If the hare spent a bit extra time lifting weights, he may lastly beat that pesky tortoise in a long-distance race, in keeping with a brand new research from Northumbria College.
Previous analysis has advised that muscle tissue steadily put on down throughout endurance runs, inflicting your toes to remain in touch with the bottom for longer and longer intervals of time, slowing your tempo. The UK researchers hypothesized that strengthening muscle endurance in a runner’s legs may scale back muscle fatigue and enhance efficiency. In different phrases, stronger legs may make sooner endurance runners.
To verify their speculation, the Northumbria crew had 10 well-trained male runners full two baseline operating exams and two treadmill exams, certainly one of which included a 4-minute dash designed to fatigue muscle tissue with out completely exhausting them. As soon as fatigue struck a runner’s hamstrings, which act as brakes for the decrease leg in the course of the swing part of a runner’s stride, operating economic system plummeted. Mainly, the weaker the hamstrings, the sooner a runner hit “the wall.”
Based mostly on these findings, eccentric resistance coaching—the motion in a biceps curl or leg squat once you return to beginning place—may bolster muscle power and stamina, and improve operating efficiency, explains research writer Phil Hayes, M.Sc.
Hayes says his crew’s findings are preliminary, however he recommends Romanian Deadlift workouts (click on right here for a video) for these seeking to increase endurance. To additional strengthen your hamstrings, strive our recipe for the proper squat train. Alongside together with your hammies, this exercise touches practically each muscle in your physique, together with your core.
Extra from MensHealth.com: Run Sooner, Enhance Endurance, Beat Boredom
