How to Tone Abs for a Marathon

When preparing to run a marathon, you must train your entire body. Leg strength is of great importance of course, but you also have to have a strong core in order to sustain momentum during the length of the marathon. The best way to strengthen your core is to tone you abs as part of your training workouts.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Plan ahead and start your workout planning well in advance of the marathon. Train at least a few months before the event; you can even start as early as a year earlier and build up slowly.
2. Create a strategy based on the length of time until your marathon, how in shape you currently are and the duration of the marathon. Use books, magazine articles or online logs as starting points.
3. Hold in your stomach as you run, and swing arms to build abdominal and core strength. Identify a location where you can take a break from running and do sit-ups, crunches and push-ups, which utilize your abs as well as your arms.
4. Include core-strengthening moves in every workout. Do Pilates, yoga or any other activity that tones your abs and other core muscles as a compliment to the running part of your workout.
5. Utilize a ball or exercise disk to perform abdominal exercises. Lift the ball with your legs to strengthen your lower abdominal muscles, do lunges on an exercise disk to use your legs and abs.
6. Use workout DVDs or books with core or abs strengthening moves along with your running. Focus on your abs at least every other day to keep them tone for your marathon.

Tips & Warnings

• Eat healthfully throughout your training to maintain tight abs.
• Listen to your body. If your abs feel overworked at any point, take a day off from training that part of your body.