Dr. Marie Whitt / Strength Coach for Runners

The ULTIMATE RUNNING FITNESS HACK 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 . . . did you catch that absolutely bonkers percentage in there?? Reduce training by 75%?????? 🤯🤯🤯🤯 That was on purpose 😉 To show you, that by chilling out Dropping activity levels Running Lifting Even by 75%!!! For 1 WEEK Will NOT set you back! Promise. A down week or de-load week or off week Are ALL THE SAME THING. A time to let your body recover a little extra and harvest all of those running and fitness gains you've worked so hard for! (And honestly, a down week can be a drop anywhere form 15% to that wild 75%. It all depends 😉) And...it's summer time soooooo... Hopefully you've got some vacations coming up. And those are the perfect opportunities to practice this down week thing: ✨️guilt free ✨️😉 Because in reality, our bodies and our minds ✅️NEED THE BREAK. Trust me: I thrive on movement. I feel clunky If I don't workout for 2 days. ✈️But vacation can simply mean movement in new ways: Long beach walks Adventure bike rides Ocean Kayaking Hiking mountains! 💪🏽YOUR JOB: are you going to struggle to remember this?? Have you or a friend ✨️ever✨️ struggled with burnout before? ✅️if YES, I want you to save this post as a REMINDER TO YOURSELF so you can whip it out on vacation and remind yourself, it's ok if my training isn't perfect or if I take more rest days than intended. 🧡If you've got a friend in the same boat, be their hero, and send this to them. 🩵This way, you both take care of yourselves and crush all your running and race goals this fall! Dare to Train Differently 🩵🧡 #runnerscommunity #Runners #summermiles #summerunning #deloadweek #downweek #marathon #mararathontraining

Runners: what you NEED to know about your massage gun👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 . . . 💀Your massage gun is a recovery tool. 💣Not your savior. 😭What breaks my PT heart: when Runners get sold the idea that ANY massage gun will solve all their problems and fix their running injury. 💣TRUTH BOMB: Not gonna happen! 🔥But that DOESNT MEAN a massage gun is totally worthless. I've been legit loving my @ekrinathletics Erkin Bantam travel size, small-hand-friendly massage gun for about 2 months now. 🩵It comes to the clinic with me. 🧡Helps me treat patients and not wreck my hands. 🩵And also helps me recover during weeks where training kicks my butt. ✅️HOW THIS ACTUALLY WORKS: Think of the massage gun as sending a text message to your Brain via your muscles. You're asking both organs to essentially chill O U T. The muscle is safe! It doesn't need to be tight! 😊In fact, you need your calf muscle to relaaaxxx so you can strengthen it effectively. That's what a massage gun does: ✅️helps make positive changes to your muscles so you can perform running-specific strength exercises or dynamic stretches more effectively. Just like I showed you in the video 😉 If you want to check out my favorite recovery tool, go hang out with @ekrinathletics and use my code DRWHITT20 to save your hard earned money 😉🧡🩵 Dare to Train differently. #runnerscommunity #runninginjury #runningrecovery #runningforbeginners #marathonrecovery @ekrinathletics #massageguns #massagegun

IMPROVING RUNNING FITNESS in 1 week: the *REAL* WAY 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 . . . 💣TRUTH bomb on a Monday: if your training plan doesn't have these built into them... 💀And you already feel that you're "injury prone" 😅And being held together by biofreeze and duct tape: Do yourself a favor. Add in DOWN WEEKS. Or Off weeks Or Deload weeks. 👊🏻They're aaaallll the same thing: A specificallyplanned week where your training is NOT so intense. Elisabeth from @runningexplained had an AMAZING post last week about how you cannot/should not increase your mileage every week. THIS IS WHY. by adding in these more chill weeks, you give your body a chance to: 🧡actively recover 🩵heal up from any potential injuries 🧡and harvest the fitness you've worked so hard on creating! Think of it like a "super mini taper", but without the jitters. Unsure HOW to do it? Want a fast, easy resource? Drop DOWN WEEK below and Ill send you my how-to guide 😉 #runnerscommunity #deloadweek #taperweek #marathon #beginnerrunner #runninginjury #runningtraining

THIS IS YOU'RE SIGN! 😅👇🏻 . . . 💀If it's been a months worth of runs Or 🧂You have salt stains making cool tie dye prints Or 😅You wonder mid run if you even put on deodorant... You should probably wash your hydration vest 🙋🏼‍♀️ Your long run and trail buddies will thank you 😊 Not gonna lie: hadn't washed mine ever. Don't worry, we're good now 👍 Dare to Train Differently 🩵🧡 #longruns #summermiles #runnerscommunity #runninghumor #hydrationvest

HOW to fix TIGHT ANKLES/CALVES IN 2 MINS 👇🏻 . . . it might even be less 👊🏻😉 You run hard. Or long. Or both... 😭And the last thing you want are tight calf muscles and ankles ruining the next day's run or workout 😑Or just being a nuisance the rest of the day 💀💀If you feel like you're are CONSTANTLY STRETCHING and getting noooooowhere... This is for you 😉👇🏻👇🏻 🧡2 ROUNDS🩵 ✅️10x each side of the open-half kneeling weighted ankle glide ✨️or whatever you want to call it. ✨️Use whatever moderate-heavy weight you have ✨️and be sure to keep your KNEE tracking over your 2ND TOE ✅️10x in line lunges ✨️this is a tiny movement, you won't feel like you're doing much; that's ok ✨️you have to line your feet up like you're walking a tight rope, so watch your balance ✨️the first round often feels like "is anything happening?" The Magic happens the 2nd or even 3rd round. Stick with it! These fast circuit works wonders as a warm up, cool down, or just general ankle mobility circuit. If you're loving these quick, effective, RUNNER SPECIFIC mobility ans strength circuits that help you run better, stronger, and even faster, ...come follow along and join the running fit fam. 😁 You've found you're place. 😁🩵🧡 Dare to Train Differently 🧡🩵 #anklemobility #anklestretch #anklepain #runnerscommunity #runningforbeginners #runninginjury #summerrun #summermiles #basebuilding

POV: you stretch & try to warm up your ankles before your run to just have them lock down on you 1.5miles in 😑😑😑👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 . . . It's not just you! And you're NOT crazy. Figuring out what it's *actually* tight can be a real pain sometimes. And especially frustrating when you try ✨️all the ankle stretches✨️ And it just 👏🏻 keeps 👏🏻 coming 👏🏻 back! ✅️THE ANSWER: It might NOT just be your calf muscle! Think about it: 😅your ankle joints and all your ankle muscles are basically nosy neighbors. And it can be hard to figure out which one's screaming the loudest. 💀So if you find you're constantly stretching throughout the day but you're not making a difference... THIS IS YOUR SIGN to try addressing the ANKLE JOINT + ANKLE MUSCLES. Hoooowww and where do you even start? I got you covered 👊🏻🩵🧡 Let me send you a MEGA ANKLE Mobility & stregthening circuit. ✅️I promise it's way different that other things you've tried because I've made them RUNNING-SPECIFIC!!🔥 This way, you cover all your bases You figure out which ones work best for YOU, so you have these tools in your back pocket for when you need them most 😉 ⚠️Drop ANKLES below in the comments ⚠️ ...and I'll send it right over 🧡🩵👊🏻😁 Dare to Train Differently 🩵🧡 #anklestrength #running #anklestretch #calfexercises #tightcalves #mararathontraining #marathonrunner #runnerscommunity

HOT WEATHER TIP 🔥🥵✨️ . . . obviously, always run safe 🔥It's too hot; it's too hot. 👊🏻Live to run another day. But otherwise... PRO TIP: When you finish your run in the hot and humid weather: WALK!! ✨️Youre blood pressure and heart rate, no matter what zone you were in, was ELEVATED. 🥵And your whole cardiovascular system was also coping with the stress from HEAT. 🩵By walking for 2-5mins as the end of your cooldown, you give: ✅️your heart rate a chance to return to normal ✅️decrease the risk of your blood pressure plummeting, leaving you woozy or light headed (read: please don't pass out) ✅️ help your body begin the recovery process by getting oxygenated blood (aka nutrients) to your Fatigued muscles. The more you know 😉 Stay safe out there and Dare to Train Differently 🩵🧡🩵 #summermiles #hotrun #runnerscommunity #heattraining #mararathontraining #marathonrunner #summerrun

FAST tight ankle RELIEF! 🤗🤗🤯🧡🩵👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 . . . really, really. When we're slogging through what feels like endless miles Because we have to take it slower in the endless heat... We can end up with some crankier than normal Calf muscles Fronts of ankles And after a 3 or 4 days...that tightness can really pack a punch 😅 Time to fix your tight ankles in like... 2mins! You ready? 👇🏻🩵🧡 ✅️Step 1: line up your feet like youre walking a tight rope ✅️ step 2: focus on bending at the ankles (It's a tiny movement! And don't let your back heel pop up!!) ✅️ step 3: do 2 rounds of 10 for each ankle! These make a great WARM UP drill for any long run or speed workout! Loving this quick, fast, actionable tip? Come along and follow for more strength for runners quick wins! Dare to Train Differently 🧡🩵 #calfstretch #anklestretch #tightcalves #strengthforrunners #mararathontraining #runnerscommunity #beginnerrunner #runner

🔥THIS IS YOUR PSA: don't be dumb. And add electrolytes to your water. 👊🏻 . . . You got this 😉 Ooohh also... Drop your favorite electrolytes flavor below! I'm a sucker for orange or grapefruit 😁😁🩵🧡🩵🔥🥵 #heatwave #heattraining #summerrun #summerunning #beginnerrunner #marathontraining #marathonrunner

NOT-SO-BASIC STEP UPS: stronger quads + injury proof knees 😉 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 . . . I know, I know You've seen a step up a thousand times. Me too. I even Deliberately avoided them for years because I was all like: "ThEsE aRe tOo BaSiC" . ❌️I was wroooooonnggg. 💀💀 Are they basic: YES But can they still be challenging: YESSS!! ✅️these are the top tips I've learned to give specifically for runners ... so you can get the most out of this home-gym friendly exercises that can help injury proof your quads, hips, and knees!! ✅️1. LAND SOFTLY COMING DOWN too many runners (people in general) just slam back down to earth. Don't. Stop right now. Slowly control that descent, land softy. You build better quad muscle control, eccentric strength, which is essential for a strong stride, especially running DOWN HILLS! ✅️2. LIFT UP YOUR STEP FOOT It only has to be like a 1-2inches. I found that I need this, otherwise I get "lazy" and just sink Into that "up"; my quad and knee are not fully braced and engaged. They're just chilling there, trying to figure out how to do the least amount of work. Not helpful. Lifting that foot up slightly re-engages that entire leg for impact and the work required to step up. Work smarter, not harder 🩵👊🏻🧡 If you enjoyed these runner specific exercises and the cues too to get the most out of them, come along and follow and join the running fit fam 🧡🩵😊 Dare to Train Differently 🧡 🩵 #stepup #quadstrength #beginnerrunner #strengthworkout #strengthforbeginners #strengthforrunners #marathon #mararathontraining

Sorry to interrupt your scroll, but Oooohh, WE SPICY🌶 today! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 . . . This is my tough love speaking. I want you to succeed so dang badly this season! I don't want to see you injured or to spontaneous combust from accumulated running injuries! 🤯 Ok...you won't actually do that. Promise. 👊🏻 ⚠️I just wanted to GRAB YOUR ATTENTION BECAUSE: 🩵Your body is capable of SO MUCH! and I know you're working Hella hard right now, working on speed training for the fall. 💀And you might be missing the secret ingredient of equally spicy strength training. ✅️PRO TIP: When you run 🔥FAST Or ✨️further ...then you have before, you are placing new and greater load on your body. ⚠️THE KEY WAY TO PREVRNT INJURIES while training like this 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻 ...Is to also LIFT HEAVY. And I like to add, lift like a runner 😉 Deliberately focusing on exercises that work: ✅️Single leg strength ✅️Single leg balance/stability ✅️Strong shoulders that can stay tall and proud during your hardest kicks... Will all help you to not only stay injury free, but also help you crush your running goals! I'd love to help you get started because I have a NEW and totally FREE strength workout that can do all that. And it takes 20mins. And you could even do it at home While watching Netflix 😉 Want in??? ✅️Drop SPEED below and Ill DM it right over!✅️ #runnerscommunity #strengthforrunners #speedworkout #speedblock #mararathontraining #marathonrunner #beginnerrunner #runninginjury

🔥Runner: this is for YOU if you've EVER worried about a lingering injury before! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 . . . The subtle anxiety at the first consistent twinges on a run That eventually morph into Almost full blown panic as it keeps coming back week after week. 💀Is it over? Do you throw all your training out the window? Can you still come back from this? You have 8 weeks... You got this 👊🏻🧡🩵 Sure, it might be a little touch and go for the time being... ✨️but you're body can do remarkable things with STRENGTH TRAINING. Build new strength Adapt to a new challenge 👊🏻That gives your body the HEALING SUPPORT it needs to... 🌶ELIMINATE that slow-burning running-injury-twinge! Promise; it's possible 😉 And this can be your comeback story too 👊🏻 If you're looking for how to get started, come join the running fit fam and follow along! 👊🏻You've found your people.🤗 🩵🧡 I've got so many running-strength goodies to share with you! Dare to Train Differently 🧡🩵 #runnerscommunity #mararathontraining #marathonrunner #halfmarathontraining #beginnerrunner #strengthcoachforrunners #strengthforrunners