5 Exercises To Improve Your Bounce Before A Tempo Run

Without the mobility and strength to handle those demands, speed work can feel harder than it needs to and place more stress on your body.

The goal isn't just to run faster. It's to prepare your body for the demands of running fast. These 5 exercises can help improve your Bounce and get you ready for your next tempo run.

Improve Your Push-Off By Unlocking Your Hips

Hip extension is a vital component of a strong push-off. To power each stride forward, we need enough movement through the front of the hips to fully extend the leg behind us. The Dynamic Lunge Stretch helps open up the front of the hips, which is often the limiting factor in achieving full hip extension.

1. Start in a half-kneeling position with one foot placed in a large stride in front of you.

2. Tuck your tailbone under, then lunge forward while reaching your arms overhead.

3. Slowly rock forward and back. You should feel the stretch through the front of the hip on your kneeling leg.

Improve Your Leg Drive By Freeing Up Your Hamstrings

Hip flexion plays an important role during the swing phase of running. As pace increases, we need to lift our feet higher and cycle our legs quicker. Tight hamstrings can restrict this motion. Hamstring Scoops help improve the mobility needed to access a stronger leg drive.

1. Place one heel in front of you with your toes up and your knee straight.

2. Lean forward and scoop your hands down toward your foot in one smooth motion, then return to the starting position.

3. Alternate sides with each repetition. You should feel a stretch through the back of the leg you're reaching toward.

Improve Your Knee Drive By Building Hip Strength And Stability

Now that your hips are moving more freely, it's time to put them into action. Knee Drives mimic the swing phase of running in an exaggerated way while challenging both sides of the body. The lifted leg works through hip flexion while the supporting leg builds hip extension strength and stability.

1. Balance on one leg with your arms by your sides and lower into a single-leg squat.

2. Straighten the knee you are standing on while lifting the other knee toward your chest in a marching position. Match your leg drive with an opposite arm swing.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Build A Stronger Push-Off Through Your Calves

Ankle plantar flexion is one of the key components of triple extension, the movement that helps propel us forward while running. Heel Raises strengthen the calf muscles responsible for this action while encouraging a tall posture that helps engage the entire body.

1. Stand shoulder-width apart with your arms at your sides.

2. Tuck your tailbone under and lift your heels up as you balance on your tiptoes.

3. Raise your arms above your head with your palms facing back.

Train Your Hip, Knee, And Ankle For More Bounce

The Staggered Triple Extension puts everything together. This movement simulates the push-off position where the hip, knee, and ankle are all extended. This is the critical moment of Bounce. While it looks simple, it requires the coordinated activation of the muscles involved in triple extension. Mastering this movement can help make every push-off during your next tempo run more effective.

1. Stand shoulder-width apart in a staggered stance with your arms at your sides.

2. Put most of your weight on your back leg, using your front leg for support. Lift your back heel by pushing onto your toes and raise your arm on the same side in front of and above your head.

3. You should feel the entire backside of your back leg engaged in the final position.

Get More Out Of Your Tempo Runs

Running faster isn't just about working harder. It's about preparing your body for the demands that come with increased speed.

Together, these five exercises target the key movements behind Bounce: hip extension, hip flexion, knee drive, calf strength, and the coordinated push-off that powers each stride forward. They can be used as part of a warm-up before a tempo run or included regularly alongside your training to maintain mobility, strength, and running-specific movement.

The better prepared your body is for faster running, the more efficiently you'll be able to handle the demands of speed work and the more you'll get out of every tempo run.