A common approach from both athletes and coaches is to run for fitness.
Looking at the injury stats, I don’t necessarily agree. According to some studies 37 – 56% of the runners, according to others at least 50% -of the runners got injured every year.
Why?
Running is a form of movement involving high mechanical stress. The worse your breathing, the bigger your body weight, the worse your posture and the wider your hips, the higher the risk.
These risks are increased further by bad shoes, “bad” ground and, last but not least, incorrect running technique.
It is true that running develops our cardiovascular system and makes most of our muscles move but since our joints mostly move in the same range of motion, we overload them in certain directions, while in other directions they hardly receive any load. If we add to this that – depending on the intensity – the foot touches the ground approximately 7,000 to 10,000 times per hour, and on each occasion, it bears up to 2 to 7 times our body weight, we can easily see that the risk – reward ratio is not moving in the right direction.
How do I do cardio then?
If you absolutely insist on this type of movement, then first visit a reliable running/athletics coach. Until then, walk long distances, ride a bike or row, and incorporate some functional exercises into your training.
Do not run to be fit. Run, when you are already fundamentally fit, strong and you know how to run.
