Walking and running are easily some of the most popular modes of exercise for the adult population. Whether you're an athlete or a sedentary individual walking and running can help you. It shouldn't come as a surprise with the vast list of benefits associated with each. To name a few, decreased body fat mass [1], a lower resting heart rate (^Vo2 Max) [1], and they both have shown to increase the longevity of your life [2]. Besides, all you need is a pair of shoes and some gumption and you can walk or run. No membership, no equipment and no excuses.
Although running can be good it also comes with its issues. The biggest issue in my opinion with walking and running for most people is that they cannot safely sustain the habit and therefore end up injured and quitting. Walking and running have shown to cause ground reactive forces (GRF) on the body from 1.2 to 2.5 x bodyweight (BW) [3]. Think of that for a second, while I'm jogging at 190lbs, my body is enduring GRFs of at least 228 lbs (1.2) to 475 lbs (2.5) or higher depending on my speed. With this understanding, is it a surprise that running can and often does lead to; Knee injuries, lower leg injuries, foot injuries and thigh injuries? [4].
My solution is that people need to adapt to a preventative mindset as opposed to a reactive one. A preventative mindset means to do what you can to prevent or at least decrease something (injury) from happening. A reactive mindset would deal with the issue after it happened. Unfortunately, in this scenario, it would likely mean lots of physiotherapy sessions and not much running. One of the simplest preventative measures you can do to decrease the risk of injury while running is to execute a proper warm-up [5].
Although I cannot provide an individualized warm-up for you in this article, I can provide a thorough "shotgun approach" warm-up that is likely to make a positive difference. This warm-up will not only decrease your risk of injury but also should increase your running performance. The warm-up addresses common mobility, stability and activation issues associated with running. In addition, it provides an increased internal temperature, dynamic stretching, and potentiation benefits.
For a further decreased risk in injury and an increase in running performance, you should seek advice from a qualified exercise professional.
10 Minute Dynamic Warm-up for Walking/Running
Myofascial release in the foot: 1x1min/foot (can use a broom stick, foam roller or rolling pin).
Ankle Mobility: 1x5 reps/foot with 10 sec hold in end range (as far as you can go without raising heel off the floor) a total of 50 sec @ end range per foot.
Standing Calf Raise: 1x12 reps
SL Standing Calf Raise: 1x10 reps/foot
Alternating Lunge with Rotation: 1x5/side
Glute Bridge: 1x10 reps
SL Glute Bridge: 1x10 reps/leg
Front Leg Swings: 1x10 reps/leg
Side leg Swings: 1x10 reps /leg
Pogo Hops: 1x20 reps
Stationary Butt Kicks: 1x10 reps/leg
Stationary High Knees: 1x10 reps/leg
References
[1] Hespanhol Junior, L. C., Pillay, J. D., van Mechelen, W., & Verhagen, E. (2015). Meta-Analyses of the Effects of Habitual Running on Indices of Health in Physically Inactive Adults. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(10), 1455–1468. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0359-y
[2] Lee, D. C., Pate, R. R., Lavie, C. J., Sui, X., Church, T. S., & Blair, S. N. (2014). Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 64(5), 472–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2014.04.058
[3] Keller, T., Weisberger, A., Ray, J., Hasan, S., Shiavi, R., & Spengler, D. (1996). Relationship between vertical ground reaction force and speed during walking, slow jogging and running. Clinical Biomechanics, 11(5), 253–259. DOI: 10.1016/0268-0033(95)00068-2
[4] Van Gent RN, Siem D, van Middelkoop M, van Os AG, Bierma-Zeinstra SM, Koes BW. Incidence and determinants of lower extremity running injuries in long-distance runners: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2007;41:469-480
[5] Fradkin, A., Gabbe, B., & Cameron, P. (2006). Does warming up prevent injury in sport? Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 9(3), 214–220. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2006.03.026
Comentarios