Off Season Conditioning
Joe Simko, PT
Fit For Life Physical Therapy
Off Season Conditioning
Joe Simko, PT
Fit For Life Physical Therapy
As the racing season is coming to an end, it is time to think about how to prepare yourself for the next MIT training cycle. This is a great time to take stock of your performances, assess your training goals and prepare for next season. Even professional runners take a break this time of year to reset and build on their accomplishments. Listen to your body, allow yourself to recover and begin building for next year.
Off season training is not the same as rest. While the focus may be different, you can still get in plenty of work. Now is the time to build base mileage, improve flexibility, increase core strength, and manage those nagging injuries that may have kept you from achieving your goals.
Avoid racing too much during this time, as this can be a cause of many of the injuries that we see at Fit For Life Physical Therapy. It is fine to jump in some of the shorter races occasionally but too many half or full marathons during this time of year can cause a wide range of overuse injuries.
Gradually increasing your mileage by 10% per week during the off season is a terrific way to build an aerobic base. Keeping these runs easy and comfortable is the key. Now is not the time to add speedwork or hill repeats if you have not been doing them already. Base mileage should be run at conversational pace and should not leave you feeling exhausted when you are finished. This is a fun time to run with friends and remember how enjoyable running can be despite the weather that is on the horizon.
Cross training can be another safe way to maintain fitness during the off season, and the AlterG Antigravity treadmill at Fit For Life Physical Therapy on Lane Avenue can be a resource for MIT members. This treadmill allows you to run at less than normal body weight and can allow for increased mileage with less pounding on tired legs. Call us at 614-981-1979 to schedule a time on the AlterG.
Improving flexibility and strength is always a good idea. We have put together a collection of exercises that we call The Runners and Walkers 10. Please click on the link, or head over to the education archive the FFL website to find this collection of exercises designed specifically for runners and walkers.As always, feel free to contact us at Fit For Life Physical Therapy at any of our three offices: Upper Arlington 614-981-1979, Polaris 614-981-2065, and New Albany 614-581-7441 with any questions or injuries you may have after this training cycle.
As always, feel free to contact us at Fit For Life Physical Therapy at any of our three offices: Upper Arlington 614-981-1979, Polaris 614-981-2065, and New Albany 614- 581-7441 with any questions or injuries you may have after this training cycle.
Fit For Life Physical Therapy cares for people of all activity levels - to help prevent, recover from, or rehabilitate sports & orthopedic injuries. We are proud to move people every day.
Please visit our website https://www.fitforlifephysicaltherapy.com/, email us at info@fitforlifephysicaltherapy.com, or call or text us at any of the phone numbers for our three convenient locations inside Fleet Feet/FrontRunner stores:
Polaris: 1270 East Powell Road Lewis Center, Ohio 43035 ~ 614-981-2065
Upper Arlington: 1344 West Lane Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43221 ~ 614-981-1979
New Albany: 5792 North Hamilton Road, Columbus, Ohio 43230 ~ 614-581-7441