Reduce hamstring injuries- Advice from Hall of Fame Coach Jim Bush

Hamstrings got you down? Two or three times a week, run a few 50 meter strides backwards, mixed in with regular forward strides. Make sure you are warmed up and have a smooth, flat and safe surface on which to run. Your local track or soccer field would be ideal. Coach Bush has his runners complete two backward strides before the intense portion of their running workout. After the hard workout, the runners complete two additional backward strides before the warm down phase. For the rest of us regular runners who aren’t doing fast running, simply do some forward and backward strides during or immediately after your run. Coach Bush reports greatly reduced likelihood of hamstring injuries. Jim Bush is a Hall of Fame track coach who’s been leading teams and individuals to National, World and Olympic titles for more than 50 years.

Fartlek is Swedish for speed play, and it is one of my favorite workouts. Looking back on my training logs for both high school and college, I noticed that my HS pr's and lifetime pr's were set when I was doing Fartlek one day a week. The workout is fun and adds variety to your routine. First, find a soft surface: a park, golf course, or flat beach are good options. Warm up by jogging 15 minutes and then do five to eight easy strides for about 80 meters. Do two to four backward strides for hamstring injury prevention. (See Hamstring Tip) Next, be creative and play…mix up short, medium, and longer distances for your fast running. Mix up the fast segment to include some quick bursts during your fast portion. Mix up the rest time. If you pass a hill, charge up it a few times. Run to the big oak tree or other landmark and when you get there stop and do 15 push-ups. Concentrate only on the immediate task—never worry about the “next” fast section. And the most important thing is to have fun; don’t use a stopwatch or track. You should have zero pressure to perform. The Fartlek phase can last any amount of time that you choose…just don’t overdo it. Finish up with five or 10 minutes of easy jogging and look forward to next week! You'll be amazed how easy and fun it can be to get into great shape. —Jim Hill, SportHill President