By Andrew ‘Pap’ Papadoupoulos

IsoWhey Sports Ambassador, Owner/ Operator of BattleFit Australia, star of Season 2 search4hurt

Whether you’re training for a fun run as part of this year’s running festival, or simply looking to improve your endurance and running time in general, it’s vital that you incorporate strength training as part of your fitness routine. Simply running increasingly longer distances each day is not necessarily going to help your performance improve, plus you run the risk of stress injuries from doing the same motion over and over again.

Incorporating strength training can help you run more efficiently and reduce your risk of injury. Andrew Pap, owner of BattleFit Australia, has the top reasons why you need to start strength training, as of yesterday.

1. Better posture

When you’re running, it’s crucial that you are able to stabilise your lower body whilst on one leg, so you need to maintain a strong posture from your ankle to your torso. Correct posture helps you ensure optimum stride length and run more efficiently, whilst preventing injury. And how do you ensure good posture? By having a strong core and upper body. Incorporating a strength routine with upper body moves will promote good posture.

2. Less chance of injury

Core and glute strength can build your stability and prevent over-rotation. When we run, only one foot hits the ground at a time, placing a lot of pressure on your ankles, knees and hips. Poor strength and stability in these joints can cause them to over-rotate, leading to common injuries like runners-knee. If you’re running with a strong body, you’re more likely to be able to endure (and recover from) the harsh impact of pounding the pavement day in and day out.

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3. More power, less effort

The stronger your body, the more power you are able to produce with each stride. The more power you produce with a single stride, the less effort you actually need to place into that stride. That’s right, you’ll be running more efficiently, with less effort. You’ll also prevent using ankle and knee joints to try and produce more power, thus avoiding any excess stress on those joints. This extra power could be the difference between ‘hitting a wall’ during a fun run and soaring over the finish line.

4. Improved breathing

When you’re running, breath is everything! You read the tip about posture? Well, if you run with poor posture, your shoulders tend to hunch and you actually close off your airways and breath shallowly, as opposed to breathing from your diaphragm, which will provide you with more oxygen to invigorate you. If you’re not breathing correctly, you’ll be making your run much harder for yourself, and inhibiting your endurance. Good posture comes from – you guessed it – good core strength. Abdominal and lower back exercises can help build a strong core that will provide you with the stability you need to breath more effectively when you run.

For more information on how to prepare for running season, download this FREE Running E-book from IsoWhey Sports which features articles from top trainers, Strength and Conditioning Coaches and athletes. www.isowheysports.com.au

ABOUT ANDREW ‘PAP’ PAPADOPOULOS

Andrew ‘Pap’ Papadopoulos is an elite endurance athlete, the owner  / operator of Battle Fit Australia, the IsoWhey Sports Ambassador and he was the star of search4hurt Season 2.

Andrew’s passion to ‘fight his limits’ has led him to compete in physically grueling challenges including; Big Red Run, The North Face 100km Run, GEO Quest 48hr Adventure Race and 24hr True Grit Obstacle Race etc.

@andrew_pap_

Andrew Pap