• Side-lying leg lifts

Main muscles worked: obliques (side of waist), core stabilising muscles, gluteus medius (stabilising muscle in the bottom), abductors (hips)

This exercise improves core stability and encourages the correct position of the pelvis when running. Lie on your side with your feet raised on a step. Keeping your elbow under your shoulder, push yourself up until your body is in a straight line. While maintaining this position, lift the top leg up and down with control. Then lower, and repeat on the other side.

Recommended routine: Six repetitions (reps) on each side. Rest for a minute and repeat.

• Single leg squat

Main muscles worked: quadriceps (front of thigh), hamstrings (back of thigh) gluteals (bottom), adductors (inner thigh), abductors (hip)

This exercise builds strength and encourages good alignment of the hip and knee. The need to balance also improves proprioception (the body’s subconscious ability to sense movement and joint position).

Stand near the front of a step on one foot. Hold the other foot out in front of you, with the leg straight and held at about 45 degrees. Fold your arms and hold them out in front of you for balance. Slowly squat down making sure that your supporting knee does not go in front of your foot, and that it stays aligned with the foot (rather than turning in or out). Return to the start position, and repeat.

Recommended routine: Eight reps on each leg. Rest for one minute and repeat. To make the exercise harder, wear cuff weights around your wrists.

• Step-up with dumbbells

Main muscles worked: quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings, hip flexors (front of hip), erector spinae (small muscles that run the length of the spine)

This exercise increases strength in the running muscles. It also promotes good alignment of the hip and knee.

Holding a dumbbell in each hand, place one foot on a bench or step, so that your knee is bent to approximately 90 degrees. Now straighten the leg, driving up with the opposite knee to hip height, so that you are balancing on one foot on the step. Don’t “push off” the foot on the floor – use the foot on the step to power the movement.

Recommended routine: Eight reps on each leg. Rest for one minute and repeat.

• Calf raises

Main muscles worked: calf muscles

This exercise develops strength in the calf muscles and achilles tendon to cope with the propulsive force of running. This lowering phase is particularly use for prevention of injuries to the achilles tendon.

Stand with your toes on the edge of a step, facing towards the step, so that your heels are hanging off the back. Use a wall for support. Keep your
ankles, knees and hips in alignment. Push up through your toes on to the balls of your feet, hold for a moment, then lower in a slow, controlled movement.

Recommended routine: Two sets of 10 reps with two minutes’ rest between sets. When this becomes easy, move on to single leg calf raises.

• Swiss ball sit-up

Main muscles worked: core stabilising muscles and rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscle)

This exercise is more challenging than a sit-up on the floor because the instability of the ball forces the core muscles to work harder to maintain a stable position.

Lie on a Swiss ball with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head (or across your chest). Engage your core muscles, then curl your upper body towards a sitting position. Return slowly to the start position and repeat. Be careful not to overarch the spine. It can help to put your toes up against a wall to prevent slipping.

Recommended routine: Two sets of 10. Rest for one minute then repeat.

• Bridging

Main muscles worked: core stabilisers, gluteals, hamstrings, erector spinae

This exercise improves core stability and encourages use of the gluteal muscles and avoids the quadriceps dominanting when running.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Engage your core by imagining you are drawing your belly button towards the floor. Keep your shoulders down, and contract your gluteal muscles to push your hips up in the air. Do not go beyond a straight line. Hold for a couple of seconds, then lower down slowly.

Recommended routine: Two sets of eight with two minutes’ recovery between sets. When you can, progress to lifting alternate legs out in front from the bridge position.

• Single-arm row

Main muscles worked: back muscles, biceps (front of upper arm), rear deltoid (back of shoulder)

This exercise strengthens the upper body muscles and encourages good alignment of the shoulders and shoulder blades for a good running arm action.

Stand side-on to a bench or step with your closest hand and knee on the bench, back parallel to the floor (neck in line) and a dumbbell in your other hand, arm hanging straight down. Bend the arm to bring the weight up to the front of the shoulder – focusing on using the back muscles to lift the weight. Keep the core engaged and don’t twist the body around or move anything other than the working arm.

Recommended routine: Eight reps on each side. Rest for one minute and repeat.

• Alternating leg extension

Main muscles worked: core stabilisers

This exercise encourages good use of of the core stability muscles, which support and protect the spine and are important in injury prevention. Lie on your back, arms by your sides. Bend your knees with feet flat on the floor. Engage your core muscles. Lift one foot off the floor keeping your core engaged and spine in neutral. Extend the leg out slowly, then return to the start position. Repeat on the other leg.

Recommended routine: Two sets of 10, alternating legs.

• A three-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games 5,000m silver medalist, Jo Pavey’s running continues to go from strength to strength. She achieved a new personal best in the 10,000m at Beijing last year, and has been national 5,000m champion three times (Paula Radcliffe is the only Briton to have run faster over the distance).

Recently, Jo has turned her attention to road running, coming third in the 2008 Great North Run and logging a personal best of 68min 53sec.

Jo is making her marathon debut in this year’s Flora London Marathon, and this is the event she plans to compete in at the London 2012 games. “To run at an Olympics in your own country will be an amazing experience,” she says.

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