Running is a great sport for cardiovascular health. Or so they say. It is great, but not for everyone. We will show you why.
Running:
Let’s face it. We have all been there. Every laic that tries to give us advice about running will say that is the best weight loss therapy there is. Then he will enumerate all the sports in which athletes are supposedly thin and fit. And to an unsuspecting beholder, those sentiments of the greatest sport may hold true. It is true, though, that humans are practically made for climbing and for running. We have a good centre of gravity that enables us to run for long distances, and there are recorded instances of hunters in Africa hunting antelope by simply outrunning it. People choosing running as their career that spans for more than 20 years are a good example that running is not inherently bad.
That, however, does not mean that is not good for everyone. Let’s take a look and find out why.
Rolling stone gathers no moss:
Think about our ancestors for a while. People who used low intensity because they had to live were much different beings than we are today. Carrying, digging, and chopping things in a most rudimentary way is a great way to keep fit. Compare that to the sedentary lifestyle people have today, and you will quickly find out why there are so many differences between people. Even one generation of ‘’lazy’’ parents is enough to make children susceptible to the not so active lifestyle choices. Maybe genetically, but more certainly by mimicking what their role models do.
In the case of our ancestors, being a rolling stone didn’t mean avoiding responsibilities. They hunted and fought just to survive each and every day, so the expenditure as far as calories goes was in their favor. Being mightily fit was as well. When everything is said and done, the amount of your activity will dictate what you can do.
Modern man:
Problems that arise and arrive with lack of activity are of the most mundane kind. You probably don’t always sit in the same position, which means your body is twisted in many ways to compensate for the lack of muscles that support your trunk and abs. Add to that the empty calories that you consume since you practically can’t be properly hungry from sitting or laying down. And you got a recipe for disaster.
Not everyone is like this in these times. There are athletes in their respective fields that have transcended the form of human. Super strength, agility and speed make them that distinct from every other human being that is not like that. And that is the problem. You don’t have to be a pro athlete in the same measure in which they don’t have to be couch potatoes. Just take a regular measure of activity of your sort and some sort of progressive overload into your life. Your body will thank you.
Why does this matter for running?
The beginning of the thesis of why people who are in ‘’skinny’’ sports being skinny is just that. Some sports favor certain body types because of obvious advantages and disadvantages. If you are moving a lot, it makes sense to move in a more efficient manner, so the lighter people will be advantageous. Conversely, if you are not, it makes sense to be robust and big. This is where the common sense comes in handy when it comes to running.
People who are naturally lanky can get in running shape quite easily. Most of them don’t have that many issues with weight and hips and knees being the problem (if they are not in a training cycle). And they probably will get in that runner’s shape.
People with more robust build are a different story. They need to do many more prerequisites for running, if they want to avoid injuries. Some people just have the muscle type for certain activities. And being big and heavy usually means that you are meant for strength, since just to carry that mass is a task in itself.
What to do?
To cut the story short, here is what you should do, if you want to run injury free.
- Get a proper trainer to assess your form:
A running specialist that knows the length of your gait and has great insight into what you want and what you need to do with your running career. Don’t mistake trainers that specialize in strength for those that specialize in endurance. They are two vastly different worlds.
- Single leg training:
Single leg RDL’s, single-leg deadlifts, bird dogs, dead bugs and all other wonderful things that will set you straight for the possible imbalances that you may have by sitting too long.
- Get strong:
This doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out. Getting strong is never a disadvantage. And having a continuous practice with weights will make it tenfold easier for you when, for example, winter comes. And you can strength train during that period instead of avoiding the process of health altogether by saying that you can’t run at all.
- Get realistic:
Like we said, running is not for everyone, since not everyone is built for a runner. Just like not everyone is built to deadlift 800 pounds. That is just the way it is. If you are one of those unlucky few to hate running from your guts, our advice is to run at a moderate pace that soothes you and connect to nature in the process. That way, you may even lie to yourself that you like it. But don’t pretend you can be a pro. Do what you can do better over a reasonable period of time.