Fitness has always been a part of my life. I have always jogged on and off the treadmill and hit the wrights hard. I tried something different and strained my hamstrings.
I will first say: I am not a jogger/runner. Yes, I jog for cardiovascular health and conditioning but it's not something I look forward to doing. Yesterday, 4/22/17 I jogged/ran for 1.5 miles with a time of 10:57.43. I figure that's not bad for a 37 year old who does not like to run. Here's how it went.
I made sure I had a good meal of carbs (white noodles), protein (chicken breast), and grain (two slices of whole wheat bread) at least three hours before my run.
I stretched for 10 minutes. I stretched my quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, calves, and back. I also included some shoulder stretches to loosen them up. I did three sets of each stretch and held each position of about 30 seconds.
I stretched for 10 minutes. I stretched my quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, calves, and back. I also included some shoulder stretches to loosen them up. I did three sets of each stretch and held each position of about 30 seconds.
I hit the road slowly to begin the jog. I knew that I didn't warm up properly beforehand so I felt a little stiff. NOTE: Always warm up before you stretch. It's one of those things I know but still neglected for some unknown reason. So for the first half mile I was getting lose. Once I was lose I picked up the pace when my body felt acclimated to the run.
I ran/jogged in intervals, 30 second fast and jogged until I felt ready to go fast again. I wasn't trying to kill myself folks lol! I finally finished, placed my hands on top of my head with fingers interlaced to open my chest cavity for greater lung expansion.
Once I caught my breath I decided to do a sprint. What in the hell was I thinking? I figured since I was already "warmed up" from the run, sprinting would be no problem. Boy was I wrong! I settled my breathing, set my posture, and darted up the street! About 12 to 15 yards into full sprint I felt a slight strain in my hamstring (bicep femoris).
I immediately began to gradually reduced my speed in an effort to reduce the level of injury. Good thing I did it like that. I was not in pain and could still jog but I feel the strain.
I learned afterwards by reading g a post by Jennifer V. Allan, (2013), that the old ways of warming up before a run is highly dated. It's now all about dynamic stretching which forces blood to the working muscles. There's always room to learn even after 13 years in fitness. I was used to the old way of stretching and didn't warm up properly. As a result, my hamstrings were not properly warmed up and was strained.
I ran/jogged in intervals, 30 second fast and jogged until I felt ready to go fast again. I wasn't trying to kill myself folks lol! I finally finished, placed my hands on top of my head with fingers interlaced to open my chest cavity for greater lung expansion.
Once I caught my breath I decided to do a sprint. What in the hell was I thinking? I figured since I was already "warmed up" from the run, sprinting would be no problem. Boy was I wrong! I settled my breathing, set my posture, and darted up the street! About 12 to 15 yards into full sprint I felt a slight strain in my hamstring (bicep femoris).
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| Aid My Muscle |
I learned afterwards by reading g a post by Jennifer V. Allan, (2013), that the old ways of warming up before a run is highly dated. It's now all about dynamic stretching which forces blood to the working muscles. There's always room to learn even after 13 years in fitness. I was used to the old way of stretching and didn't warm up properly. As a result, my hamstrings were not properly warmed up and was strained.
The video below shows Jennifer's examples in motion. Don't make the same mistakes I made before your run or sprint. Warm up properly. Enjoy!
As always, thank you for your time and for putting your health first.
Allan, V. J., (2013). The Starting Line: How and Why You Should Warm Up Before A Run. http://www.runnersworld.com/run-nonstop/how-and-why-you-should-warm-up-before-a-run
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