2 sets of this routine takes ~12-15 minutes to complete

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Plank

How to do it: In a prone position, prop your weight on your forearms and toes. Keep a straight line from your head to your feet and brace your abs to maintain a neutral position.

Why it works: The plank helps us build the core strength necessary for a more efficient running form. It strengthens the core, hips and back.

Lateral leg raise

How to do it: Lie on your right side with legs extended. Lift your left leg up, keeping your hips steady and facing forward. Lower the leg and repeat the move. For an additional challenge, place a resistance band around your ankles.

Why it works: This exercise targets the “external rotator” muscles on the side of your hip and helps to make sure that your hips are strong.

Clam shells

How to do it: Lie on your side with your legs together, pulling your knees up so your thighs are perpendicular to your stomach and bending your knees, forming is a 45° angle. Now you will raise your top knee up, while keeping your feet together; lift slowly until you feel the exercise in your hips, then return to the original position. If this is not challenging enough, you may wrap an elastic band around your knees to add resistance.

Why it works: My number one exercise for IT band treatment. It strengthens the gluteus medius, a muscle that lies toward the back of the upper hip and is necessary for stabilizing the hips and legs as we run.

Bridge

How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent. Squeeze your glutes and engage your abs as you push your pelvis toward the ceiling to form the bridge position, so that your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.

Why it works: You need strong glutes to power your run. Performing bridges strengthens and activates your glutes, engages your core and is an active hip flexor stretch.

Squats

How to do it: Stand with feet just wider than hip-width apart. Send hips back, then bend knees to lower down as far as possible while keeping your chest lifted. You should lower down until thighs are at least parallel to floor. Press through heels and engage glutes to return back to the starting position. 

Why it works: It helps improving knee mobility. It strengthens the knee by focusing on large lower body muscles: the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

Side steps

How to do it: Put a resistance band around your ankles. Starting with the feet shoulder-width apart and the knees slightly bent, take 15-20 steps to the right, then 15-20 steps to the left. Move slowly, stepping wide enough to feel the band’s resistance, and think about pushing the knees out (rather than allowing them to collapse inward).

Why it works: This exercise helps stabilize your hips and pelvis while running by strengthening the gluteus medium.