5 Exercises for Beginners to Train for a Marathon

Training for a marathon requires lots of practice, good eating, rest and determination.

We don’t mean just hours of running practice; we mean cross-training so that your body is trained to overcome the demands of running a marathon. That can be especially intimidating if you’re new to it. Not many know how to strength train for a marathon.

However, it really isn’t that difficult. You just need to perform a few compound exercises regularly to train and prepare your muscles for the challenge. Cross-training as a runner can be incredibly beneficial. It can help improve your speed, stamina and alertness.

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Best Exercises to Train for Marathon

Here are some of the best exercises to prepare your entire body for running a marathon. These are exercises that target various muscle groups in the body to strengthen them and aid with your running.

Here's a look at five such exercises:

1) Side Plank

Here's how it's done:

• Get onto the floor on your right side.
• Prop yourself up on your right elbow, and stack your feet one over the other.
• Align your hips with your feet and shoulders. You may place your left hand on your hip.
• Drop your hips toward the ground, and swiftly bring them back up.
• Repeat for 15 to 20 reps on each side.

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2) Superman

Here's how it's done:

• Lay on the floor on your stomach.
• Extend your arms out in front of you, with your legs straight behind you.
• Squeeze your upper back and glutes simultaneously to get your arms and legs up.
• Bring your limbs back to the floor.
• Repeat for 15 to 20 reps.

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3) Glute Bridge

It's done as follows:

• Lay on the floor on your back.
• Lay your arms straight at your sides, and bend your legs to point your knees to the ceiling, spacing your feet hip-distance apart. Your fingertips should reach your heels.
• Push your hips up, bringing them in line with your knees and shoulders. Squeeze your glutes on top.
• Bring your hips back down to the floor.
• Repeat for 15 to 20 reps.

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4) Drinking Bird

It's done as follows:

• Stand straight with your feet together. Raise your right foot, and bend your knee to hold it up behind you.
• Hinge forward at your hip, and drive your right leg behind, straightening it out. Hinge forward till your torso is parallel to the floor.
• Raise yourself back up to return to the starting position.
• Repeat for 15 to 20 reps on each side.

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5) Step-up with Knee Drive

It's done as follows:

• Stand in front of a box or a bench.
• Step your right foot onto it and lean forward, shifting your weight onto that leg.
• Raise yourself up to bring your left leg onto the box as well, straightening out the right knee.
• Step back down to the floor from the box.
• Repeat for 15 to 20 reps on each side.

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Takeaway

Training for a marathon doesn’t have to be very difficult. Perform the aforementioned exercises a few times a week, and you’ll be seeing improvements in your running in no time. Don’t forget to also hydrate well, and get plenty of rest to get the best results.