Any runner who wishes to become stronger and faster has to incorporate some exercises besides running. For advanced runners, a challenging exercise routine can mean better endurance when performing and a stronger body, which can help prevent running injuries. Since running works all the major muscle groups, it is important to adopt an advanced exercise routine that works all those same groups.
Advanced Exercise Routine No. 1
This routine incorporates the abdominals, biceps, calves and chest. The first set of exercises consists of three abdominal routines, including three sets of 25 repetitions of decline oblique crunches, plate twists and toe touches. Allow for three minutes rest between each set.
Next, perform three bicep exercises, starting with alternate hammer curls, then preacher curls and finish with EZ bar curls, doing 8 to 12 repetitions for three sets each. Give yourself three minutes of rest after each set and attempt to perform sets two and three of each exercise with added weight.
The calf routine includes calf presses done on a leg press machine, dumbbell single calf raises and rocking standing calf raises. Each exercise is performed three times with 8 to 12 repetitions and three minutes of rest between sets. Try to add weight for sets two and three of each exercise.
Finish the overall exercise routine with a chest routine. Begin with the machine bench press, decline dumbbell flyes and bent arm barbell pullovers. Do three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for each exercise with three minutes rest between sets. Again, attempt to increase the weight for sets two and three of each exercise.
Advanced Exercise Routine No. 2
This routine incorporates the back, hamstrings, shoulders and abdominals. Begin with bent-over barbell rows, followed by close-grip front lateral pull-downs and back extensions. Perform three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for each exercise with three minutes of rest between sets.
Next, move on to the hamstrings and begin with barbell lunges, then Romanian dead-lifts and finish with lying leg curls. As with the back exercises, perform each hamstring exercise three times doing 8 to 12 repetitions. Allow for three minutes of rest between sets and try to increase the weight for sets two and three of each exercise.
The third muscle group focused on in this routine is the shoulders. Start with standing dumbbell presses. Follow these with Smith machine behind-the-neck presses and close with reverse flyes. Again, do sets of three with 8 to 12 repetitions, increasing the weight for sets two and three. Take three-minute rests between sets.
The final muscle group for the routine features the abdominals. Begin with hanging leg raises, then basic crunches and finish with side jacknife exercises. Each exercise gets three sets of 25 repetitions with three minutes of rest between sets.
Advanced Exercise Routine No. 3
The third routine focuses on the quadriceps, abdominals, trapezoid and triceps. Start the routine with some wide-stance barbell squats, then hack squats and close with leg presses. Do three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for each exercise with three minutes of rest between sets. Try to increase the weight for sets two and three of each exercise.
Next come the abdominals. Begin with flat bench leg pull-ins, then do ab crunches on a machine and finish cable crunches. Each exercise gets three sets with 25 repetitions. Allow three minutes of rest between each set.
For the trapezoid, begin with barbell shrugs, then perform barbell shrugs behind the back and close with cable shrugs. Do three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for each exercise and try to add weight for sets two and three. Give yourself three minutes of rest between sets.
Finish the routine by working the triceps. First, do triceps push-downs, then perform dips on the dip machine and close with triceps extensions lying on the floor using a cable. Again, each exercise gets three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions and sets two and three should be performed with increased weight. Between sets, rest for three minutes.
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