Strong legs for trails
Do these 10 strength exercises to help fully condition your body for the unpredictability and variety of trail running, says Anne-Marie Lategan
Tail running requires your muscles to work slightly differently to road running because of the unpredictability of the surface you will be running on. For example your lateral stability muscles and the muscles in your lower leg have to work a lot harder on uneven, or much softer, terrain. Here are a variety of exercises that will help to keep you injury-free on the trails.
Warm up
The best warm up is to briskly walk over uneven terrain to get your body used to the differences. Start with a slow jog and slowly increase your speed. Improve your ankle mobility before each run by rotating it 20 times clockwise and anti clockwise. Jump 10 times left to right to improve lateral stability.
Sets and reps
Aim to do the programme twice a week. Do two sets of 10-15 repetitions. Quality is more important than quantity.
Cool down
Do a full-body stretch after your workout. Start from your upper body and work your way down. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds.
Star side-plank with lift ing
Strength