Weekly Wellness Sport Tip – 6 Ways to Avoid Running Injuries
Here’s how to prevent injuries from getting in the way of your runs.
Whether you’re an avid runner or just starting out, or whether you lace up your shoes for a run outside or on a treadmill, getting an injury when you run is never pleasant. Injuries can not only be extremely painful, but they can stop you from doing the things you love, including running. This can lead to various emotional difficulties as well as mental health problems, particularly if exercise is how you like to wind down and de-stress.
Avoiding injuries is therefore vital. After all, prevention is better than the cure, and you want to continue exercising and moving comfortably for as long as possible. Here are some simple tips to avoid injury and keep running.
1. Always Warm Up With Dynamic Movements
Static (still) stretches are great for post exercise. However, before you run, you need to focus on dynamic stretches that involve movement. Try leg swings to warm up your hamstrings, squats into a calf raise to activate your calves and glutes, and reverse lunges to wake up your quads and hip flexors. Aim for 30 seconds on each exercise or longer, if you feel like you need it.
2. Cool Down Properly
Don’t neglect cooldowns. Even if you only have a few minutes, it’s important to use this time wisely. Go for a two-minute gentle walk before completing various static stretches that will help avoid tightness in the muscles. Look to stretch your hamstrings, glutes, quads, and calves as well as back and shoulders.
3. Take Days off
Your body needs time to recover properly, and you heal on rest days, so it’s important to take this time off running, otherwise you’re more prone to injuries. Plus, time off can lead to improvements in your running performance. Instead of running on your rest days, try going for a gentle walk or try a calming exercise like yoga or Pilates.
4. Include Strength Training
A strong body with strong muscles and joints is less likely to suffer from injury. Think about it: when you run, your body is pounding against a hard surface at high intensity, often for an extended period of time. Ensuring that your muscles and joints can handle this impact is vital. Include compound movements like squats and deadlifts, as well as unilateral work. Lunges are a good unilateral exercise (these movements work one side of the body at a time), as they can help you identify any imbalances.
With this in mind, try the ‘Stronger for Longer’ series: most injuries are caused by poor form or muscle weakness, so combine drills, sled pushes, and dynamic stretching to prevent injuries while you run.
5. Wear the Right Footwear
The shoes you choose to wear can truly make or break your run. It’s important to find a comfortable, supportive pair of running shoes that will be able to take the force of you running on hard ground for a while. Investing in a gait analysis can be helpful to decipher which style of shoes are best for you and your running stance.
6. Listen to Your Body
Feeling a bit of pain as you run? Don’t carry on and ignore it, as your body is trying to tell you something. Instead of pushing through the pain, stop and try to identify the problem, stretch, mobilize, and apply heat or ice depending on the situation. Heat is great for relaxing muscles and is ideal for stiffness, whereas ice should be applied immediately post injury to reduce swelling and works well on twisted ankles.
Technogym has created running training plans with two-time New York marathon champion Orlando Pizzolato. Access the exercises and workouts in Orlando’s program from the Technogym App and improve your speed and technique.
–Article brought to you by TechnoGym