How To Run Faster And Longer Without Getting Tired Or Injured


7 Steps To Better Running Form


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hamstring foam rolling

Don’t Stretch Your Hamstrings

In this article:

  • why stretching your hamstrings may not be the solution for you
  • how to tell if your hamstrings are really short, or if another imbalance is causing the excessive tension
  • how to release short, tight hamstrings if that’s really your problem

Sometimes what we think is a problem is really just a symptom.

And treating symptoms is utterly ineffective in the long run. We have to get down to causes and conditions.

If you have a feeling of tightness in your hamstrings, the hamstrings themselves may not be your problem. You may have a muscle imbalance that is keeping your hamstrings tense as a compensating mechanism.

One common imbalance is lower cross syndrome. In this imbalance pattern, the glutes are inhibited and underactive. This forces the hamstrings to hold more tension as they pick up the slack.

Also the shortness of the hip flexors and quadriceps on the front of the body pull the pelvis into a forward tilt which puts the hamstrings at a mechanical disadvantage. This creates more tension in the hamstrings.

This imbalance can rob you of performance and precipitate injuries. For more on this check out this article.

But for some, the hamstrings are short and could really use some lengthening. If the hamstrings are short, your posture will show it. Your pelvis will be tilted back like dog tucking his tail under.

pelvic tilt

From: BretContreras.com

If your pelvis is like the one on the left above, and your hamstrings feel tight, then it will be better for you to focus on correcting your imbalance.  Don’t worry about lengthening your hamstrings until you address the imbalance. Click here for the article.

If your pelvis is like the one on the right above, then hamstring lengthening will probably help tremendously. I recommend  self myofascial release techniques along with some integrated stretching. Check out the video below for my favorite way to tune up the hamstrings.

Here is an integrated way to stretch and loosen your hamstrings:

For more on foam rolling for runners, click here.

Author:
Nick Ortego is a health coach specializing in biohacking for runners. He integrates modern methods with the ancient wisdom of yoga to help runners get the most out of every aspect of life. He is the owner of N 2 Action, a wellness studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, offering personal training, health coaching, yoga, and fascial stretch therapy.

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Transcripts for Videos

How to Loosen Your Hamstrings

Hey, Nick Ortego here. I’m gonna show you how to do this integrated hamstring stretching kind of movement with the suspension trainers. Two separate suspension trainers, lifeline jungle gym. Step back a little bit.Place my hands on the handles, then the movement is to reach my arms forward, bending at the hips, and push my hips back. So the hips go back, arms and the crown of the head go forward, try to lengthen my spine as much as possible. Sometimes, when the hamstrings are tight it’s gonna look more like this. More of a rounded spine. What you wanna do there is just focus on reaching forward with the arms and crown of the head pushing the hips back. Set a weight into your heels. Feel like you’re on your heels. That will push your heels back. Kind of shift the toes, pedal out the legs. From here, kind of a functional movement. In a sense, imitating a walking pattern. Also, bring your feet real close together or have them somewhat spread. Play with the distance between the feet. That’s just a good way to use suspension trainers. Open up the hamstrings a little. The upper body support allows them to relax a little more than you would just trying to bend over and touch your toes. The arms extended up by the ears make it a little bit easier to keep your spine nice and long because the lats help to pull lumbar spine into some extension. So, overall it facilitates good, open, relaxed, lengthy hamstrings. Very functional pattern. Found benefit from this video? Do me a favor and leave a comment below. If you’d like to get more access to content that’s not available on the blog, not available on the regular Youtube channel, just click this link and you’ll have a chance to do that. Thank you.

 

Run Better Now Coaching

Do you want to love running again?


So there I was after my first marathon.


I was hurting and I could barely walk. I could walk but I looked 50 years older than my 29 years.


I had fallen in love with running about 8 months earlier when I was on a family vacation. I ran every day near the beaches in Florida. Not Florida in July, but Florida in April.


The warm sun.


The cool breeze.


They combined with the steady rhythm of my feet hitting the ground and the wavelike motion of my breathing. It hypnotized me into a state of euphoria.


I went home from that vacation and immediately signed up for my first ever marathon.


But here I was now 8 months later and I couldn't bear the thought of running. I resigned to the idea that running just wasn't for me, or my body. It was like an abusive lover. It just beat me up too much.


I stopped running and just focused on other exercises.


Then one day a I was walking my little wiener dog at a local park wearing some five fingers. Those are the barefoot toe shoes that were trendy back then.


I looked at my little dog and he seemed to want to run. I decided to do a little sprint.


And it felt phenomenal. I loved running again. Everything was flowing, my form felt effortless. A eureka moment happened.


You see, when I was training for the marathon, I had tried to implement better running technique principles to no avail. My form would just go back to my default setting once I got even a little tired.


I knew what good running form looked like. I have a degree in the science of human movement. I did most of my biomechanics projects on running when I was in college. I read all the books about better running form. I tried to use the principles that I knew.


But I had been unable to put it into practice.


Now something had changed.


When I was not attached to running a certain distance or speed, I ran much better. I started treating running as a skill I was developing, rather than a mode of cardiovascular conditioning I was using to condition my body.


It worked. I enjoyed running again. I took another deep dive into studying the biomechanics of running. I was able to practice the principles of better running.


Since then, I've run several marathons faster than that first one that left me feeling crippled.


I've run a 50k and 100 mile ultra-marathons without feeling beat up.


That's a lie. I felt pretty demolished after the hundred miler. But that's to be expected.


I love running again.


But it hasn't been all rainbows and unicorns. I've made mistakes and learned. I got over-zealous with the little barefoot toe shoes and had to fix my plantar fasciitis again. (I'm prone to it apparently.)


Prevention beats treatment is one of the most valuable lessons I learned, by the way. I haven't had the plantar fasciitis issues in over 8 years now though.


As a trainer, I started using what I knew about corrective exercise and motor learning to help people run better.


And now, with the current state of internet technology, I can offer coaching online. I created a 3-month coaching program called Run Better Now Coaching.


With the Run Better Now coaching program you get all this.




  • You will improve all of your movement patterns so that you can run with optimized mechanical efficiency. This means a smoother, easier experience each time you run.

  • You will learn how to improve other lifestyle factors that can make or break your running performance. This includes nutrition, stress, sleep, and recovery.

  • No guesswork. You get a specifically detailed program specifically designed for your body and your schedule delivered on my online platform with instructional videos and unlimited feedback.

  • Constant guidance. Each week we meet remotely to adjust your program based on how it's going for you.

  • Unlimited consulting.  I answer all your questions by email or through my online training platform.


Click here to sign up for the 3-month program,  or read more if you're curious.


How Online Coaching Works


Here is what your get:




  • Movement Evaluation: An initial evaluation of your movement patterns and running form through video.

  • Program Design: An exercise and running program designed specifically for your needs, goals, and time constraints.

  • Unlimited Q & A: My online coaching platform allows you to send me messages and videos. I answer your questions and give you feedback for improving your technique.

  • Weekly Coaching Sessions: We meet online each week throughout the 3 month program for accountability and encouragement as well as program troubleshooting.

  • Integrated Health Coaching: I coach you on the other aspects of a healthy lifestyle that can make or break your running. This includes better sleep, nutrition, recovery, and stress management. 


Sign up for the Run Better Now (3-month) coaching program.


Movement Evaluation


I send you the instruction video and then you video yourself performing a set of movements and running. It's easy with your smart phone or other device.


I evaluate how you move and design a movement optimization program based on your movement patterns. I post your program and you log in to your account to view it. It comes with video demonstrations and instructions.



Customized Exercise Program


In addition to the movement optimization program, I design a running technique and strength training program just for you. I design it around your schedule and based on your abilities.


We periodize your program based on your races or events. We design the program and shift the variables so that your performance peaks at the specific time when you want to be your best.



Unlimited Consulting


You get unlimited questions answered by email or over the online coaching platform. The online platform allows you to attach videos to messages.


If you have any questions about your technique, just shoot a quick video of yourself with your smart phone or other device. Attach it to a message and send it to me.



Weekly Sessions


We meet up to 4 times a month throughout the 3-month program for accountability or encouragement. During this session, we can also troubleshoot your program and game plan for any upcoming events.


You get access to my personal calendar to set your coaching sessions up at your convenience. No back and forth messaging about available times necessary.



Integrated Health Coaching


So many things outside of running can affect your running. I coach you on those things as well. I can teach you how to get better quality sleep, recover better, beat stress, improve your mindset, eat better, and optimize your cognitive performance.


With the Run Better Now coaching program, you CAN run faster and longer with greater ease and without pain.


Get Started Now on the Run Better Now 3-Month Coaching Program
Nick Ortego
 

Nick Ortego has been a fitness professional since 1998. He holds a BS in kinesiology and is certified by the American Council on Exercise as an advanced health and fitness specialist, health coach and group fitness instructor. Ortego is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) with Yoga Alliance, a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, and a Certified Kettlebell Teacher with the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation.

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