Tag Archives: Strength training

Got IT Pain?

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A tight IT Band is not a good sign.  It needs to be stretched out and loosened up or it could turn into the dreaded IT Band Syndrome.

I was told my a massuse last year that my IT Band was extremely tight.  So I started stretching it on a regular basis.  I did some research and found this excellent information sheet about the IT Band.  By a trained physical therapist it lists some of the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions of the IT Band.

I think most of us are most concerned about not having problems with it and could care less about some of the anatomy that surrounds it.  She lists five keys to preventing ITBS – but they are actually almost identical steps to preventing any injury!

The list is:

– Changing running shoes every 300-400 miles and alternating between shoes with every run.  I’ve occasionally talked about my shoes and shoe preferences.

– Slowly increasing mileage (no more than 10% a week or on any run), including adding hill workouts gradually.  Downhills can add a lot of strain to the ITB.

– Avoid uneven surfaces.  More likely always running on the same side of a cambered or cantered surface like a road.  One leg can become predisposed to ITB because of the extra pressure placed on it.

– Keep the knees warm. Seems like if you are predisposed this might be helpful.  She said below 60 – but above 40 I’m wanting to wear shorts.

– Cool down and stretch after a run.  Ice if needed.

The article continues on and offers some stretches and strength training ideas specific to the ITB.  For now you’ll just have to go read up on it.

[tags] IT Band, ITBS, iliotibial band [/tags]

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More Push-ups

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Uploaded by: Frank C.

Image via Wikipedia

Earlier this year I started the 100 Push-up Challenge.  You know… train for six weeks and then be able to pump out 100 push-ups in a row.

Well I did ok for the first few weeks… Then I failed I think week 4 or 5 several times in a row and I quit. I was making them harder by putting my feet up on a physioball, thus getting a better core workout.  I was also in the middle of marathon training…

Needless to say my body didn’t appreciate the extra demands I was placing on it and something had to go.  So I quit.

Last week I talked about going into the off-season and looking to do some strength training.  I even alluded to the fact that I’d probably do the push-ups.  Well I am currently in the middle of Week 2.  For this first section I managed to get myself into the hardest category and the workouts have been pretty tough to finish.  I don’t plan on quitting this time around, even if I have to repeat a few weeks!  Part of the reason is that a bunch of people that I run with started the challenge, albeit a week later (somehow I missed the memo!).  So that gives some extra motivation.  Especially when some of the women completed more regular push-ups than I did.

Here are a few random snippets from the e-mails being sent around.

I think I have my grunting technique down after my 5th set last night!

I think push ups are a much better work out than running.  I am going to give up running and just do push ups.  On a long push up day..you could have jelly beans strategically located to be lapped up when glycogen levels get low.

Yes, we have a fun group! I’ll keep posting my push-ups in my “Week in Review.”  Are you doing the push-ups?? What week are you in? How are they going??

[tags] 100 pushups, pushups, strength training, core [/tags]

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