My Strength Training Program

Full Body Strength Routine for Running/Triathlon

- this is a strength training program I have been working on for myself and have found it really beneficial so though I would share

- do as many reps of each exercise as you can, one set is fine

- focus on improving the quality (form and posture, and going deeper into each exercise as you progress), before focusing on increasing the quantity of reps

- most of these are very difficult exercises, if you find you are unable to do one practice just statically holding your weight in that position, then progress to a partial rep, you might try other easier but similar exercises to build up to them too. You will find that even trying unsuccessfully to complete a rep can be quite a workout!

- these exercises are designed to use minimal equipment (all that is needed is a piece of wood, a chin-up bar or substitute {playgrounds are usually always available, I do mine on the stanchions of the buses at work}, and possibly some kind of weight if available for the calf raises), at the same time they will build better functional strength than you could ever achieve with weight machines. And because of compound movements you have minimal time investment!

- exercises could be split 1-6 and 7-12 for upper/lower body specific days

- start with a 5-10 minute warmup doing jump rope or barefoot running on grass

1. Pull-Ups

- use bar high enough that you can hang with your arms straight at the elbow
- hang from bar with arms facing palms out, spaced so if you were to put the top of your head level with the bar your arms bend 90 degrees at the elbows
- start with the bar close to your chest, lower until arms are straight (ALL THE WAY DOWN!!!) knees can be bent if bar is not high enough, pull chest up towards bar until almost touching

2. Chin-Ups

- hang from bar with palms facing in, approximately shoulder width
- start with bar below chin, lower until arms are straight (ALL THE WAY DOWN!!!), bend knees if bar is not high enough, pull up until bar is just below chin

3. Handstand Push-Ups

- balance on hands with arms straight but not so elbows are locked
- lower yourself down as low as you can while taking a short shallow breath out, then push back up to starting position while forcing out as much air as you can

if you can't do any:

- balance on your hands with your toes against the wall and do handstand push-ups this way
- once you can do 8-10, start your session balancing with your arms straight and heels against the wall, and try lowering yourself a little then back up to the starting position finish with a set with toes against the wall
- once you can progress to doing some with your heels against the wall, try balancing, you're closer than you think. You can practice balancing in a hallway facing towards a wall so if you fall forward or backwards you fall against a wall, or in a field, or on gymnastic mats

4. One-Arm Push-Ups

- start in a regular push-up position but with one arm behind your back, and the other centred between where your hands would normally be

- lower yourself as much as you can, always working to extend the depth of the push-up, but start small and work towards a full push-up
- repeat on the other side
- don't be discouraged if you can't do any, just try to work to be able to support your weight with just one arm and be patient, this is tough exercise!!!

5. Dands (Hindu Press-Ups)

- start in the yoga pose 'Downward Dog' with bottom of feet and palms of hands on ground shoulder width apart and body in a 'V' shape
- lower your chest towards the ground allowing your arms to bend as you breathe out
- roll over the front of your feet so that the front of your feet are now contacting the ground as you breath in and push your chest out moving into the yoga pose 'Upward Dog', making sure your legs (especially quads) are strong and your lower back gently arched, and looking up
- pause briefly then breathe out as you push back into 'Downward Dog'

6. Acrobat Bridge / Wall Walk

- for the acrobat bridge start with the bottom of your feet on the ground and in a sitting position
- reach backwards putting your hands on the ground with your fingers pointing towards your feet lift your pelvis up pushing it up as high as you can, and pushing up with your back and arms to lift your head off the ground, if you cannot left your head off the ground put a pillow under your neck and balance on it until you are strong enough
- depending on how flexible you are your body should be more or less in arch shape from the floor, hold this position as long as possible
- for the wall walk start with your back to a wall and feet about 1 metre or more from the wall
- bend backwards, placing your palms against the wall with your fingers pointing down the wall
- slowly walk your hands down the wall as low as you can, making sure to start small and build up to going deeper, then walk your hands back up using your abdominal and quadricep muscles to pull yourself up as you come back up

7. Burpees

- stand with your feet roughly shoulder width apart
- kick your feet back as you drop into a push-up position
- with your hands still on the ground jump with your legs so they land between the hands
- leap up off the ground as you throw your hands in the air above your head
- land on your feet, drop your hands and repeat

8. Morning Star

- start in a typical side plank position with your feet on the side one on top of the other, balanced on one hand with finger pointed back and the other extending straight into the air with palm facing forward and fingers extended
- lift the leg balancing on the one supporting you as high as you can in a slow steady controlled manner, do as many as you can, then repeat with an equal number on the other side

9. Hamstring Curl

- anchor your feet under something that will not move lying facedown on the ground, if you have bad knees try putting some cushioning under your knees or skip this one
- using your hamstrings with your upper body straight pull your butt up slowly using controlled motion towards your feet as high as you can
- pause briefly at the top before lowering to the starting position

10. Pistols

- this is a tough one to get going but is has many strength, flexibility and balance benefits for runners, start slowly and work towards a straighter extended leg and deeper squat
- stand on one leg straight but knee not locked, extend the other leg in front of you, grabbing the big toe with the two fingers closest to the thumb of the same arm, if your hamstrings are tight start with the leg bent and work to straighten it out further and further as you do the squats
- slowly lower yourself, making sure the knee goes over the front of foot in between the big toe and one beside it, go as deep as you can into the squat, then slowly raise yourself back to the starting position

11. One-Legged Calf Raises

- balance on one foot on a strip of wood roughly the width of the narrow side of a business card or slightly larger on the ball of the foot
- start with the foot extended so that you are in the highest position you can reach, then slowly lower until heel comes into contact with the ground
- slowly push up onto the front of the foot back to the starting position, repeat on the other side
- this is the one exercise I like to use weights for, you don't really need actual weights. A 25 or 50 pound bag of rice or dog food ect... would work great

12. Bethaks (Hindu Squats)

- start with your feet shoulder width apart, standing on the balls of your feet and your hands extended in front of you, palms down
- inhale deeply as you lower yourself into a deep squat, allowing your arms to drop down behind you
- with a fast, explosive movement exhale as you launch back up and raise your arms back into the starting position, focus on deep, powerful breathing throughout this exercise.

 

Finish with 10-20 minutes easy barefoot running on grass or jump rope if non-running day for a cooldown or go for a run immediately after. I recommend stretching especially the leg muscles and shoulders after this workout.

Please be advised I am not a trained coach or personal trainer and I make no claim as to the safety of these exercises. These are exercises that have worked really well for me. As with any fitness plan you should consult a doctor before beginning. Although bodyweight exercises are known to reduce the possibility of injury, it is still a possibility especially if you over do it at first, or if the exercises are performed improperly. Please research the exercises thoroughly before trying them or consult a fitness professional. Good examples can be found on Youtube if they are made by someone competent or also on bodyweight or calisthenic websites if they are a good source.