Continuing guest pieces by an LJ Cell Workout graduate
I am a runner and running coach from Kent who is passionate about fitness and the impact it has on both our emotional and physical health. Running has always made me feel good. Stress, worries and frustrations always disappear or seem insignificant after I’ve felt the rush of endorphins and the wind in my hair.
Marathons are my preferred distance, but the process of training is what I love the most. The longer runs provide a lot of time to process thoughts and conversely, the chit-chat and banter of running in a group makes the miles tick by more quickly. The structure of training motivates me – crossing off sessions and building up to a goal mileage per week in preparation for a race.
I trained as an England Athletics ‘Coach in Running Fitness’ and started my running group ‘Scrambled Leggs’ which focuses on intervals, hills and technique as I wanted to offer something a bit different to runners who want to improve their running but don’t necessarily want to train within a club environment where they might feel intimidated or under pressure. I wanted runners of all abilities to realise that interval training and getting a little bit out of their comfort zone can bring huge benefits to both their physical fitness and their sense of wellbeing. Completing 400m intervals on a track definitely leaves you with a sense of accomplishment (and a burning set of lungs)!
Parkrun – free, weekly timed 5k runs (not races) every Saturday morning at 9am have become hugely popular across the nation and offer runners and walkers a sense of community and motivation. There are now several of these available within prisons in the UK and I would love to start one up within a prison in Kent.
Seeing people grow in confidence and self-esteem through running is one thing, but the transformations I see in my work with offenders is inspiring and a privilege to observe. I work for a charity supporting people leaving prison with addiction issues. I meet one-to-one with HMP residents and then go to see their families on the outside in the build-up to their release. The idea of this is to support them with rebuilding trust, improving their relationships and build on their strengths so they can change the direction of their lives away from drugs and crime. A huge part of my support involves supporting people to start doing things to help their mental health; and getting active is always something I suggest. I hope to continue to help people both in prison and in the community to be the best version of themselves.
- This sprint drill is a skip with high knees. As you bring your leg down, finish with a slight pawing/scuffing motion as you pull backwards. Focus on initiating that pull from the glutes and the hamstrings. This will ingrain the backward pulling motion important for running propulsion into your muscle memory. Use the same arm motion during this drill as you use while running.
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Kick or step your legs back into a plank position. Jump or step your legs forward to a squat position and then back to a plank position whilst keeping a stable core.
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Stand with feet shoulder width apart, then bend at the hips and touch the floor with your fingertips. Keep your legs straight but maintain a slight bend at the knees. Slowly crawl forward with your hands until you are in a plank position and then complete a push-up. Keep a flat back position where your upper back is in line with your hips and heels. Perform a press up then crawl your way back to starting position by following the same pathway and try to keep legs straight.
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Lay on your back with your legs straight and your arms extended overhead. Lift your shoulders, arms, and legs off the floor. Keep your hands and heels as low to the ground as possible, while still pressing your lower back into the floor. Maintain tight abs and glutes. It’s okay to bend your knees if straight legs are too challenging.
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Start with a standard forward lunge. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, then take a big step forward and lower until both knees are bent at a 90° angle. From this position, push explosively off the ground, switching the positions of your legs while airborne so that you land and can immediately drop into another lunge but with the opposite leg forwards.
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Start by lying on your back with your arms out to the side and then lift your legs straight up – now lower your legs to one side and immediately return to the top position. Now lower your legs to the other side. This side-to-side motion is like windshield wipers tracking from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock and back again.