The Fitness Thread

[MARKakaJIM]

I'd only do it on the treadmill at the gym, Darlaston isn't really a wonderful environment for road running.

 

[Johnny75]

I'd only do it on the treadmill at the gym, Darlaston isn't really a wonderful environment for road running.

Pretty good for learning how to sprint from a walking/ standing start though?

 

[Johnny75]

I've not tried them but i think they're probably closer to a modern running shoe than the barefoot idea, adding something extra in that isn't really needed, although they're adding something in that makes you do a little more rather than something that takes away some of the work.

I think i might buy that book i mentioned and have a read, think the guy that wrote it went and did a lot of running with some native American tribe that do silly amounts of running in nothing more than a primative sandal. The lack of support or anything from the shoe meant they're legs became really strong, they became pretty much immune to injury and there were memebers of the tribe running massive distances well into their senior years, apparently the lack of anything supportive or corrective in the shoe leads to a whole new technique of running which reduces the strain on joints and muscles.

Be very careful with fit flops/ Masai running shoes and barefoot running books. As WH says and plenty of research shows, injury risk is massively increased if not wearing the correct shoes and muscle tone/ usage can cause injury. Be aware that the majority running style of many tribes is toe-heel and not heel-toe which the majority of white European males have. There is all sorts of fatigue issues, shock attenuation and gait analysis that goes into training shoes on the human factors side. Couple this with the advanced materials and new technologies it would be folly to ignore the advice (Nike's budget for new running shoes is over $1Bn) from various running shoe brands and running websites.

 

[Nando]

I'm looking forward to getting back to Bristol as there's a gym right next to my accomodation and a swimming pool within ten minutes. There's nowhere I can go at the moment apart from runs and cycles around the countryside and I'm not the best runner.

I've lost half a stone so far this summer and that would probably be more if it wasn't for drinking a fair bit due to the Euros and Olympics.

I'm not particularly overweight, but I could do with toning up a bit and losing maybe a stone.

 

[Leigh Griffiths' Hairline]

For running shoes, I would highly recommend going to Sweatshop. I ran a marathon last October, and before I started training I went there for some running gear. They stick you on a treadmill and film you running and walking to assess your gait. Everyone plants their foot down in a different way while running, so you need shoes tailored to your style. Then they try you in various pairs of running shoes, until they find a pair that suits your gait.

I never had any problems with them, no blisters or injuries etc. Previously, I had just bought running shoes without getting assessed and used to get horrendous blisters and muscle strains.

 

[prerecordedlive]

I do the barefoot running thing. I had a pair of these until my dog recently ate the straps and one of the toes off of them.

I was cursed with extremely flat feet so it is a pain in the ass to run heel to toe. When I started running about a year ago, I learned very quickly to run on my forefoot. It killed me after every run for about a month (literally everything would be sore from my hips down) but it quickly built up my calf muscles and increased my stamina. I'd recommend it.

Just bought a pair of these the other day. Incredibly light and they feel outstanding.

 

[Nando]

I could probably do with some specialist running shoes as I have a really high instep.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Be very careful with fit flops/ Masai running shoes and barefoot running books. As WH says and plenty of research shows, injury risk is massively increased if not wearing the correct shoes and muscle tone/ usage can cause injury. Be aware that the majority running style of many tribes is toe-heel and not heel-toe which the majority of white European males have. There is all sorts of fatigue issues, shock attenuation and gait analysis that goes into training shoes on the human factors side. Couple this with the advanced materials and new technologies it would be folly to ignore the advice (Nike's budget for new running shoes is over $1Bn) from various running shoe brands and running websites.

It's a difficult one to call I think.

Obviously no-one is going to have perfect technique so the different technologies in modern running shoes can help to compensate for things that your body does differently. Then you've got the shoe taking a lot of the strain in certain places so your body gets a free ride to an extent, then you change shoes for a different sport or whatever and the support is different and it can expose the weak area that had been compensated by the shoe.

Running without any of that extra support enables your body to adapt naturally, strengthen the muscles that are taking the extra strain where your technique falters. You just have to approach it with caution, small distances and intensities first to build up the strength progressively before trying anything to strenuous. I suppose you need to make sure you've got a reasonable technique before attempting it though, the impact from heel striking to toe striking is massive so for some people it may not be possible to stray from the cushioning of modern shoes.

I guess its a similar concept to what the physio said to me before about wearing supports after injury, its taking the strain off the muscle or joint so they don't strengthen properly. In extreme cases you might need them at first but its best to steer clear as much as possible and allow your body to naturally do its thing.

 

[prerecordedlive]

Agreed. Take your time to get used to something. Just because you can do something doesn't mean your body will appreciate it. I attempted a half marathon (not an actual race, just a 13 mile run) entirely too soon after starting to run. My stamina could handle it and I made it through ok but it turns out I fractured my foot at some point due to my body not being used to that sort of impact for that long.

 

[YoungWolf]

Well done two days of pre-season done, a lot more (foot)ball work done than I thought, though some people threw up yesterday in the running stuff. Sprints were much harder today though...

 

[Johnny75]

I guess its a similar concept to what the physio said to me before about wearing supports after injury, its taking the strain off the muscle or joint so they don't strengthen properly. In extreme cases you might need them at first but its best to steer clear as much as possible and allow your body to naturally do its thing.

It's always good to do the research and gait analysis for running especially. I agree with the different sports angle and often sports that have shoes do not design them well and certainly miss the purpose they should be used for. I would stress that shoes are very different to your physio's advice on wearing supports. He's talking about something called proprioception which is the body's ability to relearn the movements and limits it had before injury. Using supports skews those barriers and limits. Shoe's however are very different as the heel strike portion of the shoe has to be a certain weight and have characteristics of shock attenuation or 'damping' over a period of time that will not degrade at a rapid rate, whilst also giving feedback to the heel so the nerves (which WH damaged) can relay to the brain and muscles what type of surface you are on. This is very important for joint and bone loading along with muscle growth. Without this 'damping' effect the body will break very easily. There are also very important functions that the arch and balls of your feet perform, such as the windlass mechanism, that running shoes will aid when running and is to prevent fatigue and replicate the same motion on a continuous basis.

Alas a lot of these function are missing in many sports shoes and any woman can tell you wearing heels is a nightmare, which should give you all the information you need.

Some academic info for you Mark if you want to sift through it:

http://www.footwearbiomechanics.org/ABSTRACTS/FBS97TokyoFULLPapers.pdf
http://www.elitetrack.com/article_files/biomechanicsofrunning.pdf
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/shoes/choosing-a-shoe-the-very-basics/481.html

 

[Leigh Griffiths' Hairline]

A little update. 2 weeks in and so far so good. I've started getting used to my calorie-restricted diet and am no longer feeling hungry all the time. Get full from pretty small meals, which is good for me and good for my bank account. Still running 30 mins 3 times per week, and have had noticible imrovements in my push ups, pullups and situps.
Not weighed myself yet as I don't have any scales, however I'll try and do it on Tuesday. I'm pretty sure I've lost weight, can notice changes already in the mirror.

5 more weeks to go, then I can crack on with some heavy weight lifting

 

[Boozad]

My cycling is going well, 8 miles per day at least 6 days per week. I'm working on my pushups and situps too, and three weeks in I feel a lot better in myself. I must have lost weight as my diet is much improved and I'm now drinking water all day instead off coffee with sugar. I need to get to some scales and get myself weighed, although every single muscle in my legs are all rock hard again now so that may offset any timber burned off.

Even if the weight loss is low, I feel so much better in myself.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I've noticably lost weight around my stomach even though there isn't much difference on the scales, must have gained some muscle mass in my legs i guess.

 

[Templeton Peck]

Might be the wrong thread but I was at a BBQ on Monday and ate my bodyweight in sausages.

 

[prerecordedlive]

Anyone take a mass gainer? I just started one because I wasn't getting enough protein or calories. Makes me shit fire. :surrendered:

 

[YoungWolf]

A few weeks ago I was 9 stone 4 pounds and now I'm 10 st 4! No idea how, but quite pleased...

 

[loonsewolf]

Anyone know a good strategy for increasing fatigue? Especially directed at football, I'd love to be able to be all over the place for 90 mins straight. I've been running and cycling a bit after weightlifting but not too much and definitely not with anything in mind other than shedding some pounds.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

You could try doing a decent stint on the treadmill, say 30 minutes, and keep increasing the speed and/or incline at regular intervals, having to work harder as you tire might be decent practice for trying to battle on for longer periods.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Having said that i think i remember reading something before about recovery time being more important in sports like football, it's usually lots of short burts opposed to 90 minutes of solid running, not sure how you'd train for that though, maybe short, high intensity intervals with short breaks in between?