If you’re new to running, or returning to it after injury, the idea of adding in cross-training on top of the mileage can seem intimidating. But strength work doesn’t have to be complicated or time-intensive. Janet Osbourne, a 65-year-old personal trainer and nutritionist, promotes a simpler approach, focusing on simple exercises that promote strength and mobility. Here are the three moves she never skips.
1. Calf raise (20 reps)
The first exercise Osbourne highlights is calf raises, which she says support balance, circulation and ankle strength. Indeed, the benefits of calf raises have been the subject of several scientific studies.
One paper published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that performing bodyweight calf raises three times per week for eight weeks improved explosive ankle strength and neuromuscular activation in the calf muscles. Another study found that the exercise improved both balance and plantar-flexor strength – the power of your calf muscles to push your foot downwards – which is vital for walking, running and jumping.
2. Sit-to-stand (20 reps)
Osbourne calls the next exercise, sit-to-stands, ‘one of the most functional movements for everyday life.’ This move involves exactly what it sounds like: sitting down and getting up from a chair. If you can continue doing this with relative ease as you age, it makes it much easier to remain mobile and independent, increasing your chance of being able to get up if you were to fall.
You can progress the movement by going lower and sitting down and getting up from the floor (known as the sitting-rising test, which has been said to help predict longevity), but sitting and standing from a chair, as Osbourne does, is a great place to start.
And it’s never too late to start: one study published in Experimental Gerontology found that doing the sit-to-stand exercise improved the leg strength of frail older adults, and made sitting down and standing up easier.
3. Wall angel (10 reps) 
The third exercise that Osbourne would never skip is wall angels, which she says help correct rounded shoulders, improve spine mobility and relieve back and neck tension. This is particularly important if you’ve spent a decent chunk of time sitting down in front of a screen.
‘Wall angels counteract rounded shoulders and forward head posture – helpful for desk workers or anyone feeling tight and holding tension through their upper-back and neck,’ says personal trainer Bella Poppy. They also build strength and stability, she added – and by ‘strengthening the upper-back and rotator cuffs’, you help ‘protect your shoulders during pulling movements,’ which, again, are the foundation of everyday activities like pulling open doors and drawers.
These exercises may sound simple, but incorporating them into your daily routine can help future-proof your body.
This article first appeared in Women’s Health UK
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