Training in the height of the summer heat in the DC area can be brutal.

Many of us are preparing for the longer races of the fall season- 10Ks, 10 milers, half-marathons, and marathons abound in the months ahead. The temperatures will begin to cool (somewhat) before we know it, but we need to maintain, or increase, our strength and continue our running in the meantime. Even if you are not planning to run any races in the coming months, you want to continue to run strong into the fall as longer distances become more appealing. You need support for your running-so you must nurture your strength and range of motion.

Strength training can be done indoors, avoiding the heat and nasty air quality of the super-hot days. Core conditioning is the perfect complement for a running routine. Runners can benefit not only from core training for stability (see "Become a Stronger, Leaner, Faster Runner with Core Conditioning" in The Washington Running Report, March/April 2005, online at http://www.runwashington.com/features/traincore05.html), but also from core training for increasing strength. The latter is the next and more challenging step, integrating greater range of motion and added resistance.

This type of conditioning is an effective addition to your weekly regime to maintain strength and complement your running year round. It is also a great way to warm up before heading out the door in the (currently unimaginable) cold of late fall and winter.

Moving Beyond the Stability of Core Conditioning
Core conditioning can be tailored to complement the motion of running, to meet the demands of a runner's specific cross- and strength-training needs. In stability training, the focus is on the muscles that provide the foundation for the spine and pelvis. Now, with that a solid foundation in place, it is time to take the training up a notch and focus on strengthening the larger muscles that provide movement for the core system.

What Is the Core Again?
The core includes the muscles that attach to the pelvis, abdominals, and back. This core training for strength routine targets a wide range of muscle groups. All of them - in technical terms, the gluteal complex (gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus), hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors, spinal erectors, internal obliques, external obliques, hip flexors, latissimus dorsi (because it attaches to the lower back, it is considered a core muscle), and, finally, the rectus abdominus (otherwise known as the "six-pack" muscle) - are attached to the core of the body. Despite this laundry list of challenged muscles, this routine can be completed in less than 20 minutes.

The Goal of a Core Workout for Strength and Range of Motion
Core conditioning for strength focuses on creating a stable spine while the pelvis and appendages (legs and arms) are moving. The exercises can be done with little-to-no equipment and focus on training the spine how to be strong and stable through common and particular movement patterns.

While performing bodyweight lunges may look like a leg workout instead of a core workout, keep in mind that lunges train the legs, pelvis and spine to work together. And the balance challenge demands that the abdominals and back be engaged and working. The added reaches and rotations further engage the core. Lunging is a crucial exercise for runners. Since running is the act of transferring bodyweight from one leg to the other, the more strength that can be developed from the core outward in different lunge patterns, the more strength can be transferred from the legs to the ground, creating increased stability and a more efficient stride. And that means better running times and less wear and tear on the joints and tendons.

A Few Keys to Consider

1. Alignment is important. If you know yoga, this term is familiar. For example, in squats, your knees should track over your ankles. In lunge positions, your back knee should track under your spine while your front knee should stay in line with your ankle. Another example: twists and reaches should start at the waist, including the whole torso, not just the arms or shoulders. Proper alignment, for you, will feel good, strong.


2. Focus on "belly to back." Don't let your abdominals relax. But don't confuse this with holding your breath! Avoid slouching or over-arching your back and sticking your belly out. However, this does not mean you have to be as stiff as a board.


3. You might feel unstable. For example, when doing the squats, you might feel as if you are almost falling backward. This instability is part of the balance challenge of core training, demanding your core stay engaged.

The Core Conditioning Routine for Strength and Range of Motion

1. Squat with Forward (Anterior) Reach:
Stand with your feet at hip distance apart and arms at your sides (1a). As you do a sitting-in-a-chair motion - without the chair - raise your arms and reach forward (1b). Push through your heels to return to standing. Complete 12 to 15 repetitions.

1a

1b

2. Squat with Overhead Reach:
Place feet firmly on ground, shoulder-width apart. Squat down, bend chest over knees, stick your tailbone out behind, and extend arms out in front (2a). Return to standing while drawing your belly button into your spine, pushing your feet into ground, and squeezing the tailbone muscles and raising arms overhead (2b). Complete 12 to 15 repetitions. To increase the difficulty, squat while keeping arms overhead through the entire movement.
Note: To add resistance for exercises 1 and 2, you can add a single weight or medicine ball held with both hands.

2a

2b

3. Lunge with Rotation:
From a standing position, extend both arms straight out in front and place hands together (3a), step and lower into the lunge with the right leg. For proper alignment, keep the front knee over the ankle and the back knee under the spine (3b). Then pull belly button into spine and rotate over the right leg (3c). Make sure your eyes follow your hands. Return to face front and push off the right heel to return to standing. Repeat with the left leg. Alternating legs, complete a total of 8 to 10 repetitions per side. For added resistance, hold a single weight or a medicine ball in your hands.

3a

3b

3c

4. Lateral Lunge with Opposite Reach:
Start by standing with both feet under hips (4a), pull the belly button into spine, lunge with the right leg directly out to the right side, keep the knee and foot pointed forward, drop the chest over that knee and push the tailbone straight out behind you (4b). Alternating legs, complete a total of 8 to 10 repetitions per side. To add resistance, hold a light weight in each hand.

4a

4b

5. Forward Lunge with Reach for Foot:
This exercise is both an active stretch of the calf and hamstring of the back leg and a strengthening move for the small muscles of the lower back. Start with feet under hips (5a). Step forward with right foot while keeping the heel of the left foot on the ground, allow the left leg to go straight, and reach with both hands for the right foot as if tying your shoes (5b). Alternate legs and repeat 8 to 10 times on each leg. To increase the difficulty, hold a light weight in each hand.

5a

5b

6. Forward Lunge to Single-Leg Balance:
This exercise will train the core muscles to keep the pelvis stable for the running motion and is crucial for distance runners. Start with feet under hips (6a). Step forward with the left leg, while keeping pelvis level and squared. Keep the right knee directly under the hip (6b). Allow your body weight to sink toward the ground, not forward. Lift right foot off the ground and come to a balance on the left leg (6c). When stepping on to left leg, focus on squeezing the muscles of the thigh, butt and abs together at the same time, hold balance for four seconds, step back and alternate legs. Repeat 8 to 10 times on each leg.

6a

6b

6c

7. Push-Up with Rotation:
This move incorporates more of the upper body and requires core stability, integrating the muscles of the legs, hips, core, and upper body. In a push-up position-hands a little wider than shoulder-width and legs extended (with thighs squeezed), and feet on the toes-keep legs wider than hip-width to maintain stability (bringing the legs closer together requires more stability and makes the exercise more challenging). Do one push- up. When at the top of the push-up, pull right arm off the floor and twist so that your chest and shoulders are open, in a straight vertical line from the left hand (on ground) to the right (in air). With steady control, rotate back down and place hand on ground, lower chest, and repeat with the other arm. Complete 8 to 10 push-ups. This move is challenging and can be modified to make it easier: you can do the rotation without the push-up, or you can do the push-up on your knees, then lift to your toes and twist.

As you gain greater strength combined with range of motion, you can return to the beginning of the routine and do another set (or even two) of each exercise.

Pete McCall, CSCS, is a master trainer of the Senior Training and Development Faculty of Washington Sports Clubs/Town Sports International.

Caitlin E. Adams, MA, is a freelance writer and editor and avid runner and practitioner of core conditioning.