Building strength in your lower body will boost your speed and make the K’s feel easier.
To power your long runs and track workouts, building strength in your legs is a must. Doing so will not only help you get faster, but it’ll also make those K’s feel easier.
Incorporating lower-body workouts into her routine regularly is how heptathlete Chari Hawkins stays at the top of her game. The 29-year-old competed for Utah State University, where she was a standout in the heptathlon and pentathlon—she won the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and finished second in the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships as a freshman. During her sophomore, junior, and senior years, she consistently finished in the top 15 at the championships of both events.
After graduating, she won bronze at the 2016 U.S. Indoor Championships, came in 12th at the 2019 World Championships, and is currently training for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Even though you’re probably not jumping hurdles or throwing a shot put, Hawkins’ leg workout still comes in handy for tackling your own personal running goals.
In the YouTube video above, Hawkins demonstrates a 20-minute leg workout that you can do at home on any cross-training day to run faster and stronger. The best part? You don’t even need any equipment. Here are the exercises she includes:
- Squat to Calf Raise
- Single-Leg Squat
- High Knee Drive to Curtsy Lunge
- Scissor Jump
- Lateral High Knees
- Single-Leg Lunge
- Glute Bridge March
