Over the years, distance running (road running, trail running, cross country running) has continued to grow and gain an enormous number of new participants every year. It has been recognized as a great way to improve cardiovascular fitness, manage body mass, and improve overall levels of health and wellness.
Unfortunately, our bodies are still trying to adapt to the surfaces we are running on and the distances we are asking them cover in a week or a single bout. Add to this a huge reduction in our levels of physical activity done on a daily basis as a result of our ever-increasing sedentary lifestyles, and we start to see any number physical and mechanical issues coming to the fore.
This article is aimed more at the right side of the chart below, specifically, Block 1, (injury free and remaining injury free) and Block 2 (Avoiding injury).
The injury-free runner:
It is estimated that 80% of all runners have or have had an injury associated with running at one time or another, so if you are currently not experiencing issues associated with injury, good for you!
The trick is making sure you remain injury-free. Let’s have a look at how we can achieve this.
1: Keep doing what you are doing:
The fact that you are currently injury-free means you have been something right. The goal is keep you injury-free for as long as possible, so continue doing what you have been doing.
Try not introduce any new training methods into your program, and stick to the schedule you have been working to – it is obviously working for you.
2: Carefully improve your training program:
Innovative Fitness’ trained staff can help assess your body and overall health to put together a training plan that allows you to push yourself as a runner while keeping you injury-free.
- Initial assessment / Screening:
An excellent way to identify areas of imbalance, weakness and instability is through the completion of a movement screen.
Innovative Fitness makes use of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) with all of our members before they embark on a training program – runners are no different.
“Innovative Fitness utilizes a ranking and grading system that documents movement patterns crucial for normal function. By screening these patterns, we readily identify functional limitations and asymmetries in every individual that may cause further injury if left unchecked.”
This simple 7 movement screen will allow us to develop a Prehabilitation program for you to help you run more efficiently and economically.
- Prehabilitation:
This is a concept that addresses injury before it even happens.
By using the information acquired during the FMS we can really hone in on your bodies’ Limiters, and create interventions that will enhance their overall function.
By incorporating various modes of activity into your current training program, such as stretching, resistance training, self Myofascial release (foam rolling, stick and ball work) and yoga and massage, one can affect a positive change in keeping your body moving optimally, and ultimately less injury prone.
- Resistance training component
Lifting weights is designed to not only strengthen the bodies’ muscles, but also its connective tissues (tendons, ligaments, bones and fascia). The bodies’ soft tissue structures are usually the sites of injury, so it is important to maximize their resistance to injury.
Resistance and strength training can be an intimidating prospect for many. Don’t sweat it – use the people about the “ins and outs, do’s and don’ts” – Give your closest Innovative Fitness a call for help.
1: For the greatest benefit from resistance training, aim to lift weights once or twice every week.
2: Try to use free weights (Barbells, Dumbells, Medicine balls and Kettle bells) over exercise machines, as they work both the primary mover muscle as well as the stabilizer muscle groups.
3: Do between 12 – 20 repetitions per exercise, with 1-2 sets of each exercise.
4: A simple guideline for selecting the correct weight is that the final repetition of the set should be the last one you can just push out. If you felt you could do 2 or 3 more, the weight was a little light.
James Greenwood
Professional Training Coach
Innovative Fitness Port Moody
p. 778-355-9800
e. www.innovativefitness.com
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