Should I Run? Part II
May 28, 2010 by danny · 2 Comments
In part I I gave you my thoughts on “distance” running (20 minutes or more of non-stop running/jogging). If you recall, I mentioned that I would prefer that you more evenly spread the stress throughout your body. And that running is very, very repetitive – the same joints take on the same amount of stress in the same fashion throughout your thousands of steps at each running session. Again, this greatly increases your chance of getting a stress fracture as well as other injuries. Below you will see a couple examples of ways to mix your cardio up while sparing your joints in order keep you healthy in your attempt to reach your fat loss and/or conditioning goals.
This first circuit is very “joint friendly.” It is low impact and is great for anyone, especially those that have quite a bit of fat to lose (again, because the low impact nature of these movements, as opposed to running). In this circuit we have body weight squats, followed by hand walks on a step, and finally kettlebell swings. As you can see, the knees take on a bit of stress with the squats, the wrists and shoulders take on a bit of stress with the hand walks, and the low back takes on a little stress with the kettlebell swings. We have some, but not a ton of stress getting distributed all over the body. This is much more conducive to long term joint health.
The 3 exercises in this video are step ups with knee drive, medicine ball slams, and split squat jumps. For the overweight individual the first two exercises are great as they are low impact. I would not use the split squat jumps for someone needing to drop quite a few pounds. For everyone else, all of the exercises from both videos are great.
So, if you are looking for a more fun, joint friendly way to get your cardio in, please consider incorporating fast paced, circuit style cardio. And remember, if you LOVE running, I’m not asking you to stop altogether. I’m just asking you to consider my points as to why it would be smart to incorporate some “different” kinds of cardio. So, reduce (or completely eliminate) the repetitive stress that long(er) running brings, and have some fun doing it!
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Danny, thanks for the great article as I am one who has never been a fan of running long distances. But i wanted to get your take on a new phenomenon. I recently watched a documentary on the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico who are able to run great distances with no stress/joint injuries because they run barefoot. Also, Troy Polamalu (safety for the greatest team on Earth) is famously known for his barefoot workouts which he believes helps his overall balance and agility. While I am not one who is willing to trek through the city barefoot, would you recommend incorporating barefoot workouts and do you believe it could help in strengthening joints and promoting balance?
Shrew, no doubt! I’m impressed with you!!! I actually just wrote an article for a basketball website on this very topic (don’t know if they are gonna publish it, but if they do, I’ll make sure to forward it to you). When we wear shoes with high(er) heels (like the worst shoe ever – Nike Shox) we lose proprioception in our feet. This can lead to problems further up the “kinetic chain.” Afterall, every step we take starts with the foot. We also lose strength and mobility in our feet/ankle when wearing *most* shoes, ankle braces, and when we tape our ankles. This greatly increases our chances of ankle sprains and knee injuries (to name just a couple potential problems). Losing ankle mobility will also make it more difficult to squat to proper depth and lead to a greater chance of injury since it will be harder to keep our torso upright (proper posture).
But you have to be careful. Going sans shoes without easing into is not the best thing to do. You should first purchase shoes with a barefoot feel and wear them around for awhile. I wear “Nike Free” shoes to work everyday. I walk around my house barefoot everyday. I usually warm-up barefoot (before lifting) and go barefoot for all deadlift variations. For the rest of my exercises I make sure to wear my Nike Frees and/or Chuck Taylors.
You also have to be careful of the “elements.” i.e. glass on the ground. Nike Frees should be plenty for now, but if you “graduate” to barefoot running, make sure to do so on a good surface. We have a lot of field turf fields here in Cali and when i do my sprints I often do them barefoot. I would NOT do this on concrete though. A track surface would also be good. You could also wear “Vibram Five Finger” shoes as well. These are goofy looking, but hard-core Steelers fans don’t care what others think of them.
A good book that talks a lot about the benefits of barefoot running is, “Born to Run.”
Alright my brotha, that’s all I have for now. Good job of being smart!