How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds per side
How it helps: improves flexibility of hamstring muscles
How to do it:
Lie on your back on the floor.
Lift one leg up, keeping it relatively straight, and join your hands behind your thigh as shown.
Pull your leg toward you until you feel a stretch in your hamstring muscle. Repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE 5: QUADRICEPS STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds per side
How it helps: improves flexibility of quadriceps muscles (major muscles that straighten the knee)
How to do it:
Stand near a wall for balance.
Lift your left foot off the floor, bend your left knee, and pull your left heel toward your buttocks as shown until you feel a stretch in the quadriceps. Don’t lean forward or allow your lower back to arch.
Repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE 6: HIP FLEXOR STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds per side
How it helps: improves flexibility of hip flexors (muscles connecting front of hip to trunk)
How to do it:
Start in a kneeling position, and move one leg forward so that your foot is flat on the floor and your front shin is approximately vertical. While keeping your upper body vertical and head up, move your hips forward as shown until you feel a stretch across the front of your hip.
Repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE 7: GLUTEAL STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds per side
How it helps: improves flexibility of gluteal (butt) and external rotator muscles
How to do it:
Lie on your back on the floor, with knees and hips bent to 90 degrees and feet flat against a wall.
Cross your right ankle over your left knee, and push the inside of your right knee toward the wall as shown until you feel a stretch on the outside of your right hip.
Repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE 8: HIP ROTATION STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds per side
How it helps: improves hip rotation by stretching gluteals and muscles of the lower back
How to do it:
Lie on your back on the floor, with arms out to the side and legs outstretched. Lift one leg off the floor,
bending it at the knee and the hip to 90 degrees.
Rotate the bent leg across your body as shown until you feel a stretch in your hip, torso, and lower back.
Use your hand to push the bent leg across your body and toward the floor. Keep your head and shoulders in contact with the floor. Repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE 9: SWISS BALL SHOULDER AND LAT STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds
How it helps: improves flexibility of shoulders, upper chest, and back
How to do it:
Kneel in front of the Swiss ball, stretch your arms out in front of you, and rest both hands on the ball as shown.
With your upper body horizontal and head looking straight down at the floor, slowly push your chest downward toward the floor until you feel a stretch through your chest, upper back, and shoulders.
EXERCISE 10: SWISS BALL CHEST STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds per side
How it helps: improves flexibility of chest and shoulders
How to do it:
Kneel on the ground with a Swiss ball positioned beside you.
Place one arm on the Swiss ball, and bend your elbow to 90 degrees as shown.
Keep the other arm on the floor to provide balance and support. Gently push your upper body toward the floor until you feel a stretch through your chest and shoulder. Repeat on the other side.
This exercise can also be performed with your arm straight.
EXERCISE 11: SWISS BALL LOWER BACK STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds
How it helps: improves flexibility of lower back and abdominal muscles
How to do it:
Sit on the Swiss ball, with your feet flat on the floor.
Slowly roll your hips forward over the ball, and lean back so that you’re lying over the ball as shown.
You should feel a gentle stretch in your lower back and abdominal muscles. Reach above your head only as far as is comfortable.
EXERCISE 12: DOWNWARD DOG
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds
How it helps: lengthens spine and improves flexibility of shoulders, hamstrings, and calf muscles
How to do it:
Kneel down and lean forward, with your arms outstretched and your hands pressed firmly against the floor (photo a). Slowly lift your hips in the air by straightening your knees until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings (photo b). Depending on your level of flexibility, you might not be able to get your legs completely straight.
Keep your back straight and your head down throughout the stretch, as shown.
Rising up and down onto the toes while in the downward dog position alters the stretch in the hamstring and calf muscles.
Core Stability Training
Long-distance running develops muscular endurance in specific leg and hip muscles and is wonderful for your cardiovascular system, but it tends to make some muscles strong and tight while others remain weak. Modern lifestyles, which often consist of sitting for long periods, exacerbate these problems. Core stability training – also called proximal stability training because proximal means close to the center of the body – can eliminate these imbalances, thereby preventing injuries and reducing the degree to which your form deteriorates as you fatigue during the marathon. Core stability training consists of strengthening your abdominal, hip, lower back, and gluteal (butt) muscles using a series of exercises. You don’t need a gym or machines, just the dedication to stick with the exercises.
When you run, your trunk acts as a fixed base while your legs work as levers relative to that base to propel you forward. If the torso and pelvic muscles that form your fixed base are weak or fatigue quickly, then you can’t maintain an efficient body position while running. By improving the strength and muscular endurance of your pelvis and torso, you provide a more-stable base of support for your legs to work from. This improvement will allow you to maintain your stride length throughout the marathon; part of the reason that many marathoners slow as the race progresses is that their stride shortens as they tire.