Michael Anders

Michael Anders Business Cell

04/22/2022

Did you know that hydration and fueling is not as simple as it seems?

When I started running, about four hundred years ago, we ran from mammoths… just kidding.

Hydration is a crucial part of running longer distances.

Anything under one hour, water consumption is sufficient unless you are an extremely heavy sweater and recreate the Niagara Falls on your body while zooming through your neighborhood. 😅💦💦

No need for fuel or anything else during a 5k and for many people during a 10k.

Once you start training for longer distances that take you 90+ minutes fueling and hydration play a much bigger role.




04/21/2022

Do you struggle with running injuries?

Did you know 90% of runners struggle with getting hurt?

That is a staggering number of people considering that in 2017 60 million people in the USA participated in some form of running 54 million got hurt 😕💀

That is simply unacceptable. How can we tolerate that many people getting hurt?

No wonder we have so-called experts calling running terrible.

The real problem is that running is easy to do, put your shoes on and you head out.

The wonderful thing about running is that we can do exactly that.

👉 Make sure that your slow runs are slow (you should be able to have a conversation without problems.
👉Make sure most of your runs are slow
👉 Do strength training as cross-training
👉 Foam roll and stretch as part of your daily routine
👉 Make sure to have rest days
👉 Progress gradually
👉 Learn how to run

04/20/2022

Are you slow as molasses? Or at least you feel like it?

You are not alone, a lot of us struggle with picking up speed when running and are always at the same pace.

What gives?

Well, speed while running depends on the distance, your power, your fitness level, to sum it up, on multiple factors.

Today I am going to address power.

Assuming that you are already doing strength training, you should consider including drills that include power like the one above.

The goal is to jump off the platform, keep the contact time as short as possible and then explode up as high as you can afterward.

Power is a crucial component of getting faster.

In conjunction with speed work, strength training, power is the third component that will help you get faster.

04/19/2022

Running barefoot is crazy…or is it?

I don’t think so, hear me out.
I am not advocating becoming a barefoot-only runner.

You are welcome to do so but that is not what this post is about.

Why do I suggest you should be taking your shoes and socks off?

Easy, by taking the shoes off, we are changing a couple of variables.

👉You get instant feedback from your foot striking the ground
👉Your stride will naturally gravitate towards a forefoot/mid-food strike
👉 You are more likely to shift your torso more forward into a lean
👉 Your foot is going to land more under your center of gravity.

Just those couple of things right there make it worth it to take the shoes off occasionally and work on some drill.

Now, I know there will be naysayers and this is what I usually get to hear:

☝Your feet don’t have any arch support - yes they do,👉 ligaments, tendons, and muscles it is, do the work gradually, don’t run miles on end
☝You will cut your feet open 👉No you won’t, done it many times, pick a clean stretch of pavement
☝ YOur joints will get destroyed 👉They do not your calves will eat the impact and distribute the force across the muscles instead of getting your joints pounded by heel-striking.

Are you focused on your goal, are you too focused on your goal?Are you enjoying the journey?My training started not in r...
04/18/2022

Are you focused on your goal, are you too focused on your goal?

Are you enjoying the journey?

My training started not in running but in martial arts.

One of my trainers was a former European Champion.

Her story was interesting, once she became the champion she quit.

She left the sport for a long time and even after, never returned.

She saw herself at the pinnacle of what she would be able to accomplish and was done.

Is there something wrong with that, no, there is not!

But when you look at most of your life that way, you will have a hard time finding meaning in purpose in what you do.

Instead, you will constantly look for the new thing, only finding enjoyment in the fleeting moments of temporary and short success.


04/15/2022

Have a hard time picking up your legs?

Many people have weak hip flexors.

They are always told to stretch the hip flexor muscles because they can get tight if you sit a lot.

Tight muscles do not equal strong muscles though and if you want to pick up your pace during running eventually your knee will have to come up.

If the hip flexor is too weak you will have a hard time to work on speed.

The exercise I posted above can really help you with that.



04/14/2022

Ever had nagging hamstring issues?

Many runners struggle with nagging hamstring issues. It can be brutal.

You are doing fine during your slower runs but then when you kick it in gear you have this sharp painful sensation in your hamstring and you are sidelined for weeks.

Ruling out electrolyte issues, a lot of people think that your hamstrings are too tight.

While that is possible most runners have weak hamstrings that cannot take the intensity of the eccentric braking mechanism necessary during faster intervals as you perform your stride.

The exercise above is my favorite hamstring exercise.

The reason for that is, that it goes over two joints (hip and knee) and you can easily work on the eccentric phase by helping with your other leg during the concentric phase.

If you find this helpful and think others could benefit from it, help out and share it :)


04/13/2022

Everyone talks about VO2max, but what is it?

It is your body’s ability to consume oxygen. It is measured in ml/kg/min and is an important parameter telling you about your cardiovascular fitness.

It does not however tell you the whole story.

For example, my VO2max is fairly high for an amateur athlete sitting pretty at 65 ml/kg/min. However, my ability to sustain that or at least close to that is pitiful compared to a top marathon runner

It does not tell the whole story.

It does not tell us how far we have trained the different metabolic systems that provide us with energy and allow us to perform at various levels for a certain period of time.

It is just one metric of many.

If you know someone who can benefit from this information, please share it :)


04/12/2022

Do you warm up with run-specific drills?

I should do it more often.

While creating this content I gave it some thought and there are many great drills out there for you to do.

I am a minimalist, which also means I am not optimizing my running as much as I could.
The four I am demonstrating here I think are basics and should be incorporated at some point into your training, before intervals is a great time.

High heels are great to work on forward lean from the ankles and to remind you to bring the heel up as the leg swings forward
High knees become increasingly important with speed increases. You will have a longer stride and the knees need to come up.
Side cross overs (I know there is another term for it, I was too lazy to check) are great to get the laterally stabilizing muscles activated and are great before technical trails
Skipping is fantastic to work on some power




I burnt out…hard.In 2013 I was on top of my running game, I was by no means what you consider really fast. My marathon t...
04/11/2022

I burnt out…hard.

In 2013 I was on top of my running game, I was by no means what you consider really fast. My marathon time was 3:20, I finished a 50k in a little over 4 hours and I was on top of my game.

The only problem…I hated running.

I had been so focused on performance that I forgot to enjoy the journey.

Shortly after, I quit running, for about 6-12 months, I don’t remember exactly.

When I returned I focused on enjoying myself but could not bring myself to push in way or form.

I was burnt out.

Today I run again, I push, and I test my VO2max via a metabolic testing device made by that I use for my clients as well.

I am more involved than ever. I am also slower.

My priorities are:

Enjoy running, it is my meditation
How does it help me stay healthy and prepare me for old age
Speed, I love pushing it (but it is not on top anymore)
Race (I love racing but more than that I love the atmosphere and the support)


Your smartwatch is guaranteed to have it wrong and here is why!If you look at the pictures above you can see that athlet...
04/08/2022

Your smartwatch is guaranteed to have it wrong and here is why!

If you look at the pictures above you can see that athlete Number has a completely different Zone 2 than athlete 2.

Athlete 1 (age 43) Zone 2 is from HR 120-144.

That is a huge Zone 2

Athlete 2 (age 44) has a Zone 2 from HR 105-117

That is rather poor and needs some work.

So which one is the more trained athlete?

Athlete 2 has a VO2max of 65, while athlete 1 has a VO2max of 31.

So what gives?

Zones are highly individualized and dependent on your training, especially the intensities you have trained at.

No watch can analyze this.

If you want to get better you have to know what you are doing.

Get tested via lactate, or even better do a ramp test with a device like provides.

I have been testing people since last year and the difference it has made is huge.

I used to overtrain because my watch always told me I was not working hard enough.

It got me injured more than once.

Training needs to be as specific and accurate as possible.





04/07/2022

Do you have buns hun…well, size does not matter as much as the strength you can provide constantly with each step.

Why do so many runners get hurt that cannot stabilize the hip?

Think about it, let’s say you take about 1600 steps per mile which means your hip needs to stabilize 800 times on each side per mile.

Now you go out and run ten miles, bam, 8000 possibilities to get into trouble.

If you add in being possibly overweight and having a sedentary lifestyle, you are asking for trouble.

So quit running?

Nah, focus on getting those hips strong, see above, including the exercises from Tuesday, and improve your nutrition if need a healthier weight range.

Do you know someone who can benefit from this? Please share :)


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