Why do runners need to strength train?

Please take a look at the picture below.

Ouch.

When I ran early in college, I didn’t do much strength training and you can really tell. I had poor core control, a weak upper body, not a lot of power and I had sloppy mechanics making me a very inefficient runner.

In this photo, I implemented functional strength training to improve my core strength, focusing on hip stabilizers, posture, scapular stabilization, and of course glute exercises. Also, training in different planes of motion was a huge piece of my strength – the lunge matrix is where magic happens. 🙌🏼

By implementing strength, not only did my form improve but I became more efficient, balanced, powerful and a faster athlete.

I encourage you to implement strength into your routine! You will be so happy that you did. Become faster, stronger and less injury prone.

Our next Core for Runners Series start 4/18 at Ann Arbor Running Company Kerrytown and our online Core for Runners Series program is available.

https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/AnnArbor/CoreforRunnersSeries

I believe in strength and nutrition! Do you? 💪🏼🏃🏼‍♀️🍎

5k No Strength – 18:44 ⏩ 5k Stronger Athlete – 17:01

Mile No Strength – 5:18 ⏩ Mile Stronger Athlete 4:50

6k No Strength – 23:45 ⏩ 6k Stronger Athlete – 20:22

Our Core for Runners Class at the Ann Arbor Running Company was a blast last night! This group is getting stronger every week! 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏽‍♂️

If you are looking to improve your running and core strength, check out the Core Classes that I teach in the Ann Arbor Area!

Core for Runners Series

Wednesday’s 6-7 pm at the Ann Arbor Running Company

Drop In’s Welcomed – $10

Core Class Davercise

Tuesday & Thursday 7 – 8 am at Human Performance Collective

Drop In’s Welcomed – $10

Why You Need a Strong Core for Your Sport

A strong core can improve your running posture & speed.

The Core Classes will help you build a solid foundation, improve stability and learn to activate your core properly during your sport.

By adding strength/core training into your routine, your biomechanics are improved by working on weaknesses throughout the kenetic chain which ultimately leads to more efficient form. When you have a stronger core, you are a well balanced athlete and you lower your risk of injuries.

Workout Tip

Before you do a strength/core workout, run or cycle, try adding in a few activation exercises. Activation exercises get your muscles firing properly before your big workout. Activation exercises can also help improve your range of motion.

Activation Exercise Examples

1×10 – bridges, bird dogs, and maybe the Myrtle Routine. 🙌🏼

Adding activation exercises to your routine can help you stay injury free and you can become a stronger athlete. 💪🏼💃🏼🎉 woo hoo!

It is so exciting to see so many people peruse their New Years Resolutions! Stick to it! You got this! In order to stick with your program, you need make sure  you have good form when performing exercises. Executing proper FORM is number 1 to reduce the risk of injury.

A common exercise in programs is the Plank! 

1. Start on your forearms. Make sure your elbows are under shoulders. Keep your head in a neutral position.

2. Brace your core. What does this mean? Do not just brace/flex your 6 pack (rectus abdominis), but engage the transverse abdominis which is located below the rectus abdominis – the inner most layer on the abdominals. Squeeze your glutes and brace! 🙂

3. Raise your knees off of the ground and hold your body in a straight formation. IF your form breaks, please do the modified plank. Same positioning, simply bring your knees to the ground with your hips forward to hold your plank.

Improper Form – When we start to fatigue, that is where our bodies compensate leading to poor form.

1. Keep Your butt down. If it is hard to bring your butt down during a plank, get into a modified plank until your core is strong enough to hold a plank.

2. Don’t Let Lower Back Sink. When your lower back sinks, it means your  lower back & abdominals are not braced. Please get into a modified plank until your core is strong enough to hold a plank.

Be weary of plank challenges. Make sure your form is solid before progressing to the next day.

If you are still having a hard time with these exercises, consider retraining your core. Even if you are the plank master, it is never a bad idea to retrain your core with transverse abdominal exercises. A strong core helps maintain an erect posture. WOOT WOOT!

When you come up with your New Year’s Resolutions this year, make sure your goals are realistic & enjoyable.

The Most Common Health & Fitness New Years Resolution Goals

1. Eating Healthier
2. Working Out
3. Lose Weight

These are wonderful New Years Resolutions to improve your health, however, let me give you some tips to be successful!

Eating Healthier

If your goals are to eat healthier, you don’t have to follow a strict restrictive diet. A lot of diets that exists are gimmicky and unrealistic to maintain weight loss. If you really want to eat healthier, find healthy foods that you actually enjoy (they exists)! If you feel like you have to eat kale all the time to be healthy, you are wrong. You can make healthy food enjoyable by learning how to cook new recipes & cooking different styles by sauteing, baking, or using your crock pot. If you feel like you don’t know much about Nutrition, try to learn the basics on how food affects your body to help you be successful on your wellness journey.

Working Out

If your goals are to start a workout routine, start small & build consistency. Just like eating healthy, find workouts that you enjoy & make your workout routine fun so it is something you look forward to. If you don’t like running, you don’t have to run on the treadmill for an hour to lose weight or tone up. Find another activity that makes you pumped to workout! Join a fitness class, train with a personal trainer, follow an online fitness program or meet up with a friend to get a good workout in! These tips will help your goals become long term habits.

Losing Weight

Most individuals body weight fluctuates 2-6 lbs within the day due to lack of hydration or bloating. Using a scale is not very effective to monitor your progress. If your goals are to lose weight, focus on Body Fat Loss & Inches loss. A Health & Fitness Professional can perform a Fitness Assessment to provide you with a baseline of your body composition and body measurements. It is recommended to be re-assessed every 4 weeks to monitor progress.

Let Kaylin Russeau Fitness help you with your New Year’s Resolutions!

Eating Healthier
Nutrition Education
Meal Plans
Nutrition Coaching Sessions

Working Out
Personal Training – 1 on 1  or Buddy Sessions
Join a Fitness Class in Dundee or  Ann Arbor
Online Fit Program – Weekly Plan with Workouts Tailored to You
Running Specific Strength Programs – Weekly Plan with Workouts Tailored for Your Races

Losing Weight
Body Composition
Body Measurements
Assess effectiveness of nutrition and exercise choices
Assist Program Design
Help estimate healthy body weight

Check out Events at Kaylin Russeau Fitness for 2018!

Contact if you have any questions!

Come hangout at Ann Arbor Running Company for the First Friday in Kerrytown to learn Nutrition Tips for Athletes.

Do you run or exercise? You are an athlete. 🙂 Time to eat like one!

Learn how to nourish your body before exercise & during recovery to maximize your results. Learn fast, easy & tasty recipes made with whole foods that will set you up to be successful in your training goals.

Where: Ann Arbor Running Company – Kerrytown

When: February 2nd 2018 at 6:00 – 6:45 pm

Price: FREE

Sign Up

 

 

Please join us for a fun Holiday Themed Bootcamp! It’s the time of year to spread Fitness Cheer and bring Christmas Joy to Children.

Admission: Toy for a Tot
Toys for Tots accept only new, unwrapped toys. The donations will be dropped off at The Monroe County Toys for Tots
Warehouse.

When: 11/28/2017
Tuesday 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Where: Dundee Middle School (Park behind Middle School by Middle School Track)

Are you looking to gain zero weight during the Holidays? Join Kaylin Russeau Fitness Bootcamp to stay motivated during the Holiday Season!

Who: Our class welcomes all levels of fitness from the beginner to the advanced participant looking to improve their fitness & health by attending a class that is fun, community driven & challenging! Progressions and modifications are provided to make sure you are getting an awesome workout for your fitness level! You are in charge of how much you challenge yourself!

What: This Bootcamp class will be 6 weeks long. Equipment will be used in a circuit format such as dumbbells, kettle bells, battle ropes, a BOSU stability trainer & TRX suspension system.

When: 11/14 – 12/19
Tuesdays 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Where: Dundee Middle School (Park behind Middle School by Middle School Track)

Cost: $40 for 6 weeks ($6.67/class) or $8 Drop In

 

Bootcamp Dates
1/9 – 2/13
2/27 – 4/3
4/17 – 5/22

 

Get ready for Super Fun Spooky themed Bootcamp Class! 👻

Please Dress in Fun Costume & BYOP (bring your own pumpkin). Your Pumpkin will be your piece of equipment for the entire class! So choose the size of the pumpkin wisely! 😉

When: October 24th 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Where: Dundee Middle School  420 Ypsilanti St, Dundee, MI 48131
Price: $8 drop in

Please park behind the middle school by the track, plan to be outside weather permitting. If it is raining, we will be in the middle school cafeteria.

Please email kaylinrusseaufitness@gmail.com or call 419-327-0951 if you have any questions!

 

 

I am Lesa, Kaylin’s mother-in-law. I can tell you how incredibly loving, caring and sweet she is (and she is!) but this is about her ability to create confidence, encourage fitness and healthy lifestyles in anyone who is interested.  

I’ve dabbled in fitness (strolling bike rides, stretching classes/exercises and other minor things – even tried aerobics and Zumba) occasionally throughout my adult life but mostly I’ve spent it chasing four kids and cheering them on in their various sports. I was the queen of “bleacher butt”!  Then it came “empty-nest” time. Finally, time to sit and/or lay on the couch. Laziness and weight gain was my reward. I don’t know how much weight I gained during my pregnancies, but I think I was getting there again.

I decided to take control and lost weight, mostly by watching what I ate. Physical activity still wasn’t a thing.   Then Kaylin started teaching boot camps and, of course, I wanted to show support of her. She was so encouraging and supportive. Everyone there was at a different fitness level. She gave many examples of how to do an exercise including adaptions for beginners to those stronger. She has us do things timed so that you do them at your own pace. If you can only do three push-ups on your knees while the person next to you does 20, so what?  Was I sore?  YES!!  Did I go back?  Yes!! I eventually stared increasing the amount of reps, started feeling stronger and seeing body parts become tighter. She is always encouraging and motivational.

After about a year of boot camps, I out-of-the-blue decided I was going to try to run in the 5k race Alex and Kaylin put on in memory of Felisa Barnes. I have always helped out at this event. I’ve seen all ages and fitness levels out there giving it their best. Kaylin has gotten my confidence level up to this point. I set a goal to run all 3.1 miles without stopping to rest or walk. When I started boot camp I could barely run around a small gym one time. Now I’m planning to do a 3.1?  What?  

Once Kaylin found out, she continued to check on my progress and encourage me. She was proud of every step I made. I started out walking/running almost daily. Some days progressing, some days not doing as well. I was able to increase my distance and endurance. As race day neared, I still wasn’t able to go the whole 3.1 without at least pausing. She had WAY more confidence in me than I did. With Kaylin and family encouraging me, I actually did it. I ran the whole thing! 

 It’s something I never thought I’d want to do, let alone actually do it!!  Kaylin is a “boss”!  She makes an awful workout seem fun and she loves seeing her clients change their attitude and fitness outlook. Each session is unique. Her theory is “it’s your workout – you get what you put in”. So true. I lovingly call her “Evil” and I whine a lot while doing it, but she sticks by me and it’s paid off. I love her spunky, positive outlook on what most people dread – fitness!!  I recommend Kaylin Russeau Fitness to anyone and everyone!!  “Do your best and have fun – like a boss”!!!

Do you have a Fall race you are training for but need some coaching guidance in order to reach your PR? Let Russeau Endurance design an individualized plan for you whether is it a 5k – 1/2 marathon – Marathon.. We got your back!

Our training programs are designed to build mileage safely to keep you healthy for the long run! 😉  We will build a solid base then prepare you with workouts to get you ready for race day!

You will receive your training plan 1 month at a time. We will make adjustments as needed to your training program based on your progress.

Your program will be designed based on your current fitness level.

How is Russeau Endurance Training Plans different from other plans?

Our training plans are individualized because no two runners are the same! With your plan, you will receive weekly accountability to reflect on the runs during the week & to set new goals for the upcoming week. Our number 1 belief is that you always listen to your body!

We run the easy days easy & workout days as prescribed in your log. We take our recovery days seriously. Recovery is where runners see the most improvement in their running abilities!

In our training plans, the program starts with a solid base phase that last 8 weeks. After base phase, we will start a 2 week rotation where you do a mix bag of runs with a variety of efforts including hills repeats, threshold,  interval work, aerobic progressive and easy runs to aid in recovery.

In every 2 week cycle, you train different energy systems to challenge your body to create a versatile runner excelling in endurance and in speed.

Program Includes

• Personalized Training Plan for Race (8 weeks to 20 weeks based on race distance)
• Weekly Emails
• Prehab Routines
• Professional Running Log
• Nutrition Information

How to get started?

• Create a gmail account so you have access to google sheets
• Download Strava App
• Email any questions to kaylinrusseaufitness@gmail.com
• Fill out Survey

How much does an Individualized Plan cost?
$10 / week – Minimum Payment is 10 weeks

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