5 TRX Moves To Strengthen Running Form

Published May 14, 2015 11:24AM

Faster, efficient and pain-free running starts with better mechanics. By integrating these moves into your non-running training, it will help you reset and rebuild your form, so you can do what you love longer and better.The TRX Suspension Trainer is used by the world’s most elite athletes, top celebrities, as well as everyday people who want to pursue their better. The TRX can be secured to a door, tree, or pull-up bar, ensuring that strength training can be a part of your routine whether you are at home, outside, or on the road.

Logic: Improve mobility in the hips and ankles while warming up the entire body for any training session. This exercise also teaches you how to engage your core and arms to improve your running posture, which is key for efficient breathing and arm drive.

Set Up: Stand facing the anchor point holding the TRX handles in front of you with your feet about hip width apart. Squat down and curl yourself up with your arms. Hop around a little until you get in a position where you feel like you could let go of the Suspension Trainer and you wouldn’t fall back.

Movement: Brace your core and drive through your feet to stand up. As you stand up, rotate your palms around until you are performing a triceps press.Reestablish your plank at the top of your squat.

Logic: This exercise develops mobility in your hip flexors, stability in your core and improves single-leg balance and coordination. These are all helpful components in evening out your stride. If you’ve already mastered this progression of the exercise, try trailing the hand of your working leg and alternate from side to side to increase the stretch and develop some running-specific coordination.

Set Up: Stand facing away from the anchor point holding the handles with your hands and your arms straight out in front of you.

Movement: Lunge forward until your front knee is bent at 90 degrees, letting the knee of your trail leg kiss the ground. As you lunge down, your arms should go directly overhead, unloading your legs slightly so you can focus on the stretch.

Return: Brace your core, press your hands into the handles and drive through your front foot to return to the start. Reestablish your plank before repeating on the other side.

Logic: When fatigued, runners have a tendency to internally rotate their shoulders, putting their torso in an inefficient position from both a mechanics and a oxygen-uptake standpoint. This exercise will strengthen the core and shoulders to reinforce good position throughout the full duration of a run.

Set Up: Stand facing the anchor point and lean back while holding your self up with the Suspension Trainer. Brace your core and focus establishing a strong plank with your shoulders pulled down and back.

Movement: Maintaining your plank, use your back muscles to pull your chest up to your hands.

Logic: Probably one of the single best exercises you can do to recognize and correct imbalances between your left and right sides. There is no hiding from this move. Core strength, single-leg stability, balance, mobility— this exercise has it all.

Set Up: Stand facing away from the Suspension Trainer with one leg through both of the foot cradles. Ground yourself through your working leg and find your plank before you start moving.

Movement: Push your hips down and back, and lunge down until your front knee is bent to 90 degrees. Keep your core braced and your chest up the entire time, and let your arms match your stride pattern, mimicking the way your run.

Return: Drive through your front foot and use your glute and hamstring to bring you back up to the top. Pause for a moment to reset your plank before starting the net rep.

Logic: Developing a strong plank will help you keep your chest upright and open to improve your breathing and arm drive.

Set Up: Start on the ground on your hands and knees with your feet in the foot cradles and your hands placed under shoulders.

Movement: Plank up into a pushup position keeping your hands directly under your shoulders. Brace your core and make sure your ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles are all in line.