Lift, Jump, Eat, Sleep: A Foundation for Runners
Sometimes, it seems as though our health care systems focuses more on reaction and treatment versus pro-activity and prevention. However, for runners, this strategy can be a bit risky. Especially in the build up of training, injuries can absolutely dismantle training and dash the opportunity of consistency.
So how can we flip the switch and focus on prevention and pro-activity for runners?
Well, there is no debate that a house without a foundation will crumble. As a result, this leaves a large opportunity for runners to focus on building a proper foundation to advance their training. Especially with the high load of running, injuries develop as our foundation or capacity cannot tolerate the load.
The Components of Lift, Jump, Eat, Sleep assist in building a proper foundation for runners.
Here are four areas to focus to build the proper foundation: Lift, Jump, Eat, Sleep
Lift: Strength Training
I’ve said it before, and I will likely say it hundreds of times more: runners should absolutely be lifting and strength training.
We know very well that strength training has numerous benefits, including:
Improved muscle strength (Trowell et al. 2020)
Improved running economy (the efficiency of our mechanics and running) (Blagrove et al. 2018; Berryman et al. 2017)
Improved tendon stiffness and cross-secitional area (tendon thickness) (Lazarczuk et al. 2022)
All without reducing our VO2 or any cardiac measures (Berryman et al. 2017)
Based on our knowledge, if we are able to make muscles and tendons stronger, they will tolerate more load. When they can tolerate more loading, they will be more resistant to the stain involved with running. It is never a bad thing to be strong.
The process of initiating strength training can sometimes be daunting, so contact Matt at BioEndurance HERE if you need help getting started. Also be on the lookout for more information coming about strength training!
Jump: Plyometrics
Plyometrics, or jump training, can fit very nicely into prevention programs as well. Once again, we know that plyometrics enhance our running economy while also assisting in training our muscles, tendon, and nerves in the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) (Engeroff et al. 2023). Every time we take a stride, our muscles and tendons have to accept that force (stretch) and then contract (shorten) to propel ourselves forward.
We are finding that we can very accurately improve our ability to tolerate these loads with a very simple plyometric program (we don’t have to be able to dunk a basketball to reap the benefits). (Engeroff et al. 2023)
This will also help us to train our bodies to absorb forces and impact while we are on one leg as this is something we have to do thousands of times over a run.
What is important when initiating plyometrics?
Especially when we have never trained with plyometrics, we need to progress into them SLOWLY to avoid any injuries or aggravation. Again, feel free to Contact Matt on how to progress plyometrics and also see this blog I assisted with for Infinity Running Company for more in-depth information on how to progress plyometrics.
Eat: Nutrition
I highly recommend working with a registered dietician that specializes in sports nutrition for more detailed questions. Especially someone like Abby with Midwest Sports Nutrition.
However, to touch on the subject, we know that runners that have a caloric deficit and negative energy availability, actually enter a physiological phase of bone resorption. (Murphy et al. 2021)
That is to say, instead of laying more bone tissue down, the body is removing bone tissue, which ultimately weakens the bone and invites the threat of bone stress injuries. These are devastating injuries for runners as when these are present, running must completely stop to allow the bone to heal.
We know full well that nutrition is a large piece of the puzzle when avoiding these injuries so must make sure that our energy needs match our energy intake and talk to an expert if you are unsure of how to properly strategize your nutrition.
Sleep
It is no secret that our bodies recover when we sleep. Getting less than 7 hours of sleep on average can pose a serious threat to our ability to avoid injuries, while getting more than 7 hours of sleep on average can reduce our risk (Johnston et al. 2020)
Training creates stress that breaks out bodies down. Our bodies build themselves back when we are sleeping and recovering. When speaking about proper prevention of injuries, if our body is not able to adequately recover between training sessions, it will have difficulty tolerating the next training session and the load involved.
With a strategy as simple as adequate sleep, we can seriously reduce our risk for injuries.
Overall, there is never a magic pill or easy fix for avoiding running injuries as many complexities are involved. At the same time, the idea of “lift, jump, sleep, and eat” is a fairly simple place to start. Getting these basics right, truly helps to solidify a runner’s foundation, every step of the way…pun intended. 😊
References:
Trowell D, Vicenzino B, Saunder N, Fox A, Bonacci J. Effect of strength training on biomechanical and neuromuscular variables in distance runners: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2020; 50: 133-150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01184-9
Blagrove RC, Howatson G, Hayes PR. Effects of strength training on the physiological determinants of middle- and long-distance running performance: A systematic review. Sports Med. 2018; 48: 1117-1149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0835-7
Berryman N, Mujika I, Arvisais D. Roubeix M, Binet C, Bosquet L. Strength training for middle- and long-distance performance: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 2017; 13(1): 57-64. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2017-0032
Lazarczuk SL, Maniar N, Opar DA, Duhig SJ, Shield A, Barrett RS, et al. Mechanical, material and morphological adaptation of healthy lower limb tendons to mechanical loading: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2022;52:2405-2429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01695-y
Engeroff T, Kalo K, Merrifield R, Groneberg D, Wilke J. Progressive daily hopping exercise improves running economy in amateur runners: A randomized and controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2023;13: 4167. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-30798-3.
Johnston R, Cahalan R, Bonnet L, Maguire M, Glasgow P, Madigan S. et al. General health complaints and sleep associated with new injury within an endurance sporting population: A prospective study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2020;23(3): 252-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2019.10.013
Murphy C, Bilek L, Koehler K. Low energy availability with and without a high-protein diet suppresses bone formation and increases bone resorption in men: A randomized controlled pilot study. Nutrients. 2021; 13(3): 802. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030802
