RobertS
Level 2 Valued Member
Anyone who watched the Olympics in London this summer may have been intrigued to see Mo Farah advance from a distance running 'nearly man' to a double Olympian in the 5k & 10k. Distance runners are not noted for their strength feats, and no doubt it will remain so. But read this highly pertinent quote from the coach that took him to the top, the legendary Alberto Salazar:
"When Mo came to me 18 months ago, he was a skinny distance runner with a great engine but no upper body. At the end of races, he would tire and his head would bob around and his arms would flail. He was the weakest athlete I’d ever trained — in terms of core strength and being able to do push-ups, sit-ups and single-leg squats. He was a 90lb weakling. The No 1 thing that has helped Mo is not the 110 miles a week he puts in on the road, but the seven hours a fortnight in the gym."
"When Mo came to me 18 months ago, he was a skinny distance runner with a great engine but no upper body. At the end of races, he would tire and his head would bob around and his arms would flail. He was the weakest athlete I’d ever trained — in terms of core strength and being able to do push-ups, sit-ups and single-leg squats. He was a 90lb weakling. The No 1 thing that has helped Mo is not the 110 miles a week he puts in on the road, but the seven hours a fortnight in the gym."
