Tweet Core strength is vital to being a consistent, healthy runner. The muscles of your core are actively firing at all times to propel you forward so strengthening them is a worthwhile effort. If you think your “core” is just your abs – you’re very wrong. But you are not alone. When most people think of training their core, they are often thinking about the front of their bodies. If you notice the frequent complaints of back pain, that gives you an idea of how few people are truly training effectively. The book Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence is a great guide that dives deep into this topic. The core includes everything from your hips and glutes to your lower back and hamstrings. You can see a visual representation to get a better idea of all the muscles that we’re talking about. A good core routine will work all of these muscles to help you be a stronger runner. Luckily, there is nothing complicated about strengthening the core, you don’t even need a gym. I’m a big fan of doing  strength exercises from home with very little equipment. Importance of Strengthening the Core I can’t emphasize enough how critical the core is to you running form, mechanics, and ability to improve. Before you set out to do weighted barbell squats at the gym in hopes of strengthening your leg muscles to run faster hill sprints, consider the fundamentals. The upper and lower body are linked by our core. This means that all the fun details that us runner love to explore, from cadence and foot strike to arm swings, are all an extension of the core. It is what allows us to maintain proper posture, stay balanced, and stabilize through the movements. Because it is so important, I emphasize working on the core on its own, as well as in your warm-ups prior to running. This will help with both strength and injury prevention in the long run. You can read much more information on this and learn other routines in my free injury prevention series. Standard Core Routine I’ve been doing one core routine since my college days – simply called the Standard Core Routine – and it has become a staple of my strength program. The periods where I’ve done three sets of this routine for 1 minute per exercise, three times a week, I’ve stayed healthy. I always seem to get hurt when I get lazy and stop doing it consistently. The Standard Core Routine consists of six exercises performed in a row with no rest in between – just transition right into the next movement. Each exercise is done for 45 seconds or a full minute depending on your strength and ability level. Modified Bicycle Lie on your back and hold one leg up in the air. Your thigh should be perpendicular to your body and your shin parallel to the ground. Hold your other leg 2-3 inches off the ground. Hold … Continue reading The Standard Core Routine – Video Demonstration