Are you training for a marathon? Or would you simply like to improve your performance when running? If the answer to either of these questions is “yes”, here are 3 exercises that will make running easier for you. For running, you need to increase the strength in your upper legs so that you can take the lactic acid build-up for longer. In short, you need exercises that help you handle the burn in your last few kilometres. You also need to increase your VO2 max to have a bigger lung capacity for your 40 km. Are you ready to test yourself?

This is what you need to do besides your regular training for running:

• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Sprints

The Squat

First put your butt back and keep your shins as vertical as possible. Don’t let your knees go past your toes. You should feel your weight on your heels. Sink down until you reach a 90-degree angle. You will feel your abdominals touching your upper leg. Anything less than 90 degrees isn’t considered a proper squat. At The Workout Club Ibiza we teach a few strength principles. One of them is to keep your muscles tight on the way down. When you are at 90 degrees you should have the sensation of pushing the floor away instead of just getting up. Stand tall and keep your body tense. Keep looking forward at all times. When you have sufficiently good form, you can do it with a dumbbell or a kettlebell held in front of your chest.
8-10 reps for 3 rounds

The Deadlift

We use a lot of compound exercises. That means that we like to use all the major muscle groups in one exercise for the sake of efficiency. The deadlift is one of these exercises. You can use a barbell or two heavy kettlebells. Stand over the Kettlebells and imagine a straight horizontal line running over the top of the handles touching both your shins. Push your hips back until your knees bend approximately to 45 degrees. You should feel your hamstrings tightening up and your weight mostly on your heels. Reach down for the kettlebells and hold the handles tight. Think long arms and tense your whole body. Now push the floor away with your feet and stand tall. Do not hyper-extend your back. Think about the imaginary line running from your ears to your ankles. Tense all your muscles when you are standing tall. Put the bells back on the floor by pushing your hips back until your knees are again at 45 degrees. 5-8 reps x 3 should do the job

The Sprint

Sprinting is a great way to enhance your physical condition and lose some serious body fat at the same time. Make sure you have done a proper warm-up before you begin your sprint training. The beach or a small hill is great to give you some resistance while sprinting.
Keep your upper body very relaxed. Your elbows should be at a 90-degree angle. Build up slowly into the sprint.
Do 5 x 200-meter sprints.

Feel stronger and exceed your personal best

There you have it:
3 of the exercises we use in our personal training sessions in Ibiza to improve the performance of marathon runners or triathletes. Keep in mind that these exercises must consist of 10% of your training. When you like to become a better runner first off al you have to run. These 3 exercises will just make your training easier and your performances way better.

Now set your goals, train hard and the improvement you feel after your next marathon will be unbelievable! Contact us if you need coaching whilst in Ibiza. And for the rest who are not in Ibiza, we invite you to look at our online coaching options. We are ready to assist you in becoming the new super you!