Started running again yesterday...

[Douglas]

While were on the subject, how many do any preperation to run. A very forgotten aspect , run or do anything and fail to prepare at the end you better be prepared to fail .

I've gotten to where I do a bit of stretching.

[Sharla]

Ok Scrap you've got me thinking about it - although I admit to complete laziness and stupidity for not really having put a lot of thought into it before apart from concluding that a longish walk warm up seems to make running easier .

I googled and found this:

The four key elements that should be included to ensure an effective and complete warm up are:

1. The general warm up
   This phase of the warm up consists of 5 to 15 minutes of light physical activity. The aim here is to elevate the heart rate and respiratory rate, increase blood flow and increase muscle temperature.
2. Static stretching
   Next, 5 to 15 minutes of gentle static stretching should be used to gradually lengthen all the major muscle groups and associated tendons of the body.
3. The sports specific warm up
   During this phase of the warm up, 10 to 15 minutes of sport specific drills and exercises should be used to prepare the athlete for the specific demands of their chosen sport.
4. Dynamic stretching
   Dynamic stretching involves a controlled, soft bounce or swinging motion to force a particular body part past its usual range of movement. The force of the bounce or swing is gradually increased but should never become radical or uncontrolled.

At this web site:

About.com: http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/stretching-warmup.htm

Is this more like what you'd recommend?

I'm also not sure I haven't over simplified what you might have been talking about.

If you just google running preparation you get hits that refer to mental preparation, programming your running as well as the stretching and warm up aspects.

I do try to have a time table for the types of runs I want to do and a gradual build up of kms leading up to a specific event. I'll also assume my training will have phases. I'm trying to increase my kms fairly dramatically at the moment but to let my body get used to the extra mileage I'm not worrying about speed training at all.

I'm also doing most of my running on surfaces which are much softer than concrete - loose sand, grass and firmer dirt / running track type surfaces.

I figure this will help not only to reduce impact but to develop some muscle groups. I met a runner in Japan a few years ago who was a firm believer in running on snow and ice for the same reason. Not much of that here though.

[Sharla]

right well I searched you past posts to try to see what you're getting at Scrap.

I noticed you had included a lot about warming down - is warming down and post workout stretching a part of preparation that's missed too often? Is that what you were referring to?

[Scrap]

It is Sharla, Ill have to do a thread on it. But Ill have to leave certain things out I can give you clues and a working principal. Working on this tits thing at the moment and the results are out of this planet. A freind at the uni sent me a lecturer in the Sports Science department to work with an ex Volleyball player who nobody could do anything with 6 sessions on the tits she is sorted, its all to do with principle.

[Scrap]

Just read the artical Sharla, I think we can take it a stage further

[Sharla]

It is Sharla, Ill have to do a thread on it. But Ill have to leave certain things out I can give you clues and a working principal. Working on this tits thing at the moment and the results are out of this planet. A freind at the uni sent me a lecturer in the Sports Science department to work with an ex Volleyball player who nobody could do anything with 6 sessions on the tits she is sorted, its all to do with principle.

Just read the artical Sharla, I think we can take it a stage further

Often I read little things about interrupting your workout for 20 mins and then you burn energy more efficiently afterwards.

I can't really nut out any reason why that would help physiologically because i thought you'd just get cold and have to warm up all over again.

Perhaps it's really light movement like walking? Am I on the right track or way off with what the next stage would be?

I can't think of anything that would be effective in 6 seconds though - visualization? To help recruit the correct muscle fibres - perhaps assisited visualization - something to get you starting a similar movement in the correct form?

After using whatever that might be - a back brace or resistance bands or wobble board or all of the above - then you can do it more effectively and safely for the remainder of the session unassisted? That would be stage 3 though according to the article and i would have thought a git like myself has the wrong action for many things engrained enough to need more than 6 seconds to retrain the correct movement.....?

Ok I'll have to think about this a bit more obviously - thanks for the clues Scrap

[Bomp]

It is Sharla, Ill have to do a thread on it. But Ill have to leave certain things out I can give you clues and a working principal. Working on this tits thing at the moment and the results are out of this planet. A freind at the uni sent me a lecturer in the Sports Science department to work with an ex Volleyball player who nobody could do anything with 6 sessions on the tits she is sorted, its all to do with principle.

Glad to see you've shared your experitse with the sports bra people, maintaining the perkiness of the ladies tits benefits us all.


I've learned the hard way the benefits of a proper warm down with an extended period of stretching. I think it's the 'condition' thread you're talking about, I'll keep a keen eye on it as it develops.