Increasing upper body / arm strength

Indie_Kid

My running coach says I need to do this if I am going to run a marathon.

He mentioned badminton, squash and tennis. None of which I can play due to being uncoordinated.:o

I can't do weights either due to an ongoing shoulder injury.

I currently swim and go to the gym. At the gym, I use a rowing machine, bike and handcycle.

sofiar

plank and press ups x

fairy_lights

Can you do push ups, or would that be difficult with your shoulder injury?
I don't understand why you need upper body strength to run a marathon

Indie_Kid

fairy_lights wrote: »

I don't understand why you need upper body strength to run a marathon

I assume it's because you need your arms (and legs!) to help push you along. Thankfully, it's flat.

thx1138

Indie_Kid wrote: »

I assume it's because you need your arms (and legs!) to help push you along. Thankfully, it's flat.

This is a matter of some controversy. I ran my first marathon with no upper body work at all, finishing in 3.14. Likewise my 10k was 34.56 and my 5k was 16.26. These days I do upper body work though I am in a much-advanced age category to my marathon days so comparisons would be meaningless.

In other words, plenty of people run perfectly decent times without upper body work. I very much like the idea of it, but freely acknowledge that it might not matter that much.

VfM4meplse

Have you thought about using an exercise ball? You can do all kinds of workouts on it, including press-ups / the plank. Plus it is great for posture, I much prefer to sit on this than the sofa.

My best investment yet, outside of the stuff I buy at Poundland

thor

thx1138 wrote: »

This is a matter of some controversy. I ran my first marathon with no upper body work at all, finishing in 3.14. Likewise my 10k was 34.56 and my 5k was 16.26. These days I do upper body work though I am in a much-advanced age category to my marathon days so comparisons would be meaningless.

In other words, plenty of people run perfectly decent times without upper body work. I very much like the idea of it, but freely acknowledge that it might not matter that much.

Well Mo Farah and Haille Gebrselassie do not look like they could bench press all that much but they can shift around 5K and beyond at an inhuman pace. For sprinting however that is another matter. I would guess that having a strong upper body will give the extra power needed to propel the rest of the body across 100/200m.
Btw, very impressive PBs.

Weird_Nev

With a shoulder injury almost everything is off the cards! I was going to recommend chin ups and press ups as a start point.

How about resistance bands? They're commnonly used to rehab shoulder injuries, and resistance can be light but meaningful.

Eitehr that or light dumbells to do shoulder presses, lying presses, and shoulder flyes.

Oh, and if you do have problems with your shoulder, mostly they can be combatted by ensuring that you retract your scapula (shoulder blade) before performing resistance movements. To do this you shrug your shoulders to your ears, roll your shoulders backwards, then pull them down and back. You should feel tnesion across your upper back. This properly locates and supports your rotator cuff, preventing injury. You should do this for bench presses, push ups, chin up, dips, overhead presses: basically any movement where the shoulder is under load.

See professional physiotheraphy/advice before loading that poorly shoulder up though.

cherryblossomzel

Weird_Nev wrote: »

How about resistance bands? They're commnonly used to rehab shoulder injuries, and resistance can be light but meaningful.
should do this for bench presses, push ups, chin up, dips, overhead presses: basically any movement where the shoulder is under load.

I was going to say resistance bands also. They're really good and you can control how much resistance they give, so perfect for injuries.