There’s a popular saying in the strength and conditioning world: We can’t shoot a cannon from a canoe. It means we can only produce as much power as our base of support allows. What’s our base of support? Our trunk!
When we walk or run, as the foot strikes the ground the impact force travels up the shin, through the knee, up through the thigh and hip, and into the pelvis and trunk. If the CORE muscles are weak, they can’t properly absorb those forces, and other structures will be overloaded (shins, knees, spine, etc).
A strong core will not only mitigate the risk of injuries, but it’ll also increase performance, as proximal stability enhances distal mobility (1, 2). Proximal stability refers to the ability of the muscles around the spine, pelvis, and ribs to work together to hold the trunk steady. Distal mobility is the ability of the arms and legs to move freely and effectively.
So the more you run, the more important it is to strengthen your CORE. As you know by now, if you have been following our previous posts, the best CORE exercises are compound, multi-joint, in which we have to move the limbs while isometrically contracting the torso muscles. Squats, push ups, deadlifts and pull ups, for example.
Running is a basic human skill and we think most of us should aim to run well. And by well we mean being able to run with good mechanics, balance and coordination, keeping a stable torso and effectively absorbing the ground reaction forces. Some of us will be able to run several miles, some of us would benefit by starting with 100 yards or so. Don’t skip running days!
Willian Alba
1- PMID: 22344062
2- PMID: 17373596
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