What's Runners' World Thinking? [July 2010]

I'm still not running.  My excuse for yesterday was a case of the Ohio Valley crud -- seasonal allergies.  My excuses for today are a lack of sleep and a sore back.  Instead of going on at length about my complaints, I thought I would start a new feature called What's Runners' World Thinking?  In this feature, which will run approximately whenever I think about it, I will discuss something I read about in Runners' World.  Maybe I tried it and liked it; maybe I would never try it in a million years; maybe I just thought it was boring.  You, the reader, get the thrill of a lifetime reading whatever I come up with.

In this month's RW, Ted Spiker published Quick Fix, a 7-minute warm-up plan. I tried this workout a couple times, once, even, with my daughter.  On the whole, it's a fine warm-up routine, and I like that it [supposedly] takes only seven minutes.  For me, it took more like 20 because I kept falling over.  That's because this routine takes balance, and I am not well-coordinated.  In fact, I often go out in public wearing two or three different plaid patterns. Uncoordinated. Let's break it down, shall we?

• Exercise 1 is a reverse lunge.  We all know what lunges are, right?  Try doing it backwards.  This made me fall down.  I also tripped over things and almost fell down.  Lunges are hard enough for me, since they require a degree of balance; doing them in reverse is a recipe for head trauma.  Verdict: suck.
• Exercise 2 are single leg hops.  You hop on one foot making a square pattern on the floor.  This made me fall down.  Are you seeing a trend?  Balance issues aside, this exercise does wonders for the leg.  I can see the value right away, and I think I will continue to do these.  Verdict: meh.
• Exercise 3 is a single leg reach.  This is like reaching down to pick something up off the floor and letting one leg fly up all fancy-like, like I'm a flabby, clumsy ballet dancer.  I found this one to be easy.  I think I could do this all day long, though I don't know what the benefit would be except as a comedy routine. Verdict: goofy.
• Exercise 4 is a plank with alternate leg lifts.  Planks suck so much.  I don't like them.  My arms get all shaky, and I breathe hard. I work much too hard for what I'm doing -- supporting my body weight.  Add leg lifts, and the suckage increases.  However, I totally see the value.  I could tell I was working my core from my ribs right down to my butt.  Verdict: OK but you won't make me like it.
• Exercise 5 is a Y squat.  This is merely a squat with your hands making a Y, like you are doing the YMCA dance.  Why the Y?  I assume to make the RW editors laugh.  Maybe it engages your trunk more.  Balance was more of a factor that it might have been if my hands were on my hips.  My daughter loved these.  She does them all the time now, except she can squat down until her butt hits the floor.  If I did that, all my innards would fall out.  Verdict:  OK, especially if you are seven years old.

The stated purpose of this workout is to warm up the body before a run, but I never warm up.  I just start my watch and go.  But the article also said you could do this as a standalone workout for strength training, which is what I plan to do with it.  The common thread throughout these exercises seems to be strengthening the core and improving balance with a lesser emphasis on strengthening the legs.  I need these things like crazy, so I will try to work this into my weekly regimen.