Hey Reader,

I’ve mentioned a bunch of times that yielding exercises can be beneficial for the pelvic floor. Then last week I talked about the value of yielding exercises to build confidence with downhill running. What I realized is that, outside of IG posts, I’ve never fully addressed what yielding exercises are exactly. Therefore, that’s what today’s email is all about!

Before I dive into that though, a quick heads up about a special Black Friday deal coming to you next week!

My next self-paced course, Strong & Stable: The Ultimate Hip Strengthening Program for Female Runners will officially be released in January. However, I’m going to be doing a presale at a super, significant discount of $150 off (only $99 instead of $247).

Big fall race season is coming to an end and then we hit the busy holiday season. Sign up for Strong & Stable next week (with that big discount) and go into that busy season knowing you are ready to start the year out building this solid foundation!

This pre-sale will be for a limited time only: Thursday, November 28th at 5pm through Monday, December 2nd at 11:59pm (all EST).

Mark your calendars and make sure you check your email during that time!

Alright now let’s dive in!

What are yielding exercises?

Yielding exercises at those that load the tissues eccentrically (through length) and do so dynamically (think catching yourself in a lengthened position).

Why are yielding exercises helpful for runners?

We’ve talked before about the importance of loading through length, especially in the glutes and posterior (back) pelvic floor.

At midstance, your center of mass is organized over your stance leg (aka. truly standing ON one leg) through:

• Internal rotation at the pelvis and LENGTH in the glutes
• Anterior pelvic floor contraction through LENGTH in the back of the pelvic floor
• Max TRUE pronation (knee tracking over toes)

This is where we put the most force into the ground and where the ground puts the most force into us.

Hinging variations (the above link) and squatting to mid-range (at and around 90 degrees) are great strength variations to help build strength through that length.

AND with running it happens dynamically! We are essentially catching ourselves in midstance with each step of our stride (to tie it back to last week, even more so when we are running downhill).

Yielding exercises help us practice catching to build capacity and confidence.

We can do all the breathing exercises to find length in the back of the pelvic floor but we also have to build in strength training and these yielding exercises to build trust in your body to handle that impact.

For many, these yielding exercises can actually be the final piece to truly learning to let go of tension and lengthen the glutes and posterior pelvic floor under load!

You can’t overthink it, you have to just let go and trust! Little by little you build that trust over time so that next thing you know you are flying down hills without a worry!

Bonus: these exercises are fun! They will make you feel strong and athletic!

Some examples of yielding exercises to try:

You can honestly make any exercise variation (hinges, squats, split squats) into a yielding exercise by moving into that length quickly and catching yourself in that mid-range. Here are some examples of my favorites:

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Dynamic Hinge to the Wall
​Using the wall provides a good starting point reference to finding that mid-range.

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Hinge to Split Squat Catch
​This gives you a two-for on that length. First finding it isometrically in the hinge and then catching in that length at mid range of hip flexion in the split squat. You can load this up by holding a weight in one or both hands as you build confidence.

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Step to Fake Chop/Catch
​This mimics that catching in midstance a bit more by getting you to organize your center of mass over that stance leg when you do.

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Pogo to Alternating Split Squat
​This is overall a more dynamic exercise that will get your HR up and rev up the central nervous system before harder efforts.

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Give these a try to feel strong and confident in your stride!

AND mark your calendars for the pre-sale of Strong & Stable happening next week!

Pssst… part of this course will include intentionally progressions to build up to and become more proficient with these yielding exercises!

Your Coach,
Alison

Alison Marie Helms, PhD Certified Personal Trainer and Running Coach Unlock your full running potential through physics and physiology. ​Work with me.​