COACH’S CORNER WITH CHRIS DORMAN: DOWNHILL STRENGTH PREPARATION ECCENTRIC OVERLOAD STRATEGIES TO SAVE OUR QUADS

COACH’S CORNER WITH CHRIS DORMAN: DOWNHILL STRENGTH PREPARATION ECCENTRIC OVERLOAD STRATEGIES TO SAVE OUR QUADS

Kate Dzienis • May 19, 2022

Chris Dorman, MEx.Sci(StrgthCondg), BSci(SpSci), Grad.Dip.App.Sp.Ex.Nut.
STRENGTH, CONDITIONING, NUTRITION & PERFORMANCE COACH
Chris Dorman is a team sport strength and conditioning professional turned trail and ultra enthusiast and coach. Admiring the ability to endure, and with love of running through greenery and undulation, he now dedicates his pursuits towards immersing himself in the industry and preparing others for ultra adventures.


DOWNHILL STRENGTH PREPARATION ECCENTRIC OVERLOAD STRATEGIES TO SAVE OUR QUADS


RUNNING DOWNHILL TRASHES YOUR QUADS, TRUE THAT! But it’s not just the downhill, the quadriceps resist gravity, and the vertical forces associated with ground contact, on each and every step, thus creating extreme amounts of muscle damage across the course on an event, and for many days after. As a preparation coach, I want to prepare you for this agony! Recent, technology is becoming more accessible to help us prepare for these specific muscle contractions, damage and can go a long way to easing the pain that this muscle group may elicit.

Specificity, a key principle of exercise programming and adaptation, indicates that the more the specific the activity is to that in which you want to perform, the better off you are. So run more hills and downhill. What if we can’t? If you don’t live near undulating trails, addressing another principle of exercise, overload, which states if we overload muscles and movements progressively over time, we will create a training effect.

In terms of strength preparation, when descending, we are subjected to eccentric muscle contractions where the muscle is lengthening under tension. At high speed and force, these contractions create a lot of muscular damage. There are many strategies to overload the eccentric phase of movement, but here, I am providing what I consider the optimal strategy, to target not just the quads, the whole lower limb.

Flywheel technology allows us to perform normal strength training movements, tethered to a flywheel, that specifically targets and increases the force demands of the eccentric phase of the exercise, more so than that of traditional barbell or dumbbell lifts. Watching flywheel exercises, it doesn’t really look like anything different is happening, until you feel it! The feel is totally different than in traditional lifting. You lift with all your intent, then the flywheel reverses direction and then aggressively pulls you down, thus increasing the demand of the muscles.

Flywheel Lower Body Strength Training

For runners, Flywheel Training, the benefits are twofold, 1) the eccentric overload it creates, (as well as greater force and power output) and 2) for runners performing high mileage and or intensity, it creates this overload without a jump/land mechanism, of which is usually necessary to create eccentric overload. Jumping and landing creates additional stress on the musculoskeletal system. However, it is a specialty piece of equipment, that is reserved or limited to availability and or budget. Stay tuned in future issues for alternative and inexpensive strategies.

The practical implementation of Flywheel Training is important. With all strength training, the movement you wish to load must first be competent and have developed some capacity. Specific strategies such as the above, need to be developed on top of and in the context of general strength development. Then the trick is, inserting the strength dose into the running program, that doesn’t detract from running output. But once in the program, your quads, legs and mind will thank you!

Founder, RAS Runners-Endurance Coaching Service (online).

www.cdorman.com



By Kate Dzienis September 11, 2025
Run The River Half, Qld Murphys Creek Challenge, Qld Lighthorse Ultra, WA Kunanyi Trail Series, Rialannah, Tas Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 12-09-2025 As always, we're continuously on the hunt for your stories and reports, so get those race reports and photographs in to ultramag@autra.asn.au with the following information: Word document, single spaced Include the name of the event, the date and the location anywhere in the report (just a bullet point at the top is great) Please attach photographs to the email – do not put images in the body of your Word doc. You’ll just get me emailing you back asking for the photos sent in the correct way! As many photos as possible. With our new website, it’s now easier than ever to include a nice gallery in each race report No PDFs please And remember, it doesn’t have to be about an AUTRA-listed event specifically! You just have to be an AUTRA member for the 2025 year. Also too, if you’ve run in a non-AUTRA listed event anywhere on home soil or internationally, we’d love to include your race results and experience in our Member Updates, so please do reach out to us via email to kate.dzienis@autra.asn.au If any corrections need to be made in any of the results listed below, please alert me via email.
By Gary Mullins September 8, 2025
Location : Bangkok, Thailand Dates : November 21 - 24 2025 Role Type : Volunteer Position Time Commitment : Pre event planning + Travel Application Deadline : 17th September 2025 Thank you for your interest in supporting the Australian team for the 2025 IAU Asian 100k Championships. This role goes far beyond logistics. It’s about leadership, inclusion, and creating a positive, empowering environment for athletes competing on the world stage. AUTRA is committed to opening doors for those outside traditional pathways. We strongly encourage applications from coaches, former athletes, club leaders, volunteers, and passionate community members. You don’t need to have served on a board or managed a team before as we’re looking for people who genuinely care, are highly organised, and can proudly represent our athletes and country. Role Overview As Team Manager, you’ll work closely with AUTRA President Gary Mullins and Vice President Geoff Russell to prepare and support the national team before and during the championship. Pre-Departure Australia Act as the main contact for selected athletes and crew Assist with final entry forms and travel planning Prepare a Championships Agenda in alliance with the Team Managers Agreement Document Coordinate flights, uniforms, and team communications Help identify and organise crew support Attend online team planning meetings On the Ground in Thailand Be present and ready as athletes arrive Ensure all athlete needs are met so they can focus fully on their race Attend all technical meetings and represent the team professionally Coordinate team attendance at the opening and closing ceremonies Ensure the team and crew are prepared, organised, and calm Address any issues that arise with efficiency and discretion Provide hands on leadership and moral support throughout the race Support Provided Accommodation in Bangkok for 3 - 4 nights will be provided by AUTRA An official team uniform will be supplied A volunteer allowance of $1500 will be provided to acknowledge your time and service during the championship period. What You’ll Need Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Strong organisational ability under pressure A calm, inclusive, and athlete first mindset Commitment to AUTRA’s Code of Conduct Member of AUTRA Applying To apply for the role of Team Manager please CLICK HERE and fill out the Application Form. Applications Close at 5pm 17th September 2025. Selection Process Following the application deadline, the AUTRA Committee will review all submissions and select the most suitable candidate. All applicants will be contacted by Gary Mullins within 7 days of applications closing. Gary Mullins AUTRA President
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By Kate Dzienis September 11, 2025
Run The River Half, Qld Murphys Creek Challenge, Qld Lighthorse Ultra, WA Kunanyi Trail Series, Rialannah, Tas Upcoming Events WEEKLY NEWS REPORT FOR 12-09-2025 As always, we're continuously on the hunt for your stories and reports, so get those race reports and photographs in to ultramag@autra.asn.au with the following information: Word document, single spaced Include the name of the event, the date and the location anywhere in the report (just a bullet point at the top is great) Please attach photographs to the email – do not put images in the body of your Word doc. You’ll just get me emailing you back asking for the photos sent in the correct way! As many photos as possible. With our new website, it’s now easier than ever to include a nice gallery in each race report No PDFs please And remember, it doesn’t have to be about an AUTRA-listed event specifically! You just have to be an AUTRA member for the 2025 year. Also too, if you’ve run in a non-AUTRA listed event anywhere on home soil or internationally, we’d love to include your race results and experience in our Member Updates, so please do reach out to us via email to kate.dzienis@autra.asn.au If any corrections need to be made in any of the results listed below, please alert me via email.
By Gary Mullins September 8, 2025
Location : Bangkok, Thailand Dates : November 21 - 24 2025 Role Type : Volunteer Position Time Commitment : Pre event planning + Travel Application Deadline : 17th September 2025 Thank you for your interest in supporting the Australian team for the 2025 IAU Asian 100k Championships. This role goes far beyond logistics. It’s about leadership, inclusion, and creating a positive, empowering environment for athletes competing on the world stage. AUTRA is committed to opening doors for those outside traditional pathways. We strongly encourage applications from coaches, former athletes, club leaders, volunteers, and passionate community members. You don’t need to have served on a board or managed a team before as we’re looking for people who genuinely care, are highly organised, and can proudly represent our athletes and country. Role Overview As Team Manager, you’ll work closely with AUTRA President Gary Mullins and Vice President Geoff Russell to prepare and support the national team before and during the championship. Pre-Departure Australia Act as the main contact for selected athletes and crew Assist with final entry forms and travel planning Prepare a Championships Agenda in alliance with the Team Managers Agreement Document Coordinate flights, uniforms, and team communications Help identify and organise crew support Attend online team planning meetings On the Ground in Thailand Be present and ready as athletes arrive Ensure all athlete needs are met so they can focus fully on their race Attend all technical meetings and represent the team professionally Coordinate team attendance at the opening and closing ceremonies Ensure the team and crew are prepared, organised, and calm Address any issues that arise with efficiency and discretion Provide hands on leadership and moral support throughout the race Support Provided Accommodation in Bangkok for 3 - 4 nights will be provided by AUTRA An official team uniform will be supplied A volunteer allowance of $1500 will be provided to acknowledge your time and service during the championship period. What You’ll Need Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Strong organisational ability under pressure A calm, inclusive, and athlete first mindset Commitment to AUTRA’s Code of Conduct Member of AUTRA Applying To apply for the role of Team Manager please CLICK HERE and fill out the Application Form. Applications Close at 5pm 17th September 2025. Selection Process Following the application deadline, the AUTRA Committee will review all submissions and select the most suitable candidate. All applicants will be contacted by Gary Mullins within 7 days of applications closing. Gary Mullins AUTRA President
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