Exercises for good posture

Good posture gives running performance a huge boost and helps fend off injuries to boot. Try these three simple moves to achieve it.

Good posture is important to everyone, it helps prevent back problems, keeps your skeleton in proper alignment and your muscles in good shape, makes you appear slimmer and can even make you look and feel more confident.

For runners there are even more benefits. Correct posture can help with almost every aspect of performance, from oxygen intake to avoiding injury.

Sloppy Skeletons

Today we’re often are hunched over at a desk for hours on end and we spend a ridiculous amount of time sitting. Many of us have completely forgotten how it feels to stand with our skeleton in correct alignment, let alone run.

Cue wise words from your old mum, “Chest up, and shoulders back!”.

Start by simply noticing how you hold yourself. Remind yourself to do this several times every day. If you can, look in a mirror to make sure you’re not tilting at the hips, shoulders or head. Your back should be straight, but not stiff (maintaining a slight ‘S’ curve in your spine). Weight should be even over both feet. Ears above your shoulders, which are held loosely back and down.

Correct posture while running means keeping your head up, shoulders relaxed, arms swinging loosely with elbows at right angles, torso straight, and hips aligned. Your gait, or style of running, is another important factor, which is covered elsewhere on The Running Bug.

Bums and Tums

Strong core muscles are crucial to posture and can give runners a huge power and endurance boost. When people talk about a core muscles they usually mean your transverse abdominus, a corset-like muscle stretched around your tummy. Your glutes (the muscles in your buttocks) are important too as they support your lower back. Ensuring these muscle groups are switched on means your energy is used to fuel the running motion, not to hold your body upright.

Personal Trainer, Joslyn Thompson, recommends the following for strengthening these muscles:

The Plank

Lie face down on a mat and lift yourself onto your elbows so your body is raised off the ground in a rigid straight line. Work up to a two minute hold, starting with as little as 10 seconds. Perform daily.

Running Core Blast

While running at a comfortable pace, gently draw your pelvic floor muscles up (as if you are trying to stop yourself urinating and passing wind. Sorry, but that’s the best way to describe it!). Hold for 30-60 seconds, then relax. Notice how you run strong and your legs move efficiently while doing this. When you’re not, your legs might trail slightly and you’ll be a little more collapsed around the middle - not so efficient. Practice for 30 seconds every four or five minutes.

The Bridge

This one’s for your glutes. Lie on your back with your legs bent, feet flat on the floor, hands out to the sides. Tuck your pelvis upwards and slowly lift your spine off the floor, vertebrae by vertebrae, until your hips are fully extended and your glutes completely squeezed. Hold for ten seconds, then gently lower and relax. Repeat 10 times.

With Joslyn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief of fitgirlabouttown.com