How Fit Are You?


Thursday, May 27, 2010, 12:00 am
Beth Bischoff


A strong core—the muscles in your abdominals, back, and glutes—gives you stability, power, and endurance. "If your core muscles can't support your pelvis, it will drop, which causes your hips, knees, and ankles to lose proper alignment," says Michael Fredericson, M.D., a professor of sports medicine at Stanford University. "When this happens, you can't absorb forces appropriately, and your muscles fatigue quickly."


TEST IT: Plank Get in plank position on your elbows. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your ankles. Once in position, time how long you can maintain it with perfect form (don't let your hips hike up).




GreatYou can hold the position for two minutes without breaking perfect form.
GoodYou can hold the position for 90 seconds without breaking perfect form.
FairYou can hold this position for less than 90 seconds.

IMPROVE IT: The Sprinter Lie on your back with your hands at your sides, legs straight, and heels hovering six inches off the floor. Start sitting up while elevating your left arm with the elbow bent so it resembles a sprinter's pumping motion. At the peak of the sit-up, bring your right knee toward your chest. Return to the starting position, keeping your legs raised, and repeat with the opposite arm and leg. That's one rep. Do up to 20.


A strong upper body makes it easier for a runner to hold good form, which can improve running economy—how efficiently you use oxygen while running. "The more economical you are, the less oxygen you will use, and the longer you can sustain a given pace," says Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist in New Canaan, Connecticut.

TEST IT: Push-Ups

Complete as many standard push-ups as possible, maintaining good form (don't let your back sag).




IMPROVE IT: Push-Up and Ball-Crunch Combo Get in push-up position with your shins on a stability ball. Complete a push-up, then pull the ball toward your chest. Return to start. Do two or three sets of 10 to 25 reps, resting 30 seconds between sets.


The repetitive motion of running, in which you're using the same muscles in the same way over and over again, can strengthen some muscles more than others. "An imbalance between opposing muscle groups, such as your quadriceps and hamstrings, can lead to muscle pulls and knee pain," Holland says. "Strength training can balance out the lower body and prevent those types of injuries."

TEST IT: Squat Test

Squat down until your glutes graze the seat of a chair. Return to standing. Repeat as many times as possible, maintaining perfect form (knees behind toes).





IMPROVE IT: Walking Lunges

Holding dumbbells, step forward with your right leg and lower into a lunge. Return to standing as you step forward with your left leg and repeat. Continue "walking" for eight to 10 steps. Do three sets, resting 60 seconds in between.


A flexible body is worth striving for--it's more efficient, sees more gains in strength and endurance, enjoys more range of motion, and recovers more quickly. When your muscles are long and pliable, blood flows more freely. This means your muscles, ligaments, and tendons are better nourished and able to rebound faster after you run, says Cathy Morse, a yoga instructor and marathoner in Charleston, South Carolina.

TEST IT: Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

Bend your left knee, and draw your thigh in. Loop a strap or belt around the arch of your left foot, and hold an end of the strap in each hand. Straighten the leg as much as possible while pressing your heel toward the ceiling (shown at right). Walk your hands up the strap until elbows are straight. Gently bring your leg as close to your head as possible. Note the angle of the leg in respect to your grounded leg.



GreatGreater than 90 degrees with leg straight
Greater than 45 degrees with leg straight
GoodGreater than 90 degrees with leg slightly bent
Greater than 45 degrees with leg slightly bent
Fair90 degrees or less
Less than 45 degrees

IMPROVE IT: Runner's Stretch

Stand with your glutes against a wall and your feet six to 12 inches from the wall's base. Bend forward and place your palms on the floor or a yoga block or footstool (shown above). To make it harder: Move your feet closer to the wall. Do this stretch postrun. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds. Do three reps.


Running is an intricate one-foot balancing act. To stay steady on your feet, nerve endings in your joints and muscles (called proprioceptors) sense changes in your body position. Improving your balance can enhance the ability of these proprioceptors to anticipate movement changes so your runs are smoother and faster. Besides, studies show that balance naturally declines with age if you don't actively work on it.

TEST IT: Standing Stork

Place your right foot against your left leg. Start timing. Stop timing when your left foot moves or you lose your balance. Repeat on the other side. Average the times.




Fair25 or less

IMPROVE IT: One-Legged Squat

Place a stability ball between your lower back and a wall. Lift your right foot off the ground and lower down into a squat. Push back to start—but don't lower your right foot. That's one rep. Continue for eight to 10 reps, and then repeat on the other leg.


Most runners realize their muscular flexibility could use some work, but they don't think about the range of motion of their joints. Joint mobility is a measure of how effectively you are able to move your ankles, knees, and hips through a normal range of motion. When these joints are tight, your body recruits other muscles, which then become overworked and vulnerable to injury, says Craig Rasmussen, C.S.C.S., a fitness coach in Newhall, California

TEST IT: Bar Squat

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Press a lightweight bar overhead. Squat down as low as possible, without letting the bar fall forward. Return to standing and do two more times. Repeat the test with your heels elevated on a two-inch-high board.



GreatIf with feet flat on the floor, your torso is parallel to your lower leg throughout the test, your thighs are below parallel to the floor, and you're able to keep your knees aligned with your feet without knees caving inward.
GoodIf you can meet the above parameters, but only with heels elevated on the board.
FairIf you have trouble maintaining form in either heel position.

IMPROVE IT: Squat-to-Stand

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Grab your toes, bending your knees if you need to. Keeping arms straight, pull your glutes down and lift your chest while holding your toes. Reach up one arm, then the other, to form a "Y." Stand up, keeping arms raised. Repeat 10 times.


Whether they're interested in running a personal record or simply finishing their morning five-miler in less time, most runners are interested in getting faster. What you may not realize, though, is that speed training can help prevent injury because it demands that muscles fire hard for a split second. This requires more power than slogging out miles, and therefore builds more muscle that can protect you from the wear and tear of distance running, says Martin Rooney, C.S.C.S., chief operating officer of the Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.

TEST IT: Lap Test

Go to a track and warm up with an easy 10-minute run. Then, using your watch to time yourself, run one lap (which is 400 meters or a quarter-mile) as quickly as possible. If a track isn't accessible, run a quarter-mile on a measured stretch of flat road.


Correction: The "Score It" table that originally ran with this article should have been age-graded. Here are the correct, adjusted times:

Great<60 sec.<65 sec.<70 sec.<75 sec.<80 sec.
<55 sec.<60 sec.<65 sec.<70 sec.<75 sec.
Good60-70 sec.65-83 sec.70-90 sec.75-100 sec.80-110 sec.
55-65 sec.60-75 sec.65-80 sec.70-85 sec.75-90 sec.
Fair>70 sec.>83 sec.>90 sec.>100 sec.>110 sec.
>65 sec.>75 sec.>80 sec.>85 sec.>90 sec.

IMPROVE IT: Speed Drills

"There are two ways to get faster: Increase stride frequency and length," Rooney says. This first drill trains your brain and your muscles to communicate superfast—so your muscles fire quickly to improve stride frequency. The second works the hamstrings and glutes, the two muscle groups that control stride length.

1) Quick Steps Drill Take as many short steps as possible—as quickly as possible—for five yards. Walk five yards, then repeat. Do three sets of five reps. Rest 30 seconds between sets.


2) Straight Leg Bound Run 30 yards, taking as big of a stride as possible while keeping legs straight. Rest 60 seconds. Repeat up to five times.




TEST IT: Treadmill Tempo




IMPROVE IT: Endurance Builders






Age35 AND UNDER35-5050+
Great>4.6 miles>4.2 miles>3.8 miles
>5.2 miles>4.8 miles>4 miles
Good4-4.5 miles3.8-4.1 miles3.3-3.7 miles
4.2-5.1 miles3.9-4.7 miles3.5-3.9 miles
Fair<3.9 miles<3.7 miles<3.2 miles
<4.1 miles<3.8 miles<3.4 miles



TEST IT: Step-Ups


IMPROVE IT: Hill Repeats





Maintaining good posture when you run allows you to breathe fully and prevents you from leaning forward excessively and putting too much stress on your knees, lower legs, and back. But many runners' trapezius muscles can become overactive when their upper back rounds too much and their head juts forward, says Craig Rasmussen, C.S.C.S., a fitness coach in Newhall, California. This creates upper-body tension that trickles down and throws off the alignment of the pelvis, hips, and legs, which can contribute to injuries.

TEST IT: Wall Stance

Stand with your back against a wall, feet hip-width apart and about 12 inches from the base. With palm facing toward the wall, place one hand on the small of your lower back as you press your lower back lightly against the back of your hand.


GreatWith your head level, your butt, upper back, and back of your head are in contact with the wall.
FairEither your head, butt, or upper back have to strain to make contact with the wall, or don't touch the wall at all. This is an indication that you have too much curve in your upper back, a forward head position or a combination of both.


These exercises improve your thoracic mobility (spine flexibility), which prevents your back from rounding forward when you run. Do each exercise daily.

Back Roll — Lie on your back with a foam roller positioned below the base of your neck at the top of your shoulder blades. Slowly roll down to just below the bottom of your shoulder blades, then back up. Continue for 30 to 60 seconds.

Quadruped Rotation Extension — Get on your hands and knees and place the palm of your right hand on the back of your head. Bring the right elbow down toward your left knee. Next, rotate and extend the upper half of your torso by bringing the right elbow toward the ceiling. Repeat on the opposite side. That's one rep. Do 10.


Tags: RW June 2010