Workout 3mile run Screamin' in the head phones:Pearl Jam Live on two legs
Love it, like it or just plain hate it running is a great way to workout. But, before you grab the running shoes and hit the street let's talk a bout a few things that will make a huge difference in your technique. Remember the goal of fitness is to create an efficient human machine.
1) Breathing if you are a bad breather (which most of your are) you are not supplying your body with the oxygen it needs to support the intensity at which you are working. Your body breaths naturally it needs O2 to survive. So one way of working with your breath is by actually focusing on your exhale. Sort of like trying to blow out a candle from across the room. Your body will find a a way to get O2 in to the system you just need to get rid of the CO2.
2) Running hurts your knees? Me too! Well, until I started using my body the way it was designed. Your Quadricep or front of the leg is used to stabilize the knee. Yet we seem to think that is what moves us. Not the case. Our Hamstring and Glute (back of the leg and butt) are actually doing the moving of the body. So when you run pull with the Hamstring and push through the Glute. This is a way to get that cute little butt!
3) Mentally tell your body to stay relaxed. This is really tough mainly because people think that a workout should be tough well when you get tense mentally your body follows suite and gets tense then you limit your range of motion and therefore making the run harder. You are what you think. So while running if things feel like they are getting harder tell yourself to relax and focus on your breathing, see what happens.
4) The surface you run on should be chosen wisely. I never run on the street, pavement was designed for things with tires not knees. A great surface to run on is Synthetic Athletic fields. They are soft even surfaces that allow you to focus on form especially short runs. I prefer trails to run on personally. The rocky unstable surfaces are a real challenge to navigate yet the dirt and leaves provide a nice cushion for the body. Plus hills are a great way to really push you limits.
These basic techniques have taken people who refuse to run and made them rethink their approach. Now they are running fools and love the feeling and results they get from short quick sprints. After all when you run short quick bursts you are using your fast twitch muscle fibers, which use the most energy, burn the most fat and help the body naturally produce more Human Growth Hormone! That's the good stuff that helps your body regulate body fat, increase sex drive, regulate sleep, and reduce the aging process.
My philosophy is simple Run, Jump, Push, Pull! In other words get out and play!
