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Australian running drills expert and triathlon coach Graeme Turner was told by doctors that he should never run again because he had destroyed his knees playing sports.
But he refused to listen, and instead used his knowledge of physics to train his body to run in a way that did not stress his joints. He is now both a triathlon coach as well as a wealth of knowledge of running drills.
In this audio interview with Graeme, you’ll find out:
-Why most running drills are bad for you…
-The most common mistakes people make when performing running drills…
-Which running drills are best and how to do them correctly…
-Simple verbal cues to think about while you’re running…
During the interview, Graeme discusses several videos. Here they are (more videos to come soon):
Toe Up Drill:
Lean Drill:
Dog Poo Drill:
Questions, comments or feedback? Leave them below!
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Ben,
I liked the interview with some great pointers and I agree, too many times, they are being done/taught incorrectly…however when I first saw it on Twitter this morning with the title "Why Running Drills are Bad for You" I thought this man has lost his mind until I listened…just a misleading title…a great marketing ploy to get us to the site??!! Thanks for the getting the information out there.
Great interview.
Running with higher knees is helping my alignment and should cause less injury.
I always felt better running uphill. Downhill running was was painful on my knees.
Now I feel great on the downhills with higher knees.
Next, I need to find my perfect swim stroke. Maybe a future podcast
Sorry I don’t do PayPal.
Thanks Ben, for the great podcasts.
Check out swimsmooth.com
A couple of questions
1) What's the best frequency to do Running Drills? Once a week or more?
2) How to best incorporate these drills into a Training Program? the day before a Long Run? mid-week? the day after a Long Run?
Because running drills are about muscle memory frequency is important. I typically do 10 mins of drills before each run so 3-4 times a week. Drills like toe up can also be done during runs as a 'check-in' but be careful you don't do this one too much as it can put strain on the small muscle at the front of the shin (tibialis anterior)
My swim warm up is typically drill based as well rather than just swimming laps i.e. drills are a great form of warmup as they help engage or switch on the correct muscles and nerve pathways.
Impressive that you were able to keep a straight face when talking about the dog poo drill. I like it!
Thanks for the great info! I have been struggling with a hip issue for the past 3 years; I can finally run again but knowing how to do these drills correctly is awesome.
Hi Ben,,
The interview and the videos were great! I've been doing the a-b-c running drills (and I also take my shoes off and run barefoot at the end of every run) for a couple of years now with great success. It's encouraging to actually see from the videos that I'm doing the drills shown correctly, or at least I think so. I also like to throw in some backward and sideways running drills as well. Graeme didn't mention those so I was wondering if he could give us some advice or comment on those drills. Maybe there is some reason why I should not incorporate them in my running drills? Thanks!
Todd. I do use backwards and sideways drills but these are more as a muscle engagement exercise for the hamstrings and glute medius rather than to help improve technique. Glute Medius is one of the primary, and most ignored, muscles in stabilising the stride so I tend to include warmups (specifically side to side cross overs) for this muscle before most sessions.
Excellent Graeme! Thanks for replying and your explanation.The side to side and backward movements are really great warmups. I still will probably incorporate them occasionally during a long run; it seems to "refresh" the old legs … but I like to do them in sections of my run where nobody is watching … people think I'm crazy enough already, especially when I take my shoes and socks off!