We go on all the time about doing the right things, at the right times in order to be successful, and that will always remain the most important factor in your success. Hopefully, i try to break it down in an easy to understand way, taking the mystery out of it all.
Another big factor that affects everyone during the training lives, and especially if you don’t even train, is INJURY.
Injuries come in all different forms, and can happen to any area of your body as we all know. I think back injuries come out on top, and are likely to affect 87% of the working population at some time in their lives.
Another topical injury at the moment for many with the London marathon not so far away, various triathlons, 10k’s and 5k’s, is running injuries.
Also, i have individuals doing the Moonwalk up in London, which is basically a walking marathon for Ladies done overnight,
Anyway, i come across running and walking injuries quite often in the general population, fortunately though not many people i train as i like to do a lot of core stability and injury prevention work.
One simple exercise i recommend to people who are having any such injuries is first to try and balance on one leg. If your leg flares out to one side quickly and you struggle to balance, then you need to address these issues as soon as possible.
For example, if you have a foot problem, then the way you walk or run could be the problem.
Good footwear is always vital, change your trainers every 500 miles or 6 months in general.
There are those who recommend barefoot running, stating the natural benefits. According to worldwide authorities, running barefoot is only recommended if you gait is perfect, this means you land perfectly, and your hips and knees are all in alignment, in most people’s experience, this DOES NOT HAPPEN, so run barefoot with GREAT CAUTION, personally i wouldnt bother and science DOES NOT back it up!
A very good test is to do one legged squats, try and keep your knee and hips in alignment, your hip should not flare out, and your knee shouldnt come in too much, this is a sign you need to do more balance work and correct these issues, or longer term injury may come your way.
More on this tomorrow!
