Favorite arm exercises for runners.

Now that marathon training is over, I've gotten back into a little strength training. My training plan had called for strength training during the first two months, but none for the last month. I followed the plan and believe that I am stronger for it, especially in my upper body. Even though when I look at my marathon photos, I can see I'm a little hunched over at mile 25, my arms/back/shoulders didn't feel too tired over the course of my 26.2 miles.

Since I'm not really in training for anything at this point, I've spent some time experimenting and thinking about my favorite upper-body strength moves. There are some that I love, and some that I can't stand.

These are the upper-body exercises that I have found are easy to do and most beneficial to my running form (I use 6lb dumbbells for all except push-ups and planks):

• Upright rows
• Overhead presses
• Cross punches
• Push-ups
• Planks

And then there is my favorite, running arms! They are super easy to do. Just stand with either your right or left leg slightly in front of the other (switch legs after each set -- I like to do two sets of 25). With a light weight in each hand, slowly swing each arm as if you were running. You'll mimic the running motion, which will build excellent running-specific arm strength!

And that's it! I like to do these exercises three times a week and, like I said, they really have helped my running. I hope they will help you, too!

Do you have a favorite arm exercise that isn't included here? Let me know!

Thanks for stopping by -- have a great week!

~ Felice