Am I strong enough to run?
There is no hiding from the fact that the demands on our muscles during running are huge. Whilst most of the peak muscle forces increase with faster running speeds, some are constant throughout. The soleus, a deep calf muscle, has to manage forces around six times our bodyweight at all paces (increasing to around eight times during sprinting). Ultimately, our muscles and tendons need to be very strong to be able to run effectively and minimise injury risk.
I use a number of simple tests in the clinic to determine whether a runner is ‘strong enough’ to run. Whilst there is no exact science to how strong each runner needs to be, results from these tests can identify individual weaknesses to work on:
Calf raise endurance test | at least 25 reps for males and 20 for females
This is possibly the most important test given that the calf musculature contributes to over 50% of the propulsive force during each step whilst running. This should be done at a strict tempo of one second up, one second down. It is also important to stop if your form starts to break down. For example, starting to bend at the knee and push from the thigh muscles, losing height of the calf raise and not keeping up with the strict tempo of the repetitions are all signs the calf can no longer tolerate the test and it should be stopped.
Single leg bridge test | at least 20 reps for males and 15 reps for females
This provides us with a good measure of your hamstring and larger glute muscles, both of which have a huge role when absorbing the impact of landing when we run. Set up by lying flat on the floor with your knee at 90 degree angle, heel on the ground and arms across your chest. Again, aim for a strict tempo of one second up, one second down whilst driving your hips off the ground until you are parallel with your torso.
Single leg hopping on the spot: aim to complete with good control for 20 seconds (males and females).
Given that the nature of running requires us to react quickly to the ground from one step to the next, hopping can be considered the closest exercise to simulate many of the forces and demands of running. Hence, we need to be able to hop effectively to run. For this test, you want to be hopping in one place for at least 20 seconds. You should be landing and taking off with good control in the same place on the floor. You are not trying to achieve maximum height each hop but aim for around 50-60% of maximal effort.
Comparing both limbs on these tests can identify any single leg weaknesses. If you are falling short on any of the tests in either one or both legs you need to focus on strengthening these muscle groups. As a starting point, you can use the same tests as home-based exercises to practice but going forward it may be worth working with a physiotherapist to create a strengthening plan. This is something we specialise in at Pace Physio.
Am I training sensibly?
This is arguably the most boring but also the most important aspect of injury prevention. Training errors are the number one reason for running-related injuries. When it comes to running, I like to think of three key variables that need to be carefully considered:
Volume: This refers to the total amount of running within a given time period and we tend to measure this by weekly volume. A simple glance at a strava graph gives us a good idea of whether this has been sensible or not.
Frequency: This refers to how often you run. Again, we tend to use a week as the time period.
Intensity: can be defined as how hard your body is working when running. We can use a range of measures to assess intensity, such as pace, heart rate and perceived effort (1-10).
As a simple rule of thumb, injuries are much more likely to occur if trying to increase more than one of these variables at any given time. This is where I see many people make errors and often see training plans trying to increase both weekly volume and running intensity at the same time. Some individuals are able to deal with this increased stress on the body but many aren’t. When it comes to returning from injury, I suggest the following approach:
Frequency first. Spend 2-4 weeks building up to an appropriate frequency of say 3-4 runs a week. All of these runs should be fairly low in distance and intensity.
Volume second. Once you have achieved a desired frequency you can start to build your weekly volume. This may be adding a little extra distance to each of your runs or focusing on building one long run into the week. However, all runs are still at an easy intensity. Continue this over a 3-6 week period.
Finally, intensity. Adding intensity to your runs is the last variable. This is because it is by far the biggest increase in demand on your bones, muscles and tendons so should be introduced once you know your body is handling the other variables well.
Found a weakness in the tests? Not sure if your training is structured correctly?
Sometimes knowing where the gaps are is the hardest part. At Pace Physio, our Stride Strong service gives you an in-depth assessment of your strength, mobility, and running form, with a bespoke plan built around what you specifically need to work on.
Get in touch or book an appointment and let us help you run stronger and stay injury free.
