How to prepare yourself for a half marathon

August 2 will take place IV All-Russian Half Marathon. To overcome the distance as quickly as possible and not get injured, you need to start training now.

The exercises from the selection can be done individually or combined in one workout. Exercise three to four times a week. There is no need to train every day - the muscles need to rest.

1. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

For what: strengthen the heart and blood vessels, increase endurance and run economy.

A training system in which very active exercises alternate with calm or generally complete rest. The exercise time can be different, the main thing is not to allow the first (intensive) part to be shorter than the second. Here's an example of a well-structured workout: 20 seconds of work - 10 seconds of rest, 30 seconds of work - 30 seconds of rest, 45 seconds of work - 15 seconds of rest, and so on.

HIIT helps to strengthenHigh-intensity interval training for health benefits and care of cardiac diseases heart and blood vessels, tighten muscles and burn excess fat. Also, such training increases

Examples of exercises

Try this combination by doing the exercises for 45 seconds and resting for 15 seconds. If you can, do not stand during the break, but walk or run in place.

Jumping Jack. From a standing position, feet together, hands at the seams, jump out, spreading your legs and raising your arms up. Return to starting position and repeat the exercise. Jump as fast as possible.

"Climber". Stand on a plank and, keeping your back straight, alternately pull your knees to your chest.

Side lunges. From a standing position, step with your left foot to the side, left leg bent at the knee, right straight. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise on the right leg. Alternate sides.

"Skater". The legs are slightly wider than the shoulders, the knees are slightly bent. Shift your weight to your left foot, then jump to your right and bring your left back. Repeat on the other side.

Russian crunches. Sit on the floor with your legs bent at the knees, body slightly tilted back. Feet raised or on the floor, depending on the level of fitness. Raise your bent arms to chest level with your elbows out to the sides. Twist the body, trying to reach the floor with your elbow.

2. Power training

For what: strengthen muscles, move faster and more harmoniously.

Strength training strengthens tendons and increasesEffects of resistance and stretching training programs on the viscoelastic properties of human tendon structures in vivo muscle thickness: this helps them store more energy and release it more efficiently while running. This allows the athlete to move.Effects of Strength Training on the Physiological Determinants of Middle- and Long-Distance Running Performance faster and longer.

Also, strength exercises trainEffects of Strength Training on the Physiological Determinants of Middle- and Long-Distance Running Performance the neuromuscular system, as a result, the muscles respond faster to the commands of the brain, contract stronger and more harmoniously. And strength exercises, like HIIT, increaseEffects of Strength Training on Running Economy in Highly Trained Runners running economy.

For runners, the emphasis in strength training should be on the lower body: calf muscles, hips, buttocks. But we must not forget about the muscles of the core, that is, the press and back. They are helpingCore stabilization training for middleand long-distance runners make movements more efficient and prevent overload and injury.

For strength training, it's enough to use your own body weight. But if you feel like you want to increase the intensity, you can add weights to your legs or grab dumbbells. At home, they can be replaced with two identical water bottles.

Examples of exercises

Removal of the hip from the lunge. One leg is in front, the other is behind. Both are bent at the knee at right angles. Now straighten your front leg and bring your back leg forward - it maintains a 90 degree bend. Return to starting position. To add stress to the calf muscles, lift up on your toes during hip extension.

Plank. Take an emphasis on the floor, distribute the weight evenly between your arms and legs: do not fall forward or backward. Tighten your core muscles and keep your back straight. The neck is an extension of the body.

Statodynamic squats. Lower yourself into a full squat, then rise into a half squat and come back. Do not straighten your legs until the end of the exercise to maintain tension in your thigh muscles.

Rise on toes from a dais. Stand on a stable platform, such as a balcony threshold, two thick hardback books, or a sofa that stands against a wall. Both feet are only half supported: the heels are in the air. Now, with maximum amplitude, lower and raise your feet. Use your hands to lightly stick to the wall.

3. Plyometric workouts

For what: increase speed, explosive strength and endurance.

A workout based on fast and powerful exercises like jumping or sprinting. It helps develop explosive strength - the ability to exert the most effort in the least amount of time. Explosive power is more needed by sprinters, but marathon runners can also be useful, for example, to get ahead at the finish line.

In addition, plyometric training strengthens the leg muscles, thereby helping to increaseThe effect of plyometric training on distance running performance running speed. They also relieve tension from tendons and reduceCurrent concepr of plyometric exercise the likelihood of injury.

The secret of plyometric exercises is speed of execution: the break between repetitions should be minimal. You can start with 30 repetitions, and then gradually increase their number to 100.

Examples of exercises

Plyometric lunges. Traditional forward lunges, only the change of legs occurs in the jump. At the bottom, the knee of the front leg should not protrude beyond the toe.

Long jump. Starting position - standing, feet shoulder-width apart. Sit down with your hands in front of you. Jump forward with your arms back.

Jumping with high hip lift. From a half-squat position, jump up, raising both legs, bent at the knees, as high as possible.

Plyometric squats. They're jump squats. Get down to the squat and then jump out to the starting position.

Jumping into a squat from the bar. Stand in a plank, jump forward, lift your arms off the floor and straighten to a wide squat position. Return your arms to their original position and jump with your feet back.

4. Run

For what: strengthen muscles, increase endurance.

Running helps to build stronger leg muscles and build endurance: the longer you run, the more distance you can cover. To prepare for the half marathon, follow these guidelines.

• Start several months in advance. It won't be enough to train a couple of weeks before the race. Experts adviseHalf Marathon Training Tips start at least two months in advance, and preferably three or four.
• Keep track of the distance. Beginners need to run at least 15–20 km in total a week, and experienced runners - 40 km each. You need to increase the distance every week, but not moreThe 10 ‑ Percent Rule than 10%.
• Alternate between long and short runs. Run long distances once a week, and in the intervals between them, either do strength training and HIIT, or take short runs.
• Warm up. Do joint warm-ups before running. This will help improve joint glide and mobility.
• Don't forget to rest. Include non-workout days in your schedule so your muscles can relax and you are less likely to get injured. An important rule of thumb: don't train with strength. If you were planning to run today, but you feel that your muscles ache and your body hurts, stay at home.
• Quality is more important than speed. Don't aim to run faster than others. With this attitude, you can forget about technique and get injured.
• Change routes. This way you won't get tired of running and will enjoy your workout.

And if you suddenly can't go out for a run - you live far from parks and stadiums or are mired in deadlines - we have found several exercises that will help you run at home. Of course, this is not exactly the same, but at least a little similar and also benefits: it helps to burn calories, trains the heart, increases lung volume and strengthens muscles.

Examples of exercises

On the stairs. If you live in an apartment building, go for a run in the stairwell. Go up to the top floor and go down to the bottom. Make several of these circles.

From the wall. Put your hands on the wall, step your feet back. Now run. Your legs will work the same way they would during a traditional run, plus strengthen the muscles in your arms and abs.

Running in place. Raising the knee forward or throwing the leg back. During such a run, the muscles of the ankle are strengthened and improvedLink Effects of running in place accompanied by abdominal drawing ‑ in on the posture of healthy adults posture.

5. Stretching

For what: avoid injury, increase range of motion and get your muscles to work to their fullest.

Stretching helpsThe importance of stretching make joints mobile and prevent muscles from clogging. It also makes the body more flexible and prevents sprains, joint pains and other unpleasant injuries.

Stretching exercises are divided into two types: dynamic, in which the muscles are in motion, and static, in which you need to stay in one position for a while.

The former can be done pre-workout to warm up muscles and improve exercise technique. And the latter - only after exercise or with pre-heated muscles, otherwise you can get injured.

Stretching is recommendedStretching: Focus on flexibility at least three times a week, but you can even do it every day. The main thing is to follow a few rules:

1. Take your time. Each static exercise should be performed for 30-60 seconds, and dynamic exercises should be done at least 10 repetitions on each side.
2. Deal with your strengths and weaknesses equally. People are asymmetrical, so usually one side stretches worse than the other. But this does not mean that you need to give up on her. Keep poses on both sides for the same amount of time. We pulled the quadriceps of the right leg for 30 seconds, which means that you need to spend the same on the left one.
3. Don't take the pain. You should feel slight tension during exercise. Stretching by clenching your teeth due to muscle pain is not allowed - this can lead to injury. If you feel you have gone too far, simplify or quit the exercise altogether.

Examples of exercises

Dynamic stretching

Swing your leg. Shift your weight to one leg, lift the opposite hand to the side or hold onto a wall. Now swing your unsupported foot forward and backward. Keep your leg as straight as possible.

Back lunges. From a standing position, take one leg back, it remains straight, and the front leg bends at an angle of 90 degrees. Return to starting position and repeat the exercise.

"Star Touch". Put your feet wider than your shoulders, raise your straight arms and spread them to the sides. Go down, trying to reach with your fingers to the toes of the opposite foot. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise on the other side. Try not to bend your legs and arms.

Hand rotation. Stretch your arms to the sides and rotate them first forward, then back. Make sure that your shoulders do not rise to your ears and your neck is relaxed.

Static stretching

Stretching for the calf muscles. Put your hands on the wall, bend one leg at the knee. The second leg remains straight, the foot does not come off the floor.

Stretching the feet. Sit on the floor with your feet under your buttocks. Get up and put your foot on your toes, now sit back and hold on to the pose. Make sure that your fingers do not bend: this happens most often with the little finger. If this happens, correct your fingers with your hand.

Stretching the back of the thigh. Starting position - one foot in front of the other. Bend the back at the knee, place the front on the heel and pull towards you. Lower the body forward: the lower you lean, the stronger the tension will be.

Stretching the quadriceps. Transfer your body weight to one leg, bend the other at the knee and use your hand to pull your foot to the buttock. For balance, you can raise your unused hand to the side or use a wall or chair as support.

Stretching the gluteus maximus. Lie on your back, bend your knees. Now place the ankle of one leg on the knee of the other. If you do not feel enough tension, lift your supporting leg and pull it with your hands towards you. The exercise can be performed while standing: to do this, put one leg on the other and sit down.