I recently conducted a running clinic for a group of athletes who had approached me asking a number questions such as, “How do I stay injury free?” “How do I get faster?” “How should I run hills?” How often should I train?” “How often should I run fast?”, etc. These are all valid questions with very different answers, rooted in the same basic principles.
The focal point of the answers to all of these questions is rooted in a two basic concepts: Fitness and biomechanics—these are not mutually exclusive. It’s important to understand that when we talk about fitness we are talking about two types of fitness: aerobic and neuromuscular. When we talk about biomechanics, we need to understand these are rooted in neuromuscular fitness and adaptation. By practicing proper movement and mechanics we can gain neuromuscular fitness, just as by repeating poor movement patterns engrains poor mechanics which leads to a poor level of neuromuscular fitness.
Neuromuscular fitness is a process that has four stages or parts: activation, mobility, stabilization, and load. In order to create proper movement patterns (good mechanics) and long-term sustainability a muscle/group and/or kinetic chain must be properly activated. It’s only then that it can be properly mobilized and become stable, at which point it is in a position to receive and move “load.” The body is an amazingly adaptive mechanism that will usually find a way to complete the task at hand. As an example, if we are asking our body to bench press a large amount of weight (resistance), or to run a given distance at an elevated pace we are not trained for, the above process doesn’t necessarily have to be engaged and operational for the body to find a way to get it done. However, without the four step process (above) being properly developed we will often see a result in the form of injury, or very poor neuromuscular adaptation that leads to problems down the line. Further, many sports injuries are compensatory and are the result of the host trying to “muscle through” said task, causing an injury in a part of the body that one would think is not even related to the initial problem or mechanical breakdown.
Many runners continue to run through injury and nagging aches and can get away with it, provided their mechanics are sound and have not been compromised. If they have, it’s only a matter of time before the tail starts wagging the dog and something is going to give. This is the injury train that plagues so many athletes who insist on “muscling through” workouts for the instant reward of “getting their sweat on” or the need to feel accomplished at the risk of sacrificing the big picture.
A good portion of my work revolves around damage control and working with athletes to remain injury free, and if injury does occur, to return from injury safely and in a healthy manner keeping the bigger picture in mind. Often times, this means sacrificing short term objectives for long-term goals. It’s a trade off I encourage. Most people begin their quest for fitness because they want to be “healthy.” But, when it comes down to it, they are sacrificing their long-term health for a short-term reward without even realizing it.
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