank20repsoneachside

MAINSET

3.HangSpineTwist40reps4.RomanianDeadlift3×8reps5.SplitBoxJump10repsoneachleg,alternating6.KettlebellSwing3×8reps7.ArcherPressBridge2×8repsoneachside8.Single-LegShoulderPress2×8repsoneachside9.FarmerCarry3×40-sec.walks10.HipThrust3×8reps

WARM-UP

ThreadtheNeedlePlank20repsoneachsideMAINSET

HangSpineTwist40reps

RomanianDeadlift3×8reps

SplitBoxJump10repsoneachleg,alternating

Single-LegShoulderPress2×8repsoneachside

FarmerCarry3×40-sec.walks

HipThrust3×8reps

10 VERTICALFORCE

required

WARM-UP

1.MedballTwist80reps2.KettlebellSquat12reps3.ReachOut20reps4.BearWalk30stepsforwardandbackward5.SplitSquat10repsoneachleg

MAINSET

6.Squat3×8reps7.SlingRow2×12reps8.Burpees8reps9.LandmineSingle-LegDeadlift2×8repsoneachside10.BoxSquatJump3×5reps11.SuitcaseCarry4×30-sec.repsoneachside12.SwissCurls3×10reps

WARM-UP

MedballTwist80reps

ReachOut20reps

SplitSquat10repsoneachlegMAINSET

Squat3×8reps

SlingRow2×12reps

Burpees8reps

BoxSquatJump3×5reps

SuitcaseCarry4×30-sec.repsoneachside

SwissCurls3×10reps

11 COMPOUNDA TIME:45min.EQUIPMENT:gymequipmentrequired

WARM-UP

1.TwistedWarrior10repsoneachleg2.SuperSwissSidePlank25reps3.ThreadtheNeedlePlank12repsoneachside4.SlingRow2×10reps

COMPLEXSET1 4rounds

5.KettlebellSquat6reps6.RomanianDeadlift8reps7.LateralHurdleHop20hops,thenrest1min.

8.NinjaSquatJump3×6reps

COMPLEXSET2 3rounds

9.LandmineSingle-LegDeadlift8repsoneachside10.KettlebellSwing10reps11.SplitBoxJump5repsoneachside,thenrest1min.

12.ReachOut20reps13.SlingBackLunge2×8repsoneachside

WARM-UP

ThreadtheNeedlePlank12repsoneachside

SlingRow2×10reps

COMPLEXSET1,4roundsofexercises5–7

RomanianDeadlift8reps

LateralHurdleHop20hops,thenrest1min.

NinjaSquatJump3×6repsCOMPLEXSET2,3roundsofexercises9–11

LandmineSingle-LegDeadlift8repsoneachside

KettlebellSwing10reps

SplitBoxJump5repsoneachside,thenrest1min.

ReachOut20reps

SlingBackLunge2×8repsoneachside

12 COMPOUNDB TIME:45min.EQUIPMENT:gymequipmentrequired

WARM-UP

1.MedballTwist80reps2.SwissBallTuckTwist3×30sec.3.DonkeyToes2min.,alternatinglegs4.BandedArmCircles20reps5.Pull-Aparts20reps

COMPLEXSET1 3rounds

6.RomanianDeadlift6reps,rest30sec.7.BoxSquatJump6reps,rest90sec.

COMPLEXSET2 3rounds

8.SplitSquat6repsoneachside,rest30sec.9.NinjaSquatJump6reps,rest1min.

10.KettlebellSwing2×10reps11.ArcherPressBridge2×8repsoneachside12.WaiterCarry2×30sec.oneachside13.BandedHipJacks3×30sec.oneachside,with10jacksinbetween

WARM-UP

MedballTwist80reps

SwissBallTuckTwist3×30sec.

DonkeyToes2min.,alternatinglegs

Pull-Aparts20repsCOMPLEXSET1,3roundsofexercises6–7

RomanianDeadlift6reps,rest30sec.

BoxSquatJump6reps,rest90sec.

COMPLEXSET2,3roundsofexercises8–9

SplitSquat6repsoneachside,rest30sec.

NinjaSquatJump6reps,rest1min.

WaiterCarry2×30sec.oneachside

BandedHipJacks3×30sec.oneachside,with10jacksinbetween

PerformancePowerWorkoutsPowerworkoutsarebestusedintherotationapproximately6weeksfromthepeakraceoftheseason.

INTHISSECTION13.PowerA14.PowerB15.Powerball

13 POWERA TIME:45min.EQUIPMENT:gymequipmentrequired

WARM-UP

1.LongArmBandSquat20repsoneachside2.HangSpineTwist25repsoneachside3.SwissBallTuckTwist3×30sec.

4.BoxSquatJump3×4reps5.SplitBoxJump5repsoneachside

POWERSPEEDSET

Dothese3liftsat40%ofweightmax.6.RomanianDeadlift3×5reps7.DumbbellPushPress3×4repsoneachleg8.HipThrust3×6reps

9.Push-Ups3×6reps10.TwistedWarrior10repsoneachleg

WARM-UP

HangSpineTwist25repsoneachside

SwissBallTuckTwist3×30sec.

BoxSquatJump3×4reps

SplitBoxJump5repsoneachside

POWERSPEEDSET,exercises6–8

Dothese3liftsat40%ofweightmax.

RomanianDeadlift3×5reps:2countdown,explodeondriveup

DumbbellPushPress3×4repsoneachleg:sinkandexplodeup

HipThrust3×6reps:explodeup

Push-Ups3×6reps:explodeupandclap

14 POWERB TIME:45min.EQUIPMENT:gymequipmentrequired

WARM-UP

1.ButtScoots3×10reps2.GluteRainbow5repsoneachside3.StandingHipCircles5repsoneachside4.KneelingBandedDeadlift30reps5.BandDriveThru8repsoneachside6.DumbbellPushPress3×5repsoneachleg

COMPLEXSET 5rounds

7.Squat5repsat40%weight,rest30sec.8.BoxSquatJump3reps,rest90sec.

9.KettlebellSwing3×6reps10.Burpees6reps11.SlingBackLunge8repsoneachleg

WARM-UP

ButtScoots3×10reps

GluteRainbow5repsoneachside

StandingHipCircles5repsoneachside

KneelingBandedDeadlift30reps

DumbbellPushPress3×5repsoneachleg

COMPLEXSET,5roundsofexercises7–8

Squat5repsat40%weight,rest30sec.;2-countonthewaydown,thenexplodeup

BoxSquatJump3reps,rest90sec.

Burpees6reps

SlingBackLunge8repsoneachleg

15 POWERBALL TIME:45min.EQUIPMENT:medicineball

WARM-UP

Run5min.easy1.MedballTwist40reps

MAINSET

Do3setsofeachexercise,thenrest1min.beforebeginningthenextexercise.2.MedballTwist‘N’Cut3×8throws3.MedballTripleBound3×2reps4.MedballAccelerationSprint3×2reps5.MedballPushPress3×5throws6.MedballGrannyToss3×5throws

WARM-UP

Run5minuteseasy.

MedballTwist40repsMAINSET

Do 3 sets of each exercise, then rest 1minute before beginning the nextexercise.

MedballTwist‘N’Cut3×8throws

MedballTripleBound3×2reps

MedballAccelerationSprint3×2reps

MedballPushPress3×5throws

MedballGrannyToss3×5throws

Acknowledgments

Mydadoncetoldme,“Yourinterestinwritingisworthpursuing.”AtthetimeIhad no idea where it would takeme, how I would find opportunities, what Iwouldwriteabout,orwhetheritwouldbeanygood.Buthisadvicehasalwaysstayedinmyhead.Thanksfortheinspiration,Dad.

I’d like to thankDr.RonSmith,Dr.RobertRowe, and the lateDr.DavidPariser,allofwhomexpandedmybraininschool.Younotonlymadeamarkonme as a student, but you helped shapemy vision for the kind of teacher andclinicianIstrivetobe.I’dalsoliketothankmyundergraduateanatomyteacher.I hated your anatomy class and it mademe doubtmy career choice, but thatexperience gaveme a desire to prove that learning doesn’t have to be a one-dimensional experience of scribbling notes at 200 words per minute.When Itaughtundergraduateanatomyandothercoursesyearslater,mymissionwastomake clinical science engaging, innovative, applicable, and fun. To myprofessors,thanksforthepassion.

IowemyentirepracticeandcareertoadecisionbyDr.CaseyKerrigan,Dr.BobWilder,andJamesMyerstolaunchmyvisionofthemostradicalconceptinsports medicine. Together, we launched the University of Virginia SPEEDClinictousebiomechanicalanalysistosolvetheproblemsofenduranceathletes.IamforeverchangedafterworkingwithDr.UgoDellaCroce,EricMagrum,Dr.JayHertel,GabrielePaolini,Dr. JasonFranz,Dr.CoreyRynders, the late JimBeazell, and a host of collaborators from research departments in the UnitedStates and abroad.We challenged each other by asking the right questions tohelpusdiscoverbetterinterventionsforathletes.Andthankstothecommunityat theREPLab,ReboundPhysicalTherapy, andBossSportsPerformance forcontinuingthisdreamandcreatinganintegratedsolutionforhelpingeachathletereachhisorherpotential.Thisexperiencehasshapedmyapproachtorehabandperformancetraining,anditisthebasisforRunningRewired.

Whichbringsus to thewritingof thisbook.Mysincerest thanks toRenee

Jardine, KaraMannix, Vicki Hopewell, Andy Read, and the entire VeloPressteamforyourvision.ThankstoJeffClarkandLivingstonMacLakeforbringingthese photos to life. And thanks to models Jen Luebke, Mel Lawrence, andMichaelOlsenforbringingthesemovementsandexercisestolife.Atthestart,myeditor,Renee,saidthatthesumofthisbookwouldbegreat.Itis.Thanks.

Toall thepatients, athletes, coaches, clinicians, and sports scientists:Keepasking questions. Together, we will remain focused on the mission to findanswers.

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Theindexthatappearedintheprintversionofthistitledoesnotmatchthepagesinyoure-book.Linksfromthepagenumbersbelowshouldtakeyoutothepagewith the term of interest, but locations may vary depending on the e-readersettingsandfontsize.

Aabdominalmuscles,55.Seealsocoreacceleration,3ACL(anteriorcruciateligament)tears,20aerobicintensity,161alignment

bestpractices,109–110hips,110,111,113,114,115rotational,110,112shins,111,114,115

anatomicallandmarks,112ankle

jointstiffness,10,17mobilityexercises,52,53mobilitytests,51sprains,19

AnkleBeltMobility,52ArcherPressBridge,137assessment,110,112associativestage,14asymmetry,31autonomousstage,14

BBallBridgeTwist,65BallCircuit,186–188

BandCircuit,179–182BandDriveThru,105BandedArmCircles,47BandedHipDrag,106BandedHipJacks,94–95BandedHipTwist,73BasketballMobility,43BearWalk,60bestpractices,109–110bodyawareness,5,33,124,163bodysymmetry,7bodytissues.Seetissuesbodyweight

counter-rotationforce,62loadduringrunning,2,3,29musclemassandperformance,126

bones,4,41,110bounce,117,118,120BoxSquatJump,147brain,4–5,6brain-bodyconnection,162brakingforces,3breathing,41,126Burpees,150–151BurritoCalfStretch,53ButtScoots,67

Ccadence,13,33,34CalfSmash,53calfstretch,18–19,53canmetaphor,38

crushingthecan,40–41unloadingthetop,41–42

cartilage,4centerofmass,29,32,117centralpatterngenerators,12,13ChairofDeathSquat,100chestopening,45cognitivestage,14compensations,6,9,10,11,41complementarywork,16CompoundAworkout,211–215CompoundBworkout,216–220connectivetissue.Seefasciacontrolledmovement,5,23–25

coordination,15,16,93core

3Dposturalcontrol,123muscles,10stability,38,56strength,40

CoreCircuit,172–174counter-rotation,62CrossFit,109,118crosstraining,16

Ddeadlifts,123,124,127–129deceleration,3DonkeyToes,59drillwork,162DumbbellPushPress,145dynamiccontrol,24,25dynamicwarm-ups,18,19

Eeconomy.Seerunningeconomyefficiency,6,11,28,161elasticenergy,28,29,33,117,118ElbowJab,167energyexpenditure,28,29,38,41

FFarmerCarry,142fascia,21,22fatigue,30,38,90feedback,124feet

alignmenttohips,82,111,113,114archtype,80controltest,80–81FoamRollerDrill,82FootScrews,86ForefootVarusMobility,78,79mobilitytest,77

pronation,80Single-LegShoulderPress,83TippyTwist,84–85weightdistribution,54

flexibility,18–19,24,93FoamRollerDrill,82foamrollers,18,22,23,53,82FootScrews,86footstrike,28,29,30,32forcecurve,119forces

controlling,24groundforces,3,28,120horizontal,3,123productionof,4,29,121,122rateofforcedevelopment,121rotational,61andspringstiffness,120,121vertical,3,123

forefoot.Seefeetform.Seerunningformfreemovement,61FrogBridge,99

Ggait,10,12,13,34glutealmuscles

exercisefor,72fibertype,90inhibition,89,91,92posturalcontrol,91–92primaryfunctions,91rotationalcontrol,91strengthening,10

GluteRainbow,72Golgitendonorgans,18,20greatertrochanter,112groundcontacttime,13,119groundreactionforce,28

Hhamstrings,91HangSpineTwist,71

healing,22high-intensityintervals,161HipCircuit,175–178hipexercises

BandDriveThru,105BandedHipDrag,106BandedHipJacks,94–95BandedHipTwist,73ChairofDeathSquat,100FrogBridge,99GluteRainbow,72KneelingBandedDeadlift,104PigeonHipExtension,98RotisserieChicken,76Single-LegDeadliftwithDowel,102SlingAbductor,96SlingAdductor,97SlingBackLunge,107SlingPistolSquat,108StandingHipCircles,74–75SwissCurls,103

hipflexorstretch,50HipRuns,189–190hips

alignment,110,111,113,114extensors,91externalrotators,14,82,91flexors,91mobility,40mobilitytest,49stabilizingdrills,94–97steeringfrom,72,93strengthening,39,111stretches,50

HipThrust,130horizontalforcedrills

HipThrust,130KettlebellSwing,131LandmineSingle-LegDeadlift,127RomanianDeadlift,128–129

HorizontalForceworkout,202–205

Iiliotibialband,9imbalances,18InclineSprints,169injuries

injuriesandbodycontrol,5,24cycleof,7knee,20,90overuse,29,118proprioceptionproblems,19,20runningformchanges,13andstability,23,31,62andstrengthtraining,118

instability.Seestabilityintermuscularcoordination,15,87,93,121,123interventions,23intramuscularcoordination,15,87

JJanda,Vladimir,89joints

balanceversusimbalance,24glidingaction,21,22,23,25,41loadson,5,25problems,18,20–21,25stability,23–25stiffness,10,11,17,51structure,4

jumpingmechanics,7,117,120

Kkettlebellexercises

squat,132SuitcaseCarry,141swing,131WaiterCarry,140

KneelingBandedDeadlift,104KneelingHipFlexorStretch,50knees

injuries,20,90kneecaprelease,101trackingpath,91,110,111,114

Llacrosseballs,44

LandmineSingle-LegDeadlift,127lateralforces,3,62LateralHurdleHop,148learnedmovements,10learning,6,10legswing,11,35,49legturnover,33,34lifestylefactors,10,39ligaments,4,19limitations,6,11,18,40loads

andbodyweight,2centerofmass,29forceswhilerunning,3onjoints,5,25rateofloading,29,31,92forstrengthexercises,125–126unloading,41,101

LongArmBandSquat,70lowback

arching,32,40,41,49,54pain,37

lowercrossedsyndrome,89,90low-stressrunning,29

Mmanualtherapy,21medicineballexercises,152

AccelerationSprint,156GrannyToss,153PushPress,152TripleBound,155Twist,64Twist’N’Cut,154

midfoot.Seefeetmidstance,28mobility,7

blocks,11,18,33,35,40versusflexibility,18–19,24,93improvementguidelines,22jointproblems,20–21proprioceptiveawareness,19–20testing,49,51tissuelength,21tissuemobilization,21–23

motorunits,122movement

movementeconomy,27,28,30focusingonform,123–124programs,5quality,5–6safety,5skills,7,16system,4–5

musclefibers,90,122musclememory,14,35,89,93muscles

coordination,15,87,93,121,123dominance,90forceproduction,4,121,122hypertrophy,122imbalances,89inhibition,10,15,16,90–92recruitment,122,123structure,18,122tightness,20,110weakness,9,15,110

musclespindles,18muscularendurance,118

Nnervoussystem,5,6neuralplasticity,6,11,13,16neuromusculartraining,15,16NinjaSquatJump,146

Ooptimalform,66optimalstride,10overcompensating,9OverheadCarry,46overload,29,31,122,123overstriding

andcadence,33byfootstrike,30loadingratewith,29andlowercrossedsyndrome,89,90,92pendulumswingexample,32posturewith,40

overuseinjuries,29,118

Ppace,33patella-femoralpain,90PecMinorStretch,45pelviccrest,112pelvictilt,49pendulumswing,32–33,35performance

compromised,5drills,168–169withquadbias,90versusrunningeconomy,118–119workouts,159–160,191,221

PerformancePrepworkout,192–197PigeonHipExtension,98PlanAstrategy,6,7,10,11,35PlanBstrategy,6–7,10,11,25,35,93plankexercises,24,68,69plyometrictraining,143,144

BoxSquatJump,147Burpees,150–151DumbbellPushPress,145LateralHurdleHop,148MedballAccelerationSprints,156MedballGrannyToss,153MedballPushPress,152MedballTripleBound,155MedballTwist’N’Cut,154NinjaSquatJump,146SplitBoxJump,149

plyorunperformancedrills,168FlipFlop&Push-UpSprints,168InclineSprints,169StairBounds,169

pogostickanalogy,120posturalcontrolexercises

ArcherPressBridge,137BearWalk,60DonkeyToes,59FarmerCarry,142Push-Ups,138ReachOut,58SlingPush-Ups,139SlingRow,57,136SuitcaseCarry,141WaiterCarry,140

posturalfixes

chestopening,45ribopening,43–44shoulderblades,46,47,48spineopening,43–44

posture.Seealsoalignmentbadhabits,35,38,39corecontrol,123andenergyexpenditure,38forwardlean,32,92andglutealmuscles,91–92lifestylefactors,10,39lowbackarching,32,40,41,49,54neutralposition,39,54andrunningeconomy,28,32“standingtall”cue,13testof,54tuckedtailbone,49,55–56

PostureCheck,164PowerAworkout,222–225PowerBworkout,226–229powerworkouts,159,221PowerballWorkout,230–232practice,6,7,11,12,35precision,5,7,15,25precisiondrills

ElbowJab,167PostureCheck,164PushversusPull,165ShoppingCart,166

precisionworkouts,158–159,171BallCircuit,186–188BandCircuit,179–182CoreCircuit,172–174HipCircuit,175–178HipRuns,189–190SlingCircuit,183–185

preparation,1problemcorrection,9proprioception,18,19–20,24Pull-Aparts,48push-off,11,28Push-Ups,138PushversusPull,165

Qquaddependency,90–91

qualitymovement,5–6,10

Rrangeofmotion,18,62ReachOut,58rearfoot.Seefeetreflexivemovements,12–14resistancebandexercises,47,48,69,70,73rewiring,6,7,12–14,118.SeealsoRunningRewiredWorkoutsribopening,43–44RomanianDeadlift,128–129rotationalalignment,110,112rotationalcontrol,62,87,91RotisserieChicken,76runningeconomy,28

andfootstrikepatterns,30andforcecurve,119andform,32,33versusperformance,118–119pogostickanalogy,120withstrengthtraining,118

runningformchanging,13–14drivenbybody,33andfatigue,38goalsfor,27individualdifferencesin,27optimal,6outofbalance,31–33self-selectionof,6

runningintensity,161RunningRewiredWorkouts

brain-bodyconnection,162frequencyofworkouts,160integrationwithrunning,160forperformance,159–160forpower,221forprecision,158–159,171programoverview,157–158forstrength,191timingbetweenworkouts,162

Ssafemovements,5,23

scartissue,22shins

alignment,111,114,115stressfractures,29,31

shockabsorption,29,31,54ShoppingCart,166shoulderblades,41,42,46,47,48shouldermobility,40Single-LegDeadliftwithDowel,102Single-LegFocus,198–201Single-LegShoulderPress,83SlingAbductor,96SlingAdductor,97SlingBackLunge,107SlingCircuit,183–185SlingPistolSquat,108SlingPush-Ups,139SlingRow,57,136speed

andcadence,33andmuscularendurance,118sacrificingeconomyfor,119

spinalcord,12spine

neutralposition,54opening,43–44rotationalcontrol,41tightnessin,41vertebrae,41

spinetwistexercisesBallBridgeTwist,65ButtScoots,67HangSpineTwist,71LongArmBandSquat,70MedballTwist,64SuperSwissSidePlank,68SwissBallTuckTwist,66ThreadtheNeedlePlank,69TwistedWarrior,63

SplitBoxJump,149SplitSquat,133springmechanics,120sprinting,29,168squatjumps,146,147squats

andalignment,111basicvariations,134–135ChairofDeathSquat,100form,123–124KettlebellSquat,132

andload,117LongArmBandSquat,70musclecompensation,10SlingPistolSquat,108SplitSquat,133

stability,7core,38–39jointbalance,24,25lackof,31andmovementsafety,23staticversusdynamic,24–25

StairBounds,168StandingHipCircles,74–75stiffness.Seejoints;tightnessstrengthtraining

musclesinisolation,16,40mythsabout,125–126andrunningeconomy,118forsystemintelligence,15

strengthworkouts,159,191CompoundA,211–215CompoundB,216–220HorizontalForce,202–205PerformancePrep,192–197Single-LegFocus,198–201VerticalForce,206–210

stressfractures,29,31stresses,27,35.Seealsoloadsstress-per-stride,29,30,32stretching

calfstretch,17,18–19,53fascialrestrictions,22hipflexors,50formobility,18ofpecminor,45timingof,21tissuelengthening,21warm-up,19

stride.Seealsooverstridingdistanceperstride,121optimal,10qualityof,5stress-per-stride,29,30,32

SuitcaseCarry,141SuperSwissSidePlank,68suspensiontrainers,57SwissBallTuckTwist,66SwissCurls,103symmetry,27,31,33systemintelligence,15,16,123

Ttailbone,49,55–56tempowork,161tendons,25,28,29TheraBands.SeeresistancebandexercisesThreadtheNeedlePlank,69tightness

andalignment,110,111ankle,11,51hips,10–11,90muscles,20,110shoulders,41inspine,41

TippyTwist,84–85tissues

lengthening,21mobilizing,21–23

TravoltaPeanuts,44trochanter,112TwistedWarrior,63

Uunloading,41,101upperbodyposture,32,41

Vvertebra,41VerticalForceworkout,206–210verticalliftexercises

KettlebellSquat,132SplitSquat,133Squat,134–135

verticalload,3volume,5voluntarymovement,12VO2max,161

WaiterCarry,140warm-ups,17,18,19weightlifting.Seestrengthtrainingworkouts.SeeRunningRewiredWorkouts

Yyoga,18,111

AbouttheAuthor

Jay Dicharry is one of America’s leading physical therapists and a board-certifiedSportsClinicalSpecialist.Heisknownforhisexpertiseindiagnosingand rebuilding injured endurance athletes at his REP Lab in Bend, Oregon.Having first made his reputation as an expert in biomechanical analysis asDirectoroftheUniversityofVirginia’sSPEEDClinic,Jayblendedthefieldsofclinicalpracticeandengineeringinaninnovativewaytobetterunderstandandeliminate the causes of overuse injuries in endurance athletes. His uniqueapproachworksoutsideofthetraditionalmodeloftherapytocorrectimbalancesbefore theyaffectperformanceandcrack the codeonathleteperformance.Hebringsthisexpertisetonumerousfootwearcompaniesasaconsultantonproductdevelopment.

Dicharry is theauthorofAnatomyforRunnersanda regularcontributor tonumerous magazines and professional journals. He has been interviewed orfeatured in The New York Times, WIRED, ESPN, Outside, The Atlantic,Runner’s World, Competitor, Running Times, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness,Shape, Military Times, Reader’s Digest, and others. He is the cofounder and

codirector of theUniversity ofVirginiaRunningMedicineConference and heteachesindustryprofessionalsacrosstheUSinanefforttoimprovethestandardofcarefortoday’sathletesandpatients.

Dicharry is a certified coach through USA Track and Field and USACycling.Hehascoachedprofessionalandamateurathletes, rangingfromlocalstandouts to national medalists. He has also worked closely with the US AirForceandUSATrackandField.Dicharry’sownathleticpursuitshaveledhimtocompetenationally inswimming, triathlon,cycling,and running. Inhis freetime, he enjoys exploring the outdoors on foot, wheels, surfboard, and skis,savoringthedaysuntilhiskidsarefasterthanheis.

Running Rewired: Reinvent Your Run for Stability, Strength, and Speed

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