One of the most nagging injuries runners can suffer is shin splints. The painful injury can cost athletes significant training time as they recover. The high school track season is so short that any loss of training time is going to have a significant impact on your results this season. Thus preventing injuries like shin splints is just as important to your success as any of the workouts that you design
In the video clip below 2012 US women’s Olympic distance coach, Rose Monday, demonstrates three very simple exercises that she has her athletes do every day to help prevent this annoying injury. The clip is from DVD on developing middle distance runners. For more information about that DVD click the link Becoming a Champion: 800/1500M for Girls’ Track & Field
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These drills could easily be incorporated into you daily dynamic warm-up. They are simple yet effective methods for strengthening the muscles of the lower leg and foot and have been recommended as methods to reduce shin splints.
Drill Summary:
The first drill is simply walking on your heels. The athlete walks on their heels in a straight line for about 10 yards, then turns around and come back. Do 3-6 sets. The second drill is walking on the balls of your toes. Again, walk 10 yards, come back, and do 3-6 sets. The final drill is the toe grab. The athlete takes a step forward, then reaches down and touches the toes of their front foot with their opposite hand. 10 yards, come back, 3-6 sets.
These drills will strengthen the Tibialis anterior muscle which is the muscle involved with “Anterior Tibial Shin Splints”. However these drills will do nothing to strengthen the Tibialis posterior muscle which is the muscle involved in “Posterior Tibial Shin Splints.” Posterior Tibial Shin Splints are be far the most problematic of the two ailments. They are the ones that will cause significant soreness to the Linea aspera of the tibia (the medial ridge of the tibia). So I am still looking for a drill that will prevent “Posterior Tibial Shin Splints.”