Calf strength and ankle mobility are crucial for all athletes but particularly runners. When your foot strikes the ground, the functional stability of the whole kinetic chain relies on a strong and agile base. Yet calf muscle exercises are often missing from training routines.

“The whole complex needs to work together all the way up the totem pole,” says , a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist with a doctorate in physical therapy.��If you have stiff ankles or calves, or significant lower-leg asymmetries, that could reverberate up the limb and cause��pain in the knees, hips, and back, as well as limit your performance.

Along with the quads, the calves absorb the most impact when your feet land, whether you’re dropping a cliff on skis or pounding pavement. The calf muscle group is mainly comprised of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, which both connect to the Achilles tendon, on the back side of the lower leg. Your calves help bend your knees and are responsible for lifting the heel, a movement called plantar flexion (think of toeing when rock climbing). They also control the opposite movement, dorsiflexion, while they’re elongated. “Eccentric loading [when muscles elongate under load] imposes the highest forces on a muscle,” says Scott Johnston, coauthor of . “It’s the primary load that runners experience in their legs—and the reason you get sore calves and quads when you run downhill for 2,000 feet.”

There’s no one-size-fits-all training plan to build strength and resilience in the lower legs. Assess your general calf strength��and ankle mobility—there’ s a helpful guide below—before you jump into the exercise progression, and don’t neglect the recovery moves.

Strength and Mobility Assessments

Single-Leg Heel Raise

What it does: Assesses your concentric calf strength.

How to do it: Stand barefoot on the balls of your feet with your heels hanging off��a step. Hold on to a��wall or doorframe for balance��if necessary, but don’t use your hands for upward assistance. Lift one leg off the ground, and perform single-leg heel raises, also known as calf lifts, with the other. Move through a complete range of motion, from as low as you can go to as high as you can go. Try to do as many as you can with a full range of motion. Repeat on the other leg.

If you can perform ten��or more single-leg heel raises with a full range of motion, you have adequate calf base strength—for an endurance athlete—and can skip ahead to more sport-specific training (see the Jump Rope��exercise, below).

But��if fatigue sets in and you start to lose your range of motion before ten��complete repetitions—perhaps,��after three or four reps, you can only lift your heel a couple of inches—you’re probably deficient in calf strength. If that’s the case, it’s time to get stronger! Follow the exercise progression below, starting with double-leg heel raises, twice a��week for three weeks, then retest yourself. If you can now do ten��or more single-leg heel raises with a full range of motion, you’re ready to move on to sport-specific training, but if not, continue working on your general concentric calf strength until you can.

Weight-Bearing Lunge Test (Knee-to-Wall Test)

What it does: Assesses your ankle-joint mobility (dorsiflexion range) and symmetry.

How to do it: If you have a restriction, or stiffness, in one or both ankles, this can cause plantar fasciitis or problems in your calves, knees, hips, and back.��You can do this simple test to assess your ankle-joint mobility at home.

With your toes facing a wall, place one foot roughly a hand width away. Keeping your heel flat on the ground, bend your knee as if you were lunging into the wall. If your knee cannot touch the wall without your heel lifting, move it closer and try again. If your knee easily touches the wall, move your foot back and repeat. The idea is to find the distance where your knee can just barely touch the wall without your heel lifting. This is your dorsiflexion range.

When you find this point, measure the distance between your big toe and the wall. (If the wall has a baseboard, account for its width in your measurement.)��Repeat with the other leg. A distance of five or more inches is considered a normal range of motion; anything less and you should add the Ankle Mobilization with Movement exercise, below, into your routine. Symmetry across your ankles is another key. If one ankle is stiffer than the other, you should work on ankle mobility until they’re even. If you have a good range of motion that’s symmetrical across your ankles, the Ankle Mobilization with Movement exercise isn’t necessary.

Calf Muscle Exercises

Double-Leg Heel Raise

What it does: Builds concentric calf strength (only necessary if you cannot do ten��or more single-leg heel raises with a full range of motion).

How to do it: As��with the assessment test, stand barefoot on the balls of your feet with your heels hanging off a step. Perform full-range-of-motion heel raises (with both legs) for four or five sets of six to ten��repetitions, with a minute rest between each set.

“Don’t go until failure,” says Johnston. The purpose of this exercise isn’t to increase the size of the muscle��but to increase its strength, which means you don’t need to max out.

Once you can do ten��to twelve��reps comfortably, progress to the next exercise.

Heel-Raise Progression (Two Legs Up, One Leg Down)

What it does: Builds eccentric calf strength.

How to do��it: Continue with heel raises, but now use both calves to rise up, then lift one leg off the ground��and lower the other leg��slowly��for��three to four seconds. Like before, perform four or five sets of six to ten��repetitions on each leg, with a minute rest between each set.

Once this exercise begins to feel easy, retest yourself on the single-leg heel��raises. If now you can do ten��to twelve��(or more) single-leg heel raises with a full range of motion, you’re ready to move on to the sport-specific exercise below. If not, continue with this exercise.

Jump Rope

Only begin this exercise if you have developed enough general strength to complete ten��or more single-leg heel raises with a full range of motion (see above test).

What it does: Loads the calves eccentrically and increases sport-specific muscular endurance.

How to do it: Simply jump rope. Begin with four sets of 15 seconds, progress to six to eight sets of 30 seconds, and eventually plan on doing��ten��sets of 60 seconds, with a minute rest between each set of jumping. Remember to land on your toes, not flat-footed.

Note: You don’t need a jump rope for this exercise—you can jump up and down on your toes in place—but a jump rope adds discipline and keeps you honest.

Walking Lunges with Windmill

What it does: Trains multidirectional, functional stability in the foot and ankle.

How to do it: Perform��this exercise simultaneously with the calf-training progression. Stand upright with your feet together, holding a two-to-three-pound weight. Step forward with one foot as you reach your arms forward, and slowly lower into a lunge. (Keep your knee behind your toes on the front leg, and be mindful that your knees don’t collapse inward as you move because both patterns are correlated with��knee pain.)��Rotate your torso slowly to each side while maintaining a straight leg alignment. Then step forward with the trailing leg to bring your feet together again. Repeat with the other leg in front. Haas stresses the importance of focusing on proper mechanics—quality of form rather than quantity—before you build up the number of repetitions. “Train the pattern you want,” she says, “not the one that is the easiest.” Five or six repetitions on each leg is a good starting point.

Recovery

Roll Out

What it does: Myofascial release flushes tension in muscles and connective tissue to improve mobility��and reduce inflammation created during exercise.

How to do��it: After a workout session or day in the mountains, use a lacrosse ball or myofascial-release tool (Haas recommends the ) to roll out the soles of your feet (plantar fascia), then work your way up the kinetic chain. Focus on your Achilles, calf muscles, and the muscle on the outside of your shin (anterior tibialis). Avoid rolling over any knobby bits or boney protrusions, since that’s often where sensitive connective tissue anchors and nerves hide, too. Spend a couple minutes on each leg to loosen tight tissues. You can also use a foam roller or massage stick.

“More is not better, as far as force,” Haas says. Too much pressure can trigger a fight-or-flight��sympathetic response. If you feel pain, your brain can interpret that as a problem��and involuntarily tighten those structures in an attempt to protect them. Gradually increase the pressure until it’s firm��but not painful.

Ankle Mobilization with Movement

What it does: Improves ankle-joint mobility (dorsiflexion range).

How to do it: If you have an adequate and symmetrical range of motion in both ankles, you can skip this exercise. But if you have a restriction in one or both of your ankles, perform the following exercise. (Use the , described above, to gauge your ankle mobility.)

��an elastic band to an anchor at ground level, and stand facing away from the anchor. Loop the other end of the band over one��foot so that it sits in the crease of your ankle, below your ankle bones. With that foot, step forward to create moderate tension in the band. Gently drive your knee forward and over your toes in a straight line, pause, then return to the starting position. This results in a posterior glide of the talus bone—the joint mechanics necessary for dorsiflexion. Hold the tension for a few seconds,��then slowly return to the starting position. If your range of motion is really bad, Haas suggests placing your active��foot on a box to improve gliding during the mobilization. Complete ten��repetitions on each side, once daily (ideally after exercise or on its own, but not right before activity until you build stability around the new joint mobility). You should not have pain during this exercise.

Calf Stretch and Ankle Mobility

What it does: Lengthens the calf muscles��and increases ankle and lower-leg mobility.

How to do it: Place the ball of your foot on the edge of a step, and lower your heel to gently sink into a calf stretch. Make sure you can relax into the position to optimize your tissue’s ability to let go. (Use your other leg as support to ease into the stretch.)��Hold the tension for 30 seconds, then repeat on the other leg. Haas adds that the key to incorporating an ankle-joint glide while stretching is having your toes upward (or heel downward)��as opposed to your foot flat on the floor where this can get missed. If you’re outside, use rocks, tree roots, a curb, or even your other shoe to achieve the stretch.

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Summertime sends us outside—walking, running, hiking, biking, or standing still trying to catch a breeze. What do these activities have in common? They require us to use the power of our legs. In fact, many of our recreational and mundane activities require strong lower limbs. And while summer shorts and swimsuits put our legs on display, that doesn’t mean we need to stop at simply healthy-looking legs. We want legs with power.

Exercises for Leg Strength

Here we offer quads, hamstrings, calves, and shins. Your leg joints–hips, knees, and ankles—also play a part in the stability of your legs,�� so you want to practice in a way that protects them as well. Strong legs to help prevent falls and injury.

Many of these standing poses are weight bearing—they require you to rely on your legs to hold your body weight—and that helps build strength, especially if you are practicing hands-free variations. One-legged standing poses stretch one leg while employing the strength of the other, so you balance the contraction and extension of your legs.�� The result is lean and supple legs that get you where you want to go.

Before you begin these poses, warm up by standing in Tadasana () and rooting solidly through your feet. Practice coming up on your toes to build strength in your ankles and affirm your sense of balance.

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Standing tall and pressing your legs together to create a long, strong column before coming into Chair Pose will allow you to feel the stabilizing . Then, as you bend your knees toward a sitting position, you’ll feel your thighs activate to hold you up. Try squeezing a block between your legs to engage the adductor muscles in your .

1. ​​Stand in Tadasana. Inhale and raise your arms overhead so that your biceps are just slightly in front of your ears. Either keep the arms parallel, palms facing inward, or join the palms.
2. Exhale and bend your knees so that your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible. Your knees will project out over your feet, and your trunk will lean slightly forward over your thighs until your front torso forms approximately a right angle with the tops of your thighs.
3. Keep your inner thighs parallel to each other and press the heads of the thigh bones down toward your heels.
   Firm your shoulder blades against your back. Direct your tailbone down toward the floor and in toward your pubis to keep your long.
4. Stay for 30 seconds to a minute. To come out of this pose, straighten your knees with an inhalation, lifting strongly through your arms. Exhale and release your arms to your sides into Tadasana.

Variation:�� Half Chair Pose (Standing Figure 4)��

In this asana, you’re holding your body up with one leg so that one quad is doing the work of two.

• Begin in Tadasana, bend your knees to come into Chair pose.
• Shift your weight to your left foot. Slowly lift the right foot up and cross your right ankle over your left knee so that your ankle bone is to the left of your left thigh, and your shin is perpendicular to your thigh.
• Your hands can reach your arms up, be in Anjali mudra, or be placed on your hips. Keep your lower back long.
• Stay for 30 seconds or longer. To come out of this pose, straighten your leg with an inhalation. Release your right leg to the floor and release your arms to your sides into Tadasana.
• Repeat on the opposite side.

Pyramid Pose | Intense Side Stretch Pose (Parsvottanasana)

engages your front thighs as it stretches your hamstrings. Holding yourself in the pose–especially if you aren’t supporting your weight with your hands on the mat–requires steady strength in your legs.

1. Begin in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) at the top of the mat. Place your hands on your hips.
2. Step your right foot back 2 to 4 feet. Line up heel to heel with your back foot at approximately a 30- to 45-degree angle. Draw your left hip back and in toward your right heel. Keep your hips facing forward and both sides of your waist elongated.
3. On an inhalation, spread your arms out to the sides. On an exhalation, internally rotate your arms, bend your elbows, and bring your palms together behind your back. If this isn’t feasible, release your hands alongside your feet, on blocks, or on your shin.
4. Inhale, lengthen your spine, and engage your quadriceps. Exhale, hinge at your hips, and begin to fold forward and toward your front thigh.
5. Reach your sternum away from your navel and keep your collar bones broad to maintain openness in your front body and length in your back body. Release your forehead toward your shin.
6. Draw the heads of your and up away from the floor as you remain in the pose.
7. To exit the pose, inhale and use the strength of your legs to come up. Release your arms and step your feet together, returning to Mountain Pose. Repeat on the opposite side.

Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

You’ll feel this stretch from your to the heel of your lower leg. also engages the quads while it also stretches the back of your leg.

1. From Tadasana, press into the big toe mounds, and level your pelvis and lengthen on the two sides of the torso.
2. Firm your left leg, without hyperextending the left knee. Bend your right leg and clasp the big toe with the first two fingers of your right hand. Press your right foot forward.
3. Lift the sternum up and restore some of the curve of the lower back. Notice if the right hip is higher than the left hip.
4. Find an anterior tilt of the pelvis to deepen the work in the hamstrings.
5. Descend the right hip down and in toward the left foot in order to bring symmetry back to the torso.
6. Hold for anywhere from a few breaths to a couple of minutes, then use an exhale to recommit to the rootedness of the left foot. Release and repeat on the other side.

Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

strengthens your legs, including your ankles and feet, one at a time. It also stretches your groin and inner thighs.

1. Stand in Tadasana. Spread your toes, press your feet into the mat and firm your leg muscles. Raise your front hip points toward your lower ribs to gently lift in your lower belly.
2. Inhale deeply, lifting your chest, and exhale as you draw your shoulder blades down your back. Look straight ahead at a steady gazing spot.
3. Place your hands on your hips and raise your right foot high onto your left thigh or shin. Avoid making contact with the knee.
   Press your right foot and left leg into each other.
4. Check that your pelvis is level and squared to the front.
5. When you feel steady, place your hands into Anjali Mudra at the heart or stretch your arms overhead like branches reaching into the sun. Hold for several breaths, then step back into and repeat on the other side.

High Lunge

Holding this pose requires the engagement of both legs. The thigh of your bent leg is active in holding you up, while the back hamstring is stretching. Dipping the back knee toward the floor gives your legs more challenge.

1. From Tadasana (Mountain Pose), inhale, and step your left foot back toward the back edge of your mat, with the ball of the foot on the floor.
2. Reach your arms up, direct your tailbone toward the floor and, bending your right knee, lower your torso until your knee forms a right angle.
3. Firm the left thigh and push it up toward the ceiling, holding the left knee straight. Stretch your left heel toward the floor.
4. Hold for 60 seconds or more.�� To exit , exhale and step your right foot back beside the left. Repeat on the opposite side.

Warrior III Pose (Virabhadrasana III)

The strengthens your ankles and knees, as well as your calves and thighs. You are supporting the weight of your body with the standing leg, but you are also lifting, holding, and stretching the extended leg. Ground down through the foot that you’re standing on, and don’t allow that knee to lock or hyperextend.

1. Begin in Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) with your right foot forward. Root down firmly with your right heel and draw the abdominals in and up.
2. Straighten your left leg. Turn your left inner thigh toward the ceiling to roll your left outer hip forward, then pivot onto your back toes so your back leg is in a neutral position.
3. Inhale to lengthen your spine. Exhale and tilt your torso forward, and reach your arms out ahead.
4. Shift your weight into your front foot, and tilt forward as you lift your left leg until it is parallel to the floor. Your upper arms frame your ears, and your head, torso, pelvis, and lifted leg to form a straight line.
5. Continue to engage your right outer hip to provide stability for your standing leg.
6. Push back with your left heel while extending forward with your arms, the crown of your head, and your sternum. Tone your lower belly, and direct your tailbone toward your left heel to provide support for your lower back.
7. Hold for 60 seconds or more, then carefully bend your right knee and step back with your left foot, returning to Virabhadrasana I, or bring the left foot to meet the right in Tadasana. Repeat on the other side.

Standing Split Pose (Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana)

Here’s another pose that uses a strong leg to stand on. strengthen your thighs and calves, as well as your knees and ankle joints. The back of the lifted leg gets a strong stretch from the hip to the foot. The further you reach with your lifted foot, the more stretch you will find in the back of your standing leg, and if you hold your ankle with your hands, your legs bear weight.

1. Practice Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II Pose), right leg forward. Inhale and cartwheel your left arm up and over your head, creating a nice opening in the left ribs.
2. With an exhale, twist your torso to the right, pivoting on the ball of the left foot to lift the heel off the floor. Then lean forward, lay your front torso onto the right thigh, and set your hands on the floor on either side of the right foot (if your hands don’t rest comfortably on the floor, support each one on a block).
3. Walk your hands slightly ahead of, and shift your weight onto, the right foot. Then, inhale and slowly straighten your right leg, simultaneously lifting the left leg parallel to the floor.
4. The proper balance of external and internal rotation in each leg is important, especially for the standing leg. Lift your hip away from the floor and angle the pelvis to the right. Try to keep the front pelvis parallel to the floor by internally rotating the left thigh.
5. Pay close attention to your knee on the standing leg. Be sure to rotate the thigh outwardly and turn the knee so the kneecap faces straight ahead.
6. ��Work toward directing equal energy into both legs. You can hold the raised leg more or less parallel to the floor, or try to raise it slightly higher; ideally your torso should descend as the leg ascends. If you’re , you can grasp the back of the standing-leg ankle with your hand.
7. Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then lower the raised leg with an exhale and repeat on the other side for the same length of time.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

for more mobility.�� Strengthens your .

1. Lie on your back in the center of your mat with your knees bent, your legs and feet parallel and hip-distance apart.
2. Move your feet closer to your buttocks. Press down firmly through both of your feet and inhale to raise your hips, lifting from the pubic bone rather than the navel.
3. Clasp your hands under your back on the floor. Broaden your collarbones and get on top of your shoulders.
4. Firm the outer shins and roll your upper thighs inward. Press down firmly through your heels and lift the back of your thighs and the bottom of your buttocks even higher while keeping the thighs parallel.
5. To finish, exhale, release your hands, and lower to the floor. Allow your back to rest in a neutral state as you observe the spaciousness within your chest.

If you wish to make this pose more challenging, lift your right knee into your torso, then inhale and extend the leg perpendicular to the floor, keeping your hips lifted.�� Hold for 30 seconds, then release your foot to the floor with an exhalation.

Monkey Pose | Splits (Hanumanasana)

After all the strengthening poses, this one–named after the deity Hanuman—gives you the opportunity to stretch both legs entirely. When performed dynamically, it is a .

1. Begin in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose). Step your right foot forward between your hands so your toes are in line with your fingertips. Drop your left knee to the mat, and point your toes. Square your hips toward the front of the mat.
2. Maintaining this alignment, shift your hips back so they stack over your left knee, then adjust your right foot forward to straighten your leg, keeping your hips over your left knee and facing straight forward.
3. Pause here with your fingertips on either side of your right knee; press into your right big toe mound, and extend straight back with your left big toe.
4. Start to slide your right foot forward while continuing to pin your right hip back and in.
5. As your legs open, release your buttocks away from your back waist, and gently tone your abdomen to find a lift in the front of your pelvis.
6. Keep descending your pelvis until the back of your right thigh and the front of your left thigh come to the floor. If your back thigh tends to externally rotate, keep lifting your inner thigh.
7. Descend your tailbone and soften your front ribs, then take your arms to the ceiling with your upper arms framing your ears.
8. Stay for 30 seconds,�� then retrace the entrance, returning to Downward-Facing Dog Pose. Repeat on the other side.

Legs up the Wall (Viparita Karani)

After a yoga session that focuses on strengthening your legs, you may enjoy this restorative pose that takes all weight off your legs.

1. Sit on the floor with your . Lean away from the wall, lowering your body to the floor until you are lying on your side.
2. Roll onto your back and swing your .�� Adjust your position by scooting your tailbone toward the wall. It doesn’t need to touch the wall.
3. Relax your legs against the wall. Position your feet hip-distance apart or whatever distance feels comfortable.�� You might feel your femurs sink into your hip sockets.
4. Find a comfortable position for your arms at your side, with palms turned up; relax your arms and shoulders. Feel the spine lengthening.
5. Settle into the pose and breathe for at least 10 minutes.
6. To come out of the pose, bend your knees and roll to your side. Remain here for a few breaths before using the strength of your arms to slowly push yourself back up to a seated position.

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There’s a lot to love about sliders. The versatile disc-shaped exercise tools that you place under your hands or feet during bodyweight moves��add dynamic movement to your strength workout. This increases core engagement and amps up the difficulty of basic exercises like planks��by activating more muscles at once.

Sliders are small, portable, and work well on a number of surfaces, including wood, carpet, and linoleum,��making them an easy addition to your at-home gym or travel workout kit. Plus, they’re affordable, at about $8��.

Below, , a Boulder, Colorado–based strength and conditioning specialist, running coach, and elite marathoner, shares a six-move slider workout for outdoor athletes. She incorporates sliders into her workouts about once a week��and designed the below routine to activate the glutes and core, two major muscle groups that are critical for everything from hiking to swimming. The routine also targets the hamstrings, inner thighs, and shoulders and��incorporates some stability work. Do this workout before or after your main workout as supplemental strength training, or try it��on its own��for a standalone burst of strength work.

The Workout

You’ll break the following six moves into three sets of two exercises. Perform each set three times, resting as much as you need between each round to maintain��good form. After three rounds, rest for two minutes before moving on to the next set.

Set 1: 20 single-leg reverse lunges (10 each side),��10 body saws

Set 2: 20 single-leg squats��(10 each side),��10 pikes

Set 3: 10 double-leg eccentric hamstring bridges, 20 mountain climbers

The Moves

Single-Leg Reverse Lunge

What it does: Instead of stepping your leg back into a lunge, you slide it, which allows you to better focus on engaging the standing glute. The slow-fast tempo—you lower into the lunge with control, then explode back up—builds both strength and power in your lower half.

How to do it: Stand up tall with your feet hip-distance apart and your hands clasped in front of your chest. Place one foot��on the slider. This is the starting position. Over the course of two to three seconds, push the slider backward and bend your knee to lower into a lunge. Make sure your standing leg doesn’t cave inward: keep your hips, knees, and ankles all in one line. Pause when your leg forms a 90-degree angle. Squeeze your standing glute and quickly reverse the movement to return to the starting position—this should take about a second. This is one rep. Make it harder by holding a or ��at your chest.

Volume: 10 reps, then switch sides and repeat

Body Saw

What it does: Works the stabilizer muscles in the core and shoulders by adding dynamic movement to a plank.

How to do it: Lower into a forearm plank with your feet on the sliders. Your chest, hips, and ankles should be in one long, straight line. Engage your glutes and brace your core. Staying in plank position, shift your body weight as far forward as you can over the course of two seconds, bending deeper into the elbows and moving forward through the shoulders. Pause, then slowly shift your body weight��back as far as you can over the course of two seconds. That’s one rep. Make sure your hips stay elevated as you shift back and forth. Increase the challenge by slowing the tempo.

Volume: 10 reps

Single-Leg Lateral Squat��

What it does: Targets the gluteus medius—a small, important stabilizer toward��the side of your butt—by emphasizing controlled yet explosive lateral movements.

How to do it: Stand up tall with your feet hip-distance apart and your hands clasped in front of your chest. Place one foot��atop the slider. Bend your standing knee—the leg that is not��on the slider—and drop your hips back into a squat as you keep your other leg straight and slide it out sideways. Squat down slowly over the course of two to three seconds, lowering as far as you can without letting the heel of the standing foot leave the ground. Pause at the bottom of the squat. Squeeze your standing glute to quickly reverse the movement over the course of one second. That’s one rep.

Volume: 10 reps on��each side

Pike

What it does: Engages deep midsection muscles by requiring the core to drive the entire movement.

How to do it: Get into a forearm plank position with your feet on the sliders and chest, hips, and ankles in one long, straight line. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core. This is the starting position. Keeping your legs straight, slowly raise your hips as high as you can over the course of two seconds,��using��your core to bring your feet toward��your hands.��Pause, then slowly reverse the movement to return to the starting position over the course of two seconds. When you come back to the starting position, make sure your hips stay in line with your chest and ankles. Up the challenge��by placing both feet on the same slider.

Volume: 10 reps

Double-Leg Eccentric Hamstring Bridge

What it does: Strengthens the hamstrings. This eccentric move—meaning the muscle is lengthening under load—is especially important for anyone who hikes or runs downhill,��since it mimics the way the hamstrings engage during��downward movement.

How to do it: Lie��on your back with your knees bent and your��feet about hip-width distance apart and flat on the ground about six to eight inches from your hips. Let your arms rest at your sides. Place a slider under each foot so that the center of the slider is under your heel. This is the starting position. Press through your heels to lift your hips until they are in a straight line with your quads. From here, slowly straighten your legs over the course of six to eight��seconds,��so that you wind up with your heels on the ground, legs fully extended, and pelvis still lifted off the ground. Keep your hips as high as possible. Once your legs are fully straight, lower your hips to the ground. That’s one rep. Make it harder by lifting both arms straight up.

Volume: 10 reps

Mountain Climber

What it does: Strengthens the shoulders and builds core stability and strength.

How to do it: Get into a high plank position with your feet on the sliders and your chest, hips, and ankles in one long, straight line. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core. This is the starting position. Keeping your upper body still and your core engaged, quickly slide one knee straight up toward��your chest and back out. Repeat with the other knee. That’s one rep. To target your obliques—the muscles on the sides of your stomach—slide your knee into your chest diagonally.

Volume: 20 reps

The post The 6-Move Sliders Workout appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

When it comes to muscles, small can be mighty. Glutes and quads may seem like the MVPs of running, skiing, and cycling, but stabilizers—the tiny muscles that support your joints—play an important role, too. According to Chris Dellasega, strength coach for the USA Cycling men’s track program, treat­ing them as an afterthought can increase your chance of injury. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and many times that weak link is a stabilizer,” he says. Here, Dellasega shares a five-move routine that targets these underappreciated workers.

External Rotation

Why:��To correct shoulder-muscle imbalances and prevent rotator-cuff injury, important for climbers and swimmers.

How:��Lie on your side with one arm folded under your head, knees bent 90 degrees, shoulders and hips stacked. Holding a light to medium-heavy weight in your top hand at belly-button level, bend your elbow 90 de­grees and pull your shoulders back and down. Brace your core. Keeping your wrist straight, el­bow bent, and upper arm close to your side (but not touching), raise the weight for one count, aiming for your fist to be pointed straight up to the ceiling. Slowly lower it back down for four counts. Do three sets of 10 to 12 reps on each side.

Powell Raise

Why:��To stabilize the scapula, which will improve running posture and your ability to hold ��in cycling.

How:��Lie on your side with your arm folded under your head, knees bent 90 degrees, shoulders and hips stacked. Pull your shoulders back and down. Grab a light to medium-heavy weight and hold it just above the ground in line with your face, arm mostly straight and wrist neutral. Raise the weight for one count until your arm is pointed straight up to the ceiling. Lower for four counts until your arm is parallel to the floor. Do three sets of 10 to 12 reps on each side.

Standing Calf Raise

Why:��To strengthen the calves and reduce knee and ankle injuries. Crucial for runners.

How:��Place the balls of your feet on a platform, ideally four inches tall or higher. Slightly bend your standing leg. Hold a medium-heavy to heavy weight in your standing-leg hand and grab onto a fixed object like a railing or the back of a chair with your other hand. Drop your standing heel below the top of the platform for one count; pause at the bottom for two counts. Press through your big toe to raise your foot up as high as you can for one count. Do three sets of 12 to 15 reps on each leg.

Single-Leg Curl

Why:��To strengthen the hamstrings and help reduce the risk of knee injury.

How:��Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Place one heel on top of an exercise ball and raise your other leg straight up, slightly bending your knee. Raise your hips while keeping them parallel to the floor, dig your heel into the ball, and roll it toward your butt for two counts. Reverse the movement for three counts. Do three to five sets of six to eight reps on each leg.

Stir the Pot

Why:��To strengthen the smaller trunk muscles that stabilize the spine, helpful for protecting the lower back from injury.

How:��Get in a straight plank position with your forearms on top of an exercise ball, feet shoulder-width apart. Tense your entire body, dig your forearms into the ball, and use them to roll the ball clockwise for 20 to 40 seconds while holding the rest of your body as still as possible. Rest for 10 to 15 seconds, then repeat for another 20 to 40 seconds, rolling the ball counterclockwise. Do three sets.

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After spending weeks on a Conservation Corps in the Arizona desert last fall, my work pants reeked of urine and my legs suffered dozens of scrapes from trying to find a secluded spot to squat in thorny Devils Claw. I found myself desperately wishing for a pair of��capable outdoorsy pants that could better accommodate my anatomy. So when I heard about Chickfly, a company that makes activewear pants and leggings��with a fly specifically designed so that women (or anyone who prefers an alternative to the traditional zipper) can pee discreetly, I jumped on the opportunity to check them out.

I tested their functionality on the trail with a mellow muddy run��and post-jog stretch. I wore them as pajamas inside my sleeping bag, then as thermals on a warm ski day, to test their comfort and range of motion. But then came the main event: I hung in a climbing harness and let my friend and belayer laugh as I awkwardly grabbed at my crotch and attempted to pee midair. I squatted in various locations, including beside dirt roads and in a snowy canyon.

Before I began trying the pants outside, though, I practiced their capabilities over the toilet and in the shower. You can open the fly, which is made from overlapping pieces of fabric, from the back (giving you enough space to go number two, but a little less privacy) or from the front (good for number one and more private, but creating a smaller opening). My success rate was high—I only peed on myself once—but I was grateful for the practice of stretching the fly and angling my legs and hands correctly, which would have been difficult to do outdoors for the first time.

To wipe��before returning to your outdoor shenanigans, you might need extra practice holding back the fabric layers with one hand while the other wields a pee rag or wad of toilet paper. This technique worked best for me when I used one hand to open them from the front. The pants, which are made of a super-soft, legging-like material, are intended to be worn without underwear, and they are very comfortable and functional commando (you can even wear a pad on the upper layer).��It is possible to wear undergarments if you prefer: you’ll just have to pull them aside along with the pant layers.

Once you’ve practiced using the fly, the process is the same as any time you pee outdoors—find a comfortable place, squat, and go—but takes half the time. And the major win here is for privacy. You don’t need to pull the pants all the way down to go, and if you’re opening them from the front, your back and sides will be fully covered. When you’re done, the stretchy fabric springs back into place so you never feel exposed for long. Granted, you’re still peeing outside, so privacy is relative, but you avoid the hassle of hoisting your pants back up and mooning other outdoor patrons.

The pants, with their lycra and sustainable bamboo��fabric, were extremely comfortable. The inner folds of the “fly” felt very secure, and I never worried my crotch was going to be on display when I was hiking to a hot spring, hanging in a harness, and getting groceries in town.

The wide waistband can fold down around your hips or be flipped up to hug your belly (an especially great option for pregnant people who prefer a pant that can go either under or over their stomach). The pants fit like a yoga pant would around the legs, flaring out slightly at the bottom. Around the butt the overlapping fabric of the fly gives you a panty line on one side—a minimal price to pay for their functionality, in my opinion.

I stuffed them in my dirty laundry after two to three wears, but I pulled them out for several more: the bamboo’s odor-resistant properties kept smell at bay throughout my many test runs. The stretchy fabric makes movement and relieving yourself easy, but may sacrifice some durability on rock or rough surfaces. My only qualm is that the pockets, which are very stretchy with large openings, are not very secure—my phone once fell dangerously close to a pee puddle.

Overall, the convenience and innovative bathroom access of these pants is unmatched against any I’ve previously tried. They’re equipped for long hikes, sport climbs, runs, yoga sessions, and long road trips. Preorders for Chickfly’s pants and leggings were taken over to�� (shipping this summer), and an online store is expected to launch later this year.

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Imagine trying to explain how to run to someone who’d never done it before—the incredibly complex sequence of forces and joint angles and muscle contractions that you need to coordinate in exactly the right order. That complexity is why it’s really hard to build a robot that can run on two legs, and it’s also why attempts to improve running form by tweaking a joint here or an angle there have generally backfired.

But that doesn’t mean that some people don’t run objectively “better” than others. takes a more holistic approach to evaluating running form, comparing some of the greatest runners in the world to their merely good counterparts. Instead of worrying about exactly where the legs are or what the arms are doing, the analysis basically models each runner as a pogo stick—what’s known in the biomechanics world as the spring-mass model. Here’s what that simplified pogo-runner looks like, which is basically a ball attached to a spring attached to the ground:

There are only a few parameters in this model. The angle at which the spring hits the ground, α, tells you how vertical the runner’s body position is. The amount that the spring compresses with each stride depends on the spring’s stiffness and how much force is applied to it. It turns out that’s all you need to extract some useful insights.

The lead author of the new study is , an elite ultrarunner and postdoctoral research fellow working with Ron Zernicke at the University Michigan Performance Research Laboratory, whose earlier work on running cadence in ultramarathoners I wrote about here. This time he studied milers. Why? Because (as I noted earlier this month) milers possess the ultimate combination of speed and endurance, and as a result cover a very wide range of speeds in their training. If you want to study how running mechanics change as you accelerate from ten-minute miles to sub-four-minute-mile pace, middle-distance runners are your best bet.

For this study, Burns recruited ten world-class male runners with average personal bests of 3:37.3 for 1,500 meters and 3:54.6 for the mile, and compared them to ten well-trained runners with bests of 4:07.6 and 4:27.4. They all ran a series of tests on a force-measuring treadmill, with four-minute bouts at the slower speeds and 30-second sprints at the faster speeds, enabling Burns and his colleagues to calculate the properties of each runner’s notional pogo spring.

The overall conclusion? “The elite runners had a distinctly different relationship with the ground,” Burns explained in an email. Specifically, they spent less time on it (a shorter ground contact time for each stride at a given speed) and more time in the air (a longer flight time between strides). They also applied greater force to the ground with their foot strike, and oriented that ground force more vertically rather than horizontally. Finally, they had stiffer springs—not in the sense of a specific joint or tendon that was harder to stretch or compress, but in the overall behavior of their legs and body working together as a system.

(There are some other nuances in the data that I can’t do proper justice to here. One is how all the variables changed across different speeds. For example, the elites ran with greater vertical stiffness, but they also increased their stiffness more as they accelerated to higher speeds, so the difference was greatest at their race pace. The elites also had less stride-to-stride variability in most of the parameters, an observation that probably reflects a greater level of skill and expertise in their movement patterns. You can read more in the journal article, which is .)

It’s worth pausing here to unpack what it means to say that a runner has stiffer springs, or runs with more stiffness. I tried to pester Burns into revealing what the secret of elite stiffness might be. Is it the structure of their tendons? How much they bend their knees? How strong their leg muscles are? “Yes,” he replied, “maybe all of those, or some of those, or none of those!” (Thanks for nothing, Geoff.) The point, he went on, is that there are endless ways of combining the movements of our myriad body parts that might achieve the same effect, and changing one part of the system affects all the other parts. One runner who bends their knees more than another might flex their ankles less, or have stiffer tendons, or stronger muscles, and end up with the same stiffness.

The usual approach to stride analysis looks at these individual components to search for patterns, but there’s so much variability among runners that it’s impossible to determine what, say, the “correct” knee angle is. By instead zooming out and looking at the overall spring-mass behavior, we can pick out these patterns that distinguish great runners from good ones. That doesn’t tell us which individual components are responsible for these holistic patterns, so the takeaway isn’t tips like “Relax your elbows and take shorter strides.” Instead, Burns suggests, you should aim to alter the overall characteristics of your running stride by stressing the system as a whole: “Cook with the ingredients that these elite runners use: intervals, hills, sprints, plyometric drills, running on varied surfaces, and maybe even lifting some heavy objects.”

The question lurking in the background is whether these traits are born or made. The runners in the control group were decent college runners, so they had all done interval training and hills and plyometrics and so on, but not with the rigor of the elites. Whether the control runners could ever, with sufficient training, acquire the pogo-stick characteristics of the elites is an open question. But there’s no question they can improve on their current state, Burns says: ��that characteristics like leg stiffness do respond and adapt to training.

To Burns, this is an argument in favor of monitoring your biomechanics, which can now be done with the high-speed camera on your smartphone. For example, he recommends a $14 , developed by Spanish sports scientist , which spits out your ground contact time, flight time, maximum force, and leg (i.e. spring) stiffness.��What happens to those parameters after a ten-week program of hill training? Or when you’re returning from injury? Once you’ve established your own baseline values, you can tell whether you’re progressing or regressing.

“To think that we can’t learn from these differences would assume that they’re entirely intrinsic to these elites—that they’re pre-determined or unmovable,” Burns says. “But I suspect the fundamental driving thesis for most readers of ���ϳԹ��� and most endurance athletes is that, to some extent, we can always change and move the dial towards something better.”

For more Sweat Science, join me on and , sign up for the , and check out my book .

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Lightweight, affordable, and compact, resistance bands make it easy for almost anyone to get a full-body workout at home. That’s why they’re a staple for Seth Keena-Levin, an alpinist and coach with the training platform . You can work in any plane of motion and make precise tension adjustments, so they’re great for mimicking the demands of outdoor activities. To boost performance and prevent injury, Keena-Levin suggests running through this beginner-friendly workout two or three times a week. Cycle through the entire sequence three to five times, with a one- to two-minute rest between each circuit. You will need a mini band (small, with a flat profile) and a heavy-duty band (longer and thicker).

Lateral Leg Extension

Why: Works the glutes, which promotes knee stability and prevents common overuse injuries.

How: Loop a mini band around your legs just below the knees. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with light tension on the band. Kick one leg back diagonally as high as you can in a slow and controlled motion, keeping your knee extended and your ankle and toes flexed. To add intensity, move the band to your ankles. Perform 10 to 15 reps with each leg.

Alternating Y’s

Why: Develops scapular (shoulder bone) stability, which helps prevent shoulder and elbow injuries.

How: With your feet shoulder width apart, gently engage your glutes and core, and pull your shoulders back and down. Grasp one end of a heavy-duty band in your right hand and bend at the elbow to bring it to your right hip. Hold the other end in your left hand and raise your arm up and out to the side, until your biceps is by your ear. Complete 10 to 15 reps, then repeat with the right arm.

Door Openers

Why: Develops grip strength and wrist and shoulder stability.

How: With your arms by your sides and your elbows at 90 degrees, hold one end of a mini or heavy-duty band in each hand, palms down. With light tension in the band, turn your palms up, then down. After 8 to 12 reps, flip your grip and perform the same motion in the opposite direction. This will work your muscles both eccentrically and concentrically.

Forward Lunge with Knee Drive

Why: Targets your posterior chain and hip flexors, and mimics sustained uphill movement.

How: Secure a heavy-duty band to the leg of a couch and loop it around your hips. Maintain a forward lean through your upper body and step your right leg forward into a lunge, knee bent 90 degrees. While straightening your right leg to a standing position, kick your left knee up toward your chest. Step your left leg back to return to a lunge before returning to the starting stance. Do 15 to 20 reps per leg.

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Technically it’s still spring, but at least here at ���ܳٲ������’s home base��in Santa Fe, summer is in the air. After-work hikes have started bleeding over into patio happy hours, without the need for a fire pit to keep us warm. Over drinks, the conversation tends to turn to the vacations staffers have planned—for the first time in nearly a year and a half. Here’s the gear we’ve been using non-stop as we jump head-first into the warm months ahead.

Bearded Goat Summit Shorts ($68)

This month, I’ve been wearing a few pieces from a new-to-me brand, Bearded Goat. The small, Arkansas-based company specializes in do-everything��pieces that you could just as easily wear hiking, floating, or to a barbecue. Their just-launched women’s����($68) are cut perfectly: high-waisted��with roomy legs for ample range of motion and enough space for athletic thighs. That plus the lightweight, quick-drying fabric meant I wore��them for a day of rafting and swimming and brought them along as my only pair of pants on a three-day backpacking trip. The large, zippered pockets are a bonus. I’m also excited about their����($58), an airy cropped muscle-cut top��that I’ve been wearing for mountain-bike rides, trail runs, and��town excursions. —Abigail��Barronian, associate editor

Machines For Freedom Short Sleeve Technical Tee ($78)

The trend of bike clothes that don’t��look like bike clothes may be one of the best things that’s happened to cycling. I’ve been wearing cotton t-shirts and cutoff tank tops on the bike for a few years now, but on big rides I find myself weighing the very real tradeoffs of looking and feeling casual��with wearing a sweat-soaked shirt for hours. That’s why I’m obsessed with this from Machines for Freedom’s spring trail line. The shorter length and flowy cut make for a shirt I’d wear out for dinner, but the lightweight and quick-drying fabric means I don’t have to decide between feeling cute (might delete later) and feeling clammy (might have to burn this tee later). And oh, the way the breeze feels on your back in this shirt … divine.��—Gloria Liu, features editor

Cadence App ($15)

I’ve been testing the new running and biking app����for about two months now. In a sea of fitness apps, Cadence stands out thanks to its simple user interface and customization. You can create your own activity screens and plot out a route the night before, then follow your plan the next morning. I had a ton of fun tracking new trails and loops in the arroyos by my home. The app delivers enough information (grade, lap average, cadence, and more) to satisfy a pro, but is user-friendly enough to satisfy beginner��runners and cyclists. —Abigail Wise, digital managing director

Baboon to the Moon Fannypack 3L ($59)

I’ve had this for well over a year now, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that it became a daily gear staple. It’s the perfect��size for errands, outdoor hangs, and even short hikes. The main compartment holds my keys and wallet, plus hand sanitizer, a multitool, chapstick, and a pen,��all protected by super-durable water-resistant��cordura. Depending on the objective, sometimes I’ll throw in a light layer or a can of hard seltzer. My mask lives in one external zippered��pocket when I’m not using it. In the other outer pocket, I keep a couple of emergency��essentials: tampons, disinfecting wipes, tissues. The wide, comfortable strap adjusts up to 55 inches. But maybe my favorite thing about this bag is the bold, bright yellow colorway, which has never dulled even with daily use and brings me a bit of joy every time I put it on. —Maren Larsen, associate editor

Old Dominick Formula No. 10 Gin ($28)

There is no greater joy in this world than a good gin martini paired with potato chips. It’s especially so when that��martini is made with . Slightly floral, sweet, and less juniper-forward than other gins, it sips smooth and doesn’t taste like you’re drinking a tree. My first drink when I turned 21 was a gin martini (don’t ask me why). It fell into the latter camp of wood-chip-inspired gins��and turned me off from martinis of any kind, until now. This bottle stays in my fridge, ready for perfectly chilled drinks whenever the time calls,��but its beautiful artwork would be a stylish complement to any bar. —Kelsey Lindsey, senior editor

Triangl Maci Swimsuit ($89)

For my first post-pandemic trip, I headed to the ocean. I’d gained some weight during quarantine, and my bikinis were fitting a bit tight, so I started looking for a set that would stay in place in the surf, feel comfortable enough for all-day wear��on long hikes to waterfalls, and be a bit forgiving towards my new body shape. This did all that and more. Its construction and textured fabric was��stylish but durable, and a secure back clasp and straps meant I wasn’t constantly adjusting the��fit. The brand’s variety of options makes me wish I lived closer to the water and had an excuse to buy another set or two. —Erin Riley, senior editor

Therabody Recovery Air ($699)

When it comes to outdoor objectives, I’ve always��lived by the adage “If you are going to be dumb, you’ve got to be tough.” Being both dumb and tough worked well for me until I hit my mid-thirties and began racking up��overtraining injuries. Since then, I’ve��used every tool available to me to try and stimulate recovery. My newest one,��, is by far my favorite. After every big effort during the��past two weeks, I have zipped these airbags over my legs and passively let them cure my ouchies. Forty-five minutes to an hour of the adjustable compression-release cycle stimulates blood flow, which helps speed muscle recovery and minimize soreness.��I ran a tough��sprint workout of my life on a Tuesday afternoon, used the Recovery Air for an hour that night, and felt fresh enough that I could repeat the��effort��the next day. —Joe Jackson, Gear Guy

Forty Five Supima Crew Tee��($35)

When the weather warms up here in New Mexico, my daily outfits become much simpler: T-shirts and khaki shorts.��Out of a substantial��collection of daily tees,��this is I’ve been wearing the most. Its��Supima cotton is soft on my skin, and the relaxed, but not baggy,��fit is airy and keeps me cool when walking around town. And after a few washes, it hasn’t shrunk or become uncontrollably wrinkled. —Jeremy Rellosa, reviews editor

Flint and Tinder 365 Short��($64)

I’ve tested plenty of shorts, but from Flint and Tinder is the one I choose to wear for most activities. It doesn’t tout high-intensity performance, nor is it part of the ultra-delicate crop that you’re afraid to get dirty. Instead, the 365 is meant to be a daily driver. Its no-frills cut is simple and clean-looking enough to wear to the office, and its��stretchy cotton-spandex fabric facilitates city bike rides and easy hikes. —J.R.

Alpine Start Coffee With Benefits ($23)

I gave up coffee about two years ago when I realized that it was just making me feel jittery and exhausted instead of awake and energized. I’ll still drink it from time to time:��in moments of desperation or when I simply crave the taste. But the daily habit is long gone. So, when a sample package of showed up at my home office, I figured I’d have one cup and then pass it off to a colleague. I wound up drinking a mug every morning that week��without any of the dreaded side effects. Perhaps that’s because the mix combines organic coffee and coconut-based��creamer with additives like Lion’s Mane mushrooms and��MCTs, a type of healthy fats��that some say boost brain function and memory. It’s not��a mug of black coffee—more like very milky and��sweet coffee—but it hits the spot for me. —Ariella Gintzler, senior editor

Ten Thousand Lightweight Shirt ($54)

I’m always skeptical of��shirts marketed as lightweight. That word��brings to mind poorly made, staticky, weirdly cut garments that often end up in a landfill. This couldn’t be further from the truth with the . From CrossFit sessions��to hot desert runs, and even as a base layer for cooler bike rides, this shirt does it all. Not to mention it’s stylish and well-made. —Evan Grainger, assistant video producer

Honey Stinger Black Cherry Rapid Hydration Mix ($32 for 24)

I always use a hydration mix when I go for a run or ride here in New Mexico because it’s so damn hot, and regular water just��doesn’t cut it. Most mixes work pretty much the same, so I’ve been choosing based on taste. My new favorite��by a mile��is ��that Honey Stinger just launched. Not only is it refreshing and not too sweet, but it also immediately transports me back to when I was ten and guzzling similarly flavored Kool-Aid after a hot, dusty bike ride with friends. I’m sure I’d find Kool-Aid gross as an adult, but something in this��Honey Stinger flavor profile took me back like a time machine. Now get a silly smile on my face after every sip. —Jakob Schiller, contributing writer

Taxa Outdoors Mantis Overland Trailer ($51,700)

Back in early May, my wife and I spent a weekend in a ��stationed right below the in Moab, Utah.��At 19 feet long, it was one roomiest overland trailers I’ve ever tested, and also one of the most dialed. The layout inside was smart and efficient, and it had everything we needed, including a fridge,��a shower, a stove, and an optional air conditioner. Thanks to a rooftop tent strapped to the rack, it also had enough room to sleep up to six people (we often have our four kids with us, so we need space!). I would never tow the Mantis up a technical road because it’s way too long, but thanks to 14 inches of ground clearance, off-road suspension, and all-terrain tires, I’d have no problem taking it on a rutted forest road to get away from the crowds. —J.S.

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There’s a good��reason runners say “Hills pay the bills.” Not only is hill training crucial for ­rolling courses like the February 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials; it’s also the ultimate workout multitasker. As Rice University women’s track and cross-country coach Jim Bevan explains, running uphill strengthens muscles, boosts speed and agility, stretches the Achilles, and promotes hip extension. That makes it beneficial for everyone. All you need are a pair of shoes, a hill roughly 40 yards long, and about 30 minutes.

These are Bevan’s favorite drills, inspired by running coach and father of hill training . Warm up with a jog or a brisk walk, then do five repetitions of each exercise, walking down in between.

Gentle Start

Why: Hills tax legs differently than level ground. Bevan recommends easing into it with a gentle climb. This will lead to better form and higher aerobic capacity.

How: Keep your eyes focused on the top and ascend at an easy pace. Maintain good posture while lifting your knees and pumping your arms. Leaning slightly into the hill can also be helpful.

High Knees

Why: Boosts reaction time and builds power—useful for skiers and mountain bikers.

How: Starting at the bottom, push off with one foot while driving the other knee up with enough power to get a few inches off the ground. Land, then push off with the leg that was just in midair. “Keep your toes cocked so you land on the ball of your foot and not the toe, and try to come down beneath your center of mass,” Bevan says.

Bounds

Why: Encourages a strong push-off and full hip extension, beneficial for runners and climbers.

How: Push off the ground with one foot, driving your leg up and as far out in front of you as possible while maintaining good posture. Land on the front foot while swinging the back leg forward to repeat on the other side. Your hip flexors should feel a stretch, and your arm swing should help with the movement.

Springy Strides

Why: These are all about improving your coordination, which will come in handy while climbing or trail running.

How: Repeat the steps for bounds, but increase your pace to a stride (one notch below a sprint). You’ll spend less time in the air but generate more power with every push-off, reaching the hill’s peak much more quickly. “Keep your hips high—don’t sit,” Bevan advises. “Relax from your shoulders and neck to achieve a full arm swing.”

Modified Frog Jumps

Why: This exercise strengthens the muscles in your legs, feet, and core. All athletes, especially those who sprint and jump, will benefit.

How: Start with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. Bend down into a half squat while swinging your elbows back and launch yourself up the hill. As you land, go straight back into a half squat and continue the cycle. Don’t come to a complete stop until you’ve finished the sequence. “It’s kind of like a dynamic squat with a jump at the end,” Bevan says. Aim for ten solid frog jumps in each repetition. Once you’ve mastered the modified version, you can progress to full frog jumps, bending your knees 90 degrees.

The post The Ultimate Hill Workout appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

When climber��Beth Rodden was a child, she asked her mom why she��chose to walk, instead of run, with her friends. One of her mother’s friends laughed��and said, “When you have kids, you’ll understand. It’s just not appropriate anymore.” Rodden recounted the memory on last August, next to a photo of herself in wet running shorts. Her six-year-old son, Theo, had asked what happened. “Mom’s pelvic floor never fully recovered after having you, so I pee when I run,” she told him.

The challenges of returning to sports after childbirth go far beyond finding the time and energy as a new mom. When Rodden had Theo, she figured she’d bounce back quickly. After all, her body had already carried her through an illustrious athletic career that included the first free ascent of on Yosemite’s El Cap with Tommy Caldwell and the first ascent of (5.14c), one of the hardest crack climbs in the world, a feat which wasn’t repeated��for ten��years. But her return to sports called for more patience than she expected.

“Being a professional athlete, I just wanted to go back to normal after giving birth, but my body changed a lot,” she says. “That was a huge shift for me to understand and accept.”

She experienced cystocele, also known as , where the bladder drops from its normal position in the pelvis and pushes on the vagina, as defined by the��Mayo Clinic. Then��she dealt with mastitis infections and difficulty nursing. When she returned to climbing around nine months postpartum, Rodden��discovered she had diastasis recti, or split��abs. These��conditions are surprisingly common��postpartum.����that upward��of 60 percent of pregnancies lead to��some degree of diastasis recti. Pelvic-organ prolapse affects nearly ��of pregnant people, and the prevalence of����occurs��in��33 percent of women.

The Pregnant Body

“I wish every single person who goes through a pregnancy, whether they deliver or not, could automatically see a pelvic-floor specialist and have��physical therapy,” says , a doctor of physical therapy and the founder of Boulder Physiolab in Boulder, Colorado. “In an ideal world, you’d have a whole team—an OBGYN, a��physical therapist, a psychologist, a nutritionist, childcare support—to help manage these major physiological and life changes.”

The body undergoes three broad categories of change during pregnancy and childbirth:��hormonal, physical, and postural, Haas explains.

From an athlete’s perspective, an important hormone of��note is relaxin,��which is produced by the ovaries and the placenta. It leads to ligament laxity, particularly in the pelvic area, to accommodate childbirth. That laxity can cause����where the pelvis and spine meet. But��like most hormones, relaxin circulates in the blood and can affect all ligaments, not just those associated with pregnancy. This can result in��other injuries, says Haas, like plantar fasciitis, which is exacerbated by carrying extra weight. And because relaxin continues to have a strong presence throughout breastfeeding, loose ligaments can persist long after childbirth.

Besides the obvious baby bump and weight gain, the musculoskeletal system undergoes many unseen changes during pregnancy. The pelvic structure loosens so the hips can widen, which can also lead to a��bit of external rotation of the hips, says Haas. Joints become unstable. The ribs expand to make more room for the growing baby. Myofascial tissue, such as the pelvic floor and the abdominal wall, begins to expand��from the inside out. The linea alba, connective tissue that forms the vertical centerline of the six-pack,��begins to thin and separate. “Things stretch out,” says Haas, “and they don’t just bounce back like a rubber band after pregnancy.”��Recovery time will look a little different for everyone.

As the body loosens, shifts, and grows, your posture will adapt to accommodate the physical changes. “When you carry something heavy in front of you, for example, you tend to lean back at the shoulders to counteract that force, which means your head is going to come forward, and then your hips and pelvis are going to go into an anterior pelvic tilt,” says Haas. This strains the muscles through the shoulders and neck, the lower back, and the hips.

These are major changes, and returning to pre-baby athletic performance will take time.��“If I could give one piece of advice, I’d say just be patient with yourself and know that it might take you longer to recover, and that’s fine,” Rodden says.

The Workout

Below, Haas and , a pre- and postnatal and a mother of three, share a progressive postpartum core routine and a suggested for returning to activity.

When you think of core workouts, you might think of crunches or seven-minute abs circuits, which mainly target the superficial abs. But postpartum, you want to avoid any type of forward-flexion-based moves, like crunches, for at least a couple of months, says Ziel. That forward folding and engagement��can stress the pelvic floor and exacerbate diastasis recti. The moves in the next section will help you safely improve strength, stability, and posture before fully returning to any sport. They can also alleviate��lower-back pain, since they encourage your body to return to balance and lessen any��stress in that area.

“Always start with smaller ranges of motion, and gradually increase that range as you start getting stronger,” says Ziel. “Listen to your body. If you’re hurting, peeing your pants, or seeing coning of the belly, those are all signs that your body is saying, ‘I’m just not ready yet,’” says Ziel. “Yet is the key word, because you will get there eventually.”

The Moves

Try to fit these in whenever you can throughout the day. “I’d rather see you do 10 or 15 minutes on a daily basis than two hourlong sessions a week,” says Ziel.

Pay close attention to posture and mechanics in every movement, rather than high reps and additional load. It’s always better to do fewer��high-quality reps than more sloppy reps. And be sure to check in with your doctor before increasing your intensity and volume of activity after pregnancy.

Aim for one to three sets per move in each time block, two to three times per week, but don’t worry if they’re not all back to back or even on the same day.

Up to��Two Weeks Postpartum:

Deep Breathing

What it does: Pregnancy stretches the abdominal wall, pushes the diaphragm from its normal position, and changes your breathing patterns. “Over the first couple of weeks postpartum, it’s important to relearn how to breathe and get the cardiovascular-diaphragmatic system back on track,” says Haas. Deep breathing also calms the sympathetic nervous system and relieves stress.

How to do it: Slowly breathe in through your nose for a count of three to four seconds, hold your breath��for three to four seconds, then slowly exhale for another three to four seconds. Repeat. You can do this lying down, sitting, or standing, anytime throughout the day.��

Volume: Aim for at least a few minutes each session��and a total of 10 to 15 minutes per day.

Pelvic Tilt to Hip Roll��

What it does: Activates the pelvic floor and other deep core muscles to prepare them for more challenging exercises in the weeks to come. “ are my initial go-tos��to wake up the core,” says Ziel. “These are very gentle. I look at them more as movements than exercises.”

How to do a pelvic tilt:��Lie��on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Inhale deeply,��letting��your pelvis tilt forward and arching your lower back a little. Then exhale completely as you tilt back your pelvis, flattening��your lower back against the floor. Hold the tension for a second or two. Then inhale once again, allowing your pelvis to tilt forward, and repeat.

How to do a hip roll:��When you’re comfortable with the pelvic tilt, it’s time to add another step. From the same starting position, exhale and tilt back your pelvis, then squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to slowly raise your hips, peeling up one vertebra at a time. At the top, inhale and hold your breath a few seconds, then exhale and slowly roll back down one vertebra at a time. At the bottom, inhale and relax the back of your legs to allow your pelvis to tilt forward. Repeat.

Volume: Aim to perform each movement for 30 seconds to one minute.

Standing Cat-Cow Pose

What it does: Increases��mobility in the spine to improve posture,��along with a gentle activation of the core muscles.

How to do it: Do this just like you would on the floor for classic yoga flow, but standing with your hands on a table, or kneeling on the floor��for balance. Inhale as you��slowly lean your head back, letting your tummy protrude forward��and bringing in��your tailbone to curve your spine backwards. Then exhale as you tuck your tailbone under, letting your head relax forward��and arching your spine. Continue alternating back and forth.

Volume: Aim for 30 seconds to a minute.

Two to Four Weeks Postpartum (with Your Doctor’s Approval):

Hip Bridge��

What it does: Strengthens the core muscles and posterior chain (the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings) through an isometric hold. This move��also gently stretches the hip flexors.

How to do it: Lie on your back,��with your feet flat on the floor and��hip width apart. Engage your core, and squeeze your glutes as you press down through your heels to lift your hips off the floor. Continue rising until your thighs are in line with your torso, then hold the position.

Volume: Aim to hold the position��for 30 seconds.

Bird Dog��

What it does: Strengthens the core, lower back, and glutes while training cross-body stability.��

How to do it: Start in a tabletop position, with your hands below your shoulders, your knees below your hips, and your spine neutral. Slowly lift and extend your opposite arm and leg until they are parallel to the floor (being mindful not to curve your spine or rotate your hips), and pause for a couple of seconds. Then bring your raised arm and leg back in to touch your elbow to your knee beneath your torso, and pause again. Extend them out once again, and repeat. Keep your hips level and your back flat throughout the movement. (Imagine you have a bowl of water on your lower back and don’t want to spill it.)

Volume: Aim for��10 to 15 reps on each side. Rest for 30 seconds or longer, if needed, between sides.

Single-Leg Lower��

What it does: Strengthens the abdominal muscles safely, without forward flexion or extension, along with the hip flexors.

How to do it: Lie on your back, bring your legs up into a tabletop position, then straighten them vertically toward the ceiling,��above your hips. Engage your core to press your lower back against the floor. Then inhale as you slowly lower one leg toward the floor and exhale as you lift it back to vertical. Repeat on the other side, and continue alternating legs each rep. Start with a small range of motion, and gradually increase that range until you can lower your legs to just above the floor without arching your back. If your back begins to arch at any point, decrease the range of motion��or do the exercise with your knees bent to 90 degrees.

Volume: Aim for��10 to 15 reps on each side.

Four to Six Weeks Postpartum:

Modified (Wall) Plank Slide��

What it does: Primarily strengthens the��transverse abdominis, the deepest ab muscles, through an isometric hold.��

How to do it: Place your hands shoulder width apart on a wall or countertop. Engage your core, then walk back your feet as far as you’re comfortable (the farther they are, the more difficult the move). Hold your body in a rigid, straight line from your head to your heels. Then slowly press up with your toes and lower yourself,��as you would for��a��calf or heel raise, which helps with core activation, says Ziel. Continue rocking forward and backward in the plank position for the duration. Focus on your breath.

��Volume: Aim to hold for 30 seconds to a minute.

Kneeling Side Reach��

What it does: Strengthens the transverse abdominis,��the obliques, and the��glutei��medii��(stabilizer muscles at the back of the hip) through a modified side plank, with very gentle flexion and extension of the spine.��

How to do it: Start in a modified��side plank, with your hand planted on the floor below your shoulder, your arm straight, and your bottom knee bent to 90 degrees and��below your hip. Engage your��core, press your shoulder away from your ear, and lengthen your spine. Then raise your free leg out to the side and your free arm toward the ceiling, like a starfish. This is the starting position. If it feels challenging enough, stay here and hold for 30 seconds or longer.

If you feel comfortable, add the reach component to the exercise: inhale, gently reach backward with your free leg and arm, and curve your spine. Then exhale and gently round your spine forward as you bring in your elbow and your knee to tap each other. Inhale to reverse the movement, and repeat.

Volume: Either hold for 30 seconds to a minute or complete five to ten reps��on each side

Double-Leg Lower

What it does: A harder progression��from the single-leg lower, this move continues to safely strengthen the abdominal muscles and hip flexors without flexion or extension.

How to do it: Perform the leg lowers as described above��but with both legs at the same time. Once again, start with a smaller range of motion and gradually progress until you can lower your legs to just above the floor without arching your lower back. Keep your core engaged, and really focus on pressing your back into the floor throughout the movement.

Volume: Aim for��10 to 15 reps.

Six to Eight Weeks Postpartum:

Forearm Plank��

What it does: Builds strength and stability in the deep core muscles (transverse abdominis) through an isometric hold.

How to do it: From a kneeling position, place your forearms on the floor and shoulder width apart, with your elbows directly below your shoulders. Extend your legs behind you, with your feet together and your toes tucked under, so that your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head. Keep your core engaged and your back flat—no sagging, arching, or rotating the hips—and head up so your neck is in line with your spine.��Hold this position until you begin to shake or break form.

Volume: Aim to hold this plank for 30 seconds to one minute or until your form begins to break. If you lose form in less than a minute, begin with multiple shorter holds (such as six reps of 15-second holds, with 15 to 30 seconds of rest between each), and work your way up to a minute.

Side Plank

What it does: Strengthens the core, with an emphasis on��the obliques, through an isometric hold.��

How to do it: Starting on your side, plant one hand on the ground directly below your shoulders, keeping your arm straight. Extend your legs, and stagger your feet heel to toe. Then lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from your feet to your head. Raise your free hand toward the ceiling, and hold this position. Repeat on the other side. Keep your hips vertical and level (don’t let them lift or sag).

If the full side plank is too challenging at this point, try it with your lower knee on the floor instead of your foot. You can also do this with a bent elbow and your forearm on the floor.

Volume:��Aim to hold for 30 seconds on each side.

Single-Leg Straight-Leg Deadlift (Runner’s Deadlift)

What it does: Activates the entire core for balance and stability without flexion or extension, while strengthening the hamstrings and the glutes through a functional movement pattern.

How to do it: Stand on one leg, with a slight bend in your knee. Engage your core, hinge forward at your hips, and lower your torso toward the floor as you lift your free leg behind you. Continue until your upper body and raised leg—which should be on one plane—are parallel to the floor (or as far as you can lower yourself without losing form or knee control). Then reverse the movement for one repetition. Move slowly and in control. Keep your hips level (aim the toes of your raised foot at the floor) and your back flat throughout the movement.

Start with your body weight only and a smaller range of motion. Once you can perform this��exercise with proper form, gradually increase the range of motion and make it harder by holding a weight in your hand on the side of the grounded leg.��

Volume: Aim for��10 to 15 reps on each leg.

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