The Straits Times 090808 Get Hard-core

Missed the PI run series 2 this morning as i am nursing my knee injury. Had not been running for the past few days due to swelling in my knee. Nevertheless, the morning weather was almost perfect for a run as the skies were covered by clouds and the air was cooling.

Read the Saturday (090808) Straits Times which "talks" about building up Core muscles for running. Here are the abstracts from the articles "GET HARD-CORE" by Jeanette Wang :

WHEN it comes to running fast, it is what is inside that counts - literally.

While most runners will clock up miles conscientiously to improve their times, they tend to forget the importance of building a strong core.

Yet that is essential because it improves one's running economy and also reduces injury, says former Singapore Athletic Association senior consultant coach Guy Ogden.

In fact, it is a must before embarking on a training programme - not just for running but for any sport, notes the former European Masters 10 km road champion.

Think of it as building a house on a good foundation.

Core muscles are generally buried under other muscles, including those in your abdomen, back and hips.

A runner with weak core strength is physically unstable and runs inefficiently, such as having his upper body moving sideways, says Ogden, also an osteopath.

What's more, he is at greater risk of injury, because the body tries to compensate for these inefficiencies.

Ideally, rather than trying to stabilize these unnecessary movements, all the force a runner produces should go to-wards propelling him forward.

A strong core does the trick.

"Running inefficiently increases the demands on a runner's cardio system. Having a strong core gives you better running economy, so you use less oxygen to run at a given speed," says Ogden, who coached the Vietnam national athletics team in 2001 and 2003.

The best thing about this? You can reap the benefits of core conditioning just by spending 10 minutes on a few exercises before training.

These were developed by Kelvin Giles, who coached track and field athletes in Britain and Australia to the Olympics in the 1970s and 1980s.

Ogden's training group, Athlon Running - who include top Singapore marathoner Vivian Tang and ultra-marathon winner Fabian William - swear by the exercises before their warm-up jogs.
Here, Ogden demonstrates three static exercises : the bridge, the sit-up and the single-leg squat that activate the essential muscle groups needed for running.

By the way, Ogden, 64, who has a personal best of 2h 24min for the marathon, still competes and can knock out 19-minute 5km races with ease.
He is hard-core.Are you?

Single-leg static squat

THERE are two positions for this pose.In the high position, the thigh and calf of your grounded leg should form a nO-degree angle. In the tougher medium position, the angle should be 90 degrees.Your head should be up, chest up, back straight and butt out.Viewed from the front, your ankle, knee and hip should be aligned.Your free leg should be ahead of the body.
Hold each position, once on each leg, for 10 seconds at a time. The goal is to hold the position without any ankle, knee, hip or trunk distortion.Ensure that you give yourself plenty of recovery between, each position attempt.
The Bridge

Supine Bridge

Front Bridge

Side Bridge

THE bridge is the basic building block of core'strength and stability work, says Ogden, It develops horizontal stability a prerequisite before 'one moves on to vertical stability.
Start off holding each pose for 30 sec-onds and build up to two minutes - a target that should take about three to four weeks to reach.

For all poses, your head should be in a neutral position, lower abdomen "drawn in", gluteus activated and shoulder blades retracted ("down and back").

Ensure that your body always forms a straight line. Your hips should not be too high or low and your back should not be rounded.

Begin in the front bridge position, with only forearms and toes touching the ground.
Next is the side bridge. Turn on your left side and support your body only with your left fore-arm and left foot.

Your support arm should be at 90 degrees to the body and your free arm by your side. Repeat on the other side.

The final pose is the supine bridge, where your body is facing up, with only your arms and feet on the ground.

Once you reach the target of two minutes for each exercise, you should take each pose to the next difficulty level, starting again at 30 seconds and building up to the target. Do the poses with straightened arms for a, tougher exercise. Then, lift one leg in the air for added difficulty. Finally, do the poses with your toes resting on an exercise ball instead of the ground for the ultimate challenge.

60-degree static sit-up



SIT with your knees bent and lean back, so that your back makes a 60-degree an¬gle with the ground.Your lower abdomen should be drawn in, shoulder blades drawn down, and arms kept across the chest.Ensure that your back is kept straight, not roun'ded, and your hips are up, rather than slumped.Hold the position for 30 seconds at first, then build up to two minutes.


"Running inefficiently increases the demands on a runner's cardio system. Having a strong core gives you better running economy, so you use less
oxygen to run..."

GUY OGDEN, former European Masters lOkm road champion and former Singapore Athletic Association senior consultant coach

Will be trying out all these exercises before my runs!