inhibit your running. Consider, for example, the massive quadriceps of some professional cyclists – some of them seem to hang over their knee-caps: great for cycling, but useless for running.I use strength training less to run fast or to look good

dumbbell in each hand, and drop your hips into a squat, keeping quadriceps parallel with the floor. Lift your right foot and take a big step to the side, shift your weight, and bring your right leg under you. Continue for 10 steps to the right then switch

allow your muscles to function at high intensity for long periods without fatigue – in their quadriceps muscles than those who did all their running on flat terrain. Heightened aerobic power in your quads gives you improved knee lift while running

running uses a lot of quadriceps muscle fibres, and this is the best way to build the quadriceps," Rosa told me recently. "In Italy, we use the gym also, but the Kenyans do not have any gyms, so we run hills."Medical research isn't exactly brimming

:07:14, it was still well outside Paul Tergat's world record of 2:04:55.Waitz didn't know it at the time, but there was a simple reason for her collapse. Her quadriceps muscles – the big group of muscles just above the knee – had been punished beyond their limit by too

’m not generally a believer in Ultimate Simplicity As The Solution To Everything, but it would have an undeniable appeal in this overweight, under-exercising world.However, according to our transatlantic cousins, we don’t need to imagine this idyllic scenario

– this might go against your natural reflexes, but will actually reduce the strain placed on your muscles. Strengthening your ankles and quadriceps through cross-training (cycling or hill-walking for example) and leg-specific exercises can also help reduce your

quadriceps and hamstrings) are both included in your programme. Training these muscles can improve your performance and also lessen the risk of knee injury. And don’t forget the abdominals; they form a crucial link between the upper and lower body.If you

, decreasing the load as they switch over to track training in April and May. The emphasis is on squats and leg extension exercises, but it’s better to follow an all-round programme, including work on hamstrings and quadriceps, to maintain a balanced

altering your stride, however, simply remember to stretch regularly, so that your quadriceps, hamstrings and calves (the major muscle groups that surround and support your knees) are as flexible as can be.Tip from the trenches: “Over the years, I’ve learned