Just a few of the many reasons you should be stretching. Practice a simple seated Quad to Hamstring stretch regularly and watch those pains vanish.
Want to lose weight but don’t have a gym membership? Good news! Getting outside is FREE and running is one of the best ways to burn calories regardless of where you are.
While there is some variation between gyms, more or less they all look the same. They’re filled with useless machines and smell bad.
Why spend your training hours inside a fitness facility when you can take in the majesty and beauty of nature without any monthly gym fees at all?
Important note: if you are significantly overweight you should begin with walking regularly.
When you are young you think of running like RUNNING! Moving at top speed, busting ass.
If you try that nowadays you’re going to very quickly overwhelm yourself and be collapsed on the side of the road gasping for air. That isn’t what you want, that isn’t what I want, that isn’t what anyone wants.
The first thing you must realize is that the goal of running isn’t to go fast, it’s to keep moving until the end.
So slow down and take it easy. If you are doing it and you cannot breathe you are going to fast. It isn’t a race.
Now that we have got you slowed down, you must learn to run in a nondestructive manner, this is the key to longevity and in turn success!
When you pound the pavement loudly, bang your feet and slam your knees you can quickly rack up a lot of the ankle and hip pain.
For many people, this is where they stop. What you are going to do is slow down to a manageable pace, whatever that might be, and focus on learning form.
Read my blog How Do I Run Without Hurting My Knees? and watch this video each time before you go out for a run.
Focus on trying to incorporate one tip at a time until they become a natural part of your stride.
Having a plan is crucial to success in running, weight loss and life.
Since you are new to running or detrained from a long period of inactivity I recommend the couch to 5K free app.
The C25K Free app will act as your personal trainer. It will guide you through walking and jogging intervals that anyone can complete.
It also provides you a calendar so you know you will be able to jog a 5K at the end of your time with the app.
Very excited to start a new feature here on the blog, exercise of the week. Each week you get to check out some of the best moves that we are currently training.
Since it is Summer everyone is either trying to get shredded (burn fat to show off that Summer time body) or in the middle of the best part of their running calendar. This move will strengthen the core, lower back, hamstrings, glutes and calves and help your legs
How to perform: Place heels firmly in TRX (or other suspension trainer) handles. Press hip up. Drive heels towards butt, squeezing hamstrings, glutes and calves. Return to starting position with control.
Training with Andrew has helped me complete my first marathon! He has been my personal trainer for over 2 years. He is very motivating and highly knowledgeable about fitness and running.
If you want to lose weight running is one of your best choices for burning a lot of calories quickly. The first thing many folks ask me about running is…
Here are 5 things you can do to help you avoid injuries & run without hurting your knees.
The first thing to check is your shoes, if your shoes are not running shoes they will not support you properly and are likely to contribute to injury. If you have running shoes they might still be part of the problem. Even good running shoes have a life expectancy. Usually that life expectancy is between 200-300 miles after that, and sometimes before that, they will begin to negatively impact your health. Visit your local boutique running store and have their staff analyze your running stride and needs. Big box sporting good stores won’t offer this type of service but a small specialized running store can. Shout out to my favorite Marathon Sports.
Poor running form on the left, proper form on the right
When your feet land in front of your hips you are landing on your heel. Think of this as stepping on the break. Landing on your heel shoots impact from your heel through your shins up into your knees, hips and back. By landing with your feet below your hips you greatly reduce impact. Running with improved form can reduce stress and pain associated with shin splints and knee problems.
When you land mid fore foot this helps your knee have an appropriate amount of flexion while making contact with the ground. If your landing with your leg straight you are landing with maximum impact. A bent knee stops the chain of impact at the joint. By leaning forward at the ankle (as opposed to leaning forward at the hip) you keep your momentum going forward while reducing impact on your joints.
Running tall means running with proper form. This includes your head being positioned above your shoulders, shoulders above your hips, hips above your feet. No slouching your shoulders forward, no sticking your butt out, no leaning your head forward. Run with a relaxed & balanced position and watch other form problems melt away.
Any upper body or arm motion which moves side to side and not straight back and forth is taking away from your forward momentum. If your arms are coming across the front of your body you are sapping energy without any reward. When your shoulders are back and your arms are able to move easily forward and backward they become an asset to your running economy and help propel you forward.
For more tips check out the Good Running Form website or contact me for a personalized training session.