hips and core

[2/1/06 Wednesday]
Swim - 2750 yd, 51:47 - mixed workout with 4 x 400
Run - 2 miles, 20 min - treadmill workout
Hip/Core Series

My runner's knee is a symptom of weak hip muscles that result in extra stress being put on the knee. In physical therapy I have been given a series of hip strengthening exercises. Regular lower body weight-lifting exercises that involve bending the knee are not good for my knee right now, so I have replaced it with a series of natural movement exercises for the lower body that target primarily the hips and core. This is my current routine:

1. Side step with elastic band around ankles (3 x 20 steps each direction)

2. Raised-knee walk with elastic band around ankles (3 x 20 steps each forward/backward)

3. Walk and raise knee as high as possible on each step (around 250 steps)

4. Side lunge (3 x 20 each direction)

5. Speed-skater step (3 x 10 each direction)

6. Speed-skater step and touch opposite side (3 x 10 each direction)

7. Speed-skater step and touch same side (3 x 10 each direction)

8. Outer adductor weight machine (4 x 15)

9. Standing calf raise (4 x 15)



[1/31/06 Tuesday]
Swim - 1750 yd, 33:41
Bike - 60 minute spin class
Upper body weights, Abs (300)

I went to the west side Princeton Club to swim this morning, which I don't usually do. I guess I should have checked the pool schedule because my swim got cut short when a water aerobics class started at 8am. I was planning to swim 3000yd but only made it to 1750. Sadly, I was totally in my groove of doing 400yd repeats with negative splits at the time.