As a runner, it's hard enough finding timing to get your miles in - especially while managing work, family, and other responsibilities. And, the addition of stretching and doing your best to eat healthy are more drains on time.
But, I recommend squeezing an extra 5 minutes out of your day. Oh, and finding a door.
Pull-ups have to be one of the world's oldest forms of exercise. I certainly don't know for a fact, but the basic motion of the pull-up is so basic and useful. It's a standard exercise in school-age physical education programs. And it's at the heart of military physical education.
Runners don't get much upper body exercise. That's okay given the best exercise for running is still running. But, adding body weight exercise, like pull-ups, will add incremental benefits.
1. Many runners (and adults) sit at a desk for hours every day. Next time your at your desk on the phone or typing, notice your posture. Odds are you are hunched over with shoulders rolled forward. Pull-ups (and core work) will strengthen your posture and help sit more upright with shoulders back. The result: less muscule tension in the shoulders/back and better running posture.
2. Pull-ups will increase upper body stability while running. The back muscle is a large muscle group. Strengthening this muscle will help maintain running posture and aid in core stability as the body fatigues.
3. Good-lucking arms while wearing your running singlet. I mean, that's a benefit, right?
When it comes to buying a pull-up bar, you don't have to get fancy with a wall mounted, bolted apparatus. A simple pull-up that hangs overs a door or within a doorway will suffice for your routine.
Give it a try for a few weeks and see what happens.
See you at the Finish Line,
-George