Core – Flexibility – Strength – Balance

Finding the balance between the different aspects of strength.

I might be considered a strong runner.  Until a couple years ago I did very little in the way of core exercise.  My theory, if that’s what you’d call it, was that running was a very specific physical action and your training should focus on that action.  Basically I didn’t know any better.

I had to learn about these things through experience and osmosis from the running community.  I’d have an issue, ask a veteran and change my routine to adapt.  If you’re starting out today you don’t have to learn by painful experience, you can start from scratch with the appropriate balance of strength, balance, flexibility and core.

I was forced to learn about stretching by injury.  I added some simple stretching a flexibility exercises to my routine to keep from getting run of the mill injuries.

I was forced to learn about core fitness by suffering through a race with back muscle spasms. I added some core to my routine to keep that at bay.

No one ever taught us running form per se and when they did it was a long stride length with a heel strike.  We learned from experience and work to run cleaner.  As I got older I knew I had to clean up my form to become more efficient in my running and be able to do more with less.  To get good form I had to work my core in new ways so I could lift from abs and hips.

Now I’m doing yoga and realizing that my balance and flexibility is, in certain areas, awful.  I can’t even get close to some of the poses because I’m not flexible enough.  I’m workably flexible, workable in my running systems, hams, quads, Achilles and all that, but the back and other muscles are weak and unbalanced.  I’m a one trick pony.  There’s no balance.

This is ok for running but I don’t think it’s great for longevity.  What do we really want to be able to do in life?  Race a marathon?  Sure?  But isn’t being able to bend over and pick something up important too?

For our life balance we have to draw our own lines between how much core strength, how much pure specific running strength and how much balance and flexibility we want to focus on.  You can’t do everything and the mix will change depending on your age and lifestyle.

As runners, or even cyclists and triathletes, we’re tend to be overly specific to those exercises and stretches that propel us forward.  Part of it is specificity.  We focus the majority of the work on the specific strength we need for that specific sport.  Part of it is time. We only have so much so we tend to weight our activities towards the sport.

We probably over balance towards the specific sport.  We should more than likely spend some time assessing our own flexibility and balance.

On the other side of the spectrum, the hardcore crossfit folks focus on the body power and flexibility inherent in everyday movements.  I have no doubt that those squats and dead lifts and jumping up on boxes are great for hoisting groceries into the house, but they lose specificity for the specific sport of, let’s say, racing a marathon.

We had a team of those crosssfit / tough mudder folks show up for our Wapack Trail Race last year and they got beat up by the race.  They were quite bouncy and fit heading out but they were dragging coming in.  There’s a big difference in specificity in flipping tires and running an 18 mile technical trail race.

There is some balance in the middle where we work on our balance and core strength in tandem with our endurance sports training for a synergy that benefits both.  It’s a tough place to find.

What is the explanation as to why I can race a marathon but don’t have the balance to do a clean one-leg squat?  I could race that 18 mile technical trail race and beat those 20-something, hipster cross-fitters but I couldn’t flip the tractor tire much at all.

The truth may be that we are both unbalanced in our approach to strength, flexibility, balance and core.

One way to balance is to cycle the different disciplines and focuses over time.  If you break your calendar into 4 seasons you can cycle different disciplines and focus.  For example; train for a triathlon in the spring, a mountain bike race in the summer, a marathon in the fall and a core fitness goal in the winter.  This will make you stronger and keep you from getting burnt out on one activity.

You can blend the different disciplines as you transition in and out of seasons.  You can do this in such a way as to take advantage of the built in synergies.  Everyone has to draw their own line but what you can’t do is everything at the same time.  That will result in overtraining and burnout.

Another great thing to do is to find an expert in each new discipline and learn how to do it right.  Become a student of the discipline for that cycle.  This exercises both your mind and your body by burning in new pathways and proprioception.

The downside is that you may lose some performance due to the less specific focus.  The upside is that you may find you can race stronger and faster in your core sport due to the added strength, flexibility and base built up in the different cycles.  Once you get the base fitness you’ll be stronger in all disciplines.

How much core strength do you need?  You can’t clean up your running form without having a strong core.  You can’t hold that form late in a race without a strong core.  But a strong running core might not be a strong life core.

Can you do a clean squat?  All the way down and all the way up?  Can you do a clean pull up?  Can you do a clean plank?

The point I’m making is that as endurance athletes I think we have a blind spot here.  I think we need to look to our friends in the weight lifting and core strength communities for diagnostic tools and exercises that will make us more rounded and indestructible athletes.

Here’s your assignment for the next three months.

First, engage a coach who knows and learn how to do a clean squat.  See if you can get all the way to a clean squat.  A nice, slow, controlled, 5-10 second movement.  Then see if you can progress to doing the same with a one leg squat.  I can’t do it.  I have the strength but not the balance.  I fall down.

Second, find a yoga coach that will teach you the proper form for a pyramid pose.  This is standing on one leg holding the ankle.  I can’t do it.  I don’t have the flexibility or the balance.

These are life skills.  You want to be able to play with your kids or grand kids?  You want to be able to go on hikes and walk the dog?  It’s time to look to other disciplines to proactively work on your strength, flexibility, balance and core.

As I get older I’m starting to see the separation of those who stayed fit and active and those who didn’t.  Even the veteran racers start to break down and they’re lost if they haven’t found other ways to stay life-strong.  Be the spry 80 year old who can climb stairs and go for long walks.  What you do now build that future quality of life and it’s not just running until you break every day.