Stretching For Runners – How To Stretch Leg Muscles Before And After Running

One of the most polarising debates in the world of running – apart from whether to change running form or stick with heel-striking – is when you should do your stretching. The old guard say you should always warm up and stretch before your run and then again more thoroughly afterwards. A new school of thought has appeared in recent years, which maintains that stretching is exclusively for after running, but that more dynamic, functional stretches should be done prior to hitting the trail. The arguments seem mainly to focus on performance rather than injury, but I am now of the mindset that a pre-run stretching session is important.

Fuel For Running – Six Of The Best Runner’s Snacks

We get bombarded with a huge amount of information about diets and nutrition, both in our everyday lives and also our sporting lives. One of the best ways of keeping body fat low is to develop practices which increase the metabolism. Nutrient timing can be a very important factor, as these days the old-fashioned ‘calories in versus calories out’ paradigm is becoming less credible. The new advice by many sports nutritionists and coaches is to eat more meals per day, each of which of course needs to be smaller than your usual three square meals; and whenever possible, to eat within an hour of physical exercise. But does this give us carte blanche for snacking?

Do Compression Socks Really Do More Than Just Warm Your Shins?

When it comes to winter running, it certainly pays to wrap up fairly warm to remain comfortable, otherwise it becomes very easy to give up and take a break until spring. And when you are considering what to wear on your legs, recent research has suggested that a pair of compression socks might be great for keeping your shins nice and toasty, but that they are fairly useless for anything else. This should be quite a shock for a number of runners, as sports compression socks have been hailed as our savior from shin splints, muscular fatigue and even calf injury. I can vouch for the relative ineffectiveness of compression calf guards on a personal basis, having worn them in the run up to a calf injury that left me sidelined since August this year. And I also have the personal accounts of others for whom the compression sock was the enemy of injury-free running. So, what is the reality and what is the advice now?

Swimming Leg Cramps – Preventing Painful Muscle Spasms In the Water

Experiencing a painful leg cramp or muscle spasm while underwater is quite a painful experience and something that you will seriously want to avoid whether you are a competitive or casual swimmer. Not only will your afflicted muscle be left extremely sore and unable to function for some time, the sudden cramping can make it nearly impossible to stay afloat, and you may find it tough to stay calm and think smart. Failing to take the necessary precautions to prevent leg cramps can leave you in a very dangerous situation, and you might be surprised when you find out how simple yet effective some of the methods or remedies are towards prevention and relief.

Natural Running The Newton Way

I have spent the last year studying minimalist running and proper running form, which I have written about previously, after making a transition into this more natural form of running. In the past, I suffered from terrible shin splints and always ended up with sore hips and legs after running. So I made some changes described in Ken Mierke’s book about Evolution Running and everything seemed sweet. The first months were the best running I’ve had for ages, but it was not to last. And it is only recently, during a long break from the road due to injury, that I finally found another book which helped, called Natural Running by Danny Abshire, co-founder of the Newton Running Shoe Company.

Should I Transition To Minimalist Running Shoes

Recently, many people have moved away from the traditional to more minimalist running shoes. Both types require a different pattern of movement, with the traditional shoes having padded heels to absorb shock during heel strike whereas the minimalist shoes have flatter profiles, far less cushioning, and they require the runner to perform a midfoot or forefoot strike. Arguably, this latter style is more efficient as there is less braking and vertical oscillation. One of the problems is that people who made the switch to ‘natural’ running tend to be worse than reformed smokers, and constantly berate others for continuing to heel strike. So: should you make the transition to minimalist running shoes?