The colder months are just on the horizon again, but definitely have their advantages. Not only do they give you time to hibernate and rejuvenate mentally, they give you a chance to re-energize physically.
While it’s easy to lose muscle mass during the winter while cocooning, if you engage in some off-season flexibility and weight training, you can retain the strength you built up over the training/racing season. Yoga or a weightlifting program will help with flexibility, strength and power, and will introduce some variety into your workouts to keep you stimulated.
Over the busy summer training and racing months your muscles can become tight, which can lead to pulls, tears and other injuries. Strength training and stretching have not only been found to improve overall running performance, they can also help you prevent injury.
Stretching aids in loosening the muscle fibers and stretching regularly will help maintain your flexibility and range of motion. Stretching is also a good way to cool down after a training session.
Strength-training helps runners add muscle activating your muscle power more quickly during push-off and strengthening your hips for better balance and stability during push-off.
Keep your edge this winter and come spring you’ll see the benefits of your off-season cross-training and be up at the front of the pack!
