They say that the one who falls in love with running once remains forever faithful to that passion. And those who practice running regularly, whether it is only recreational, or those runners who will not miss a single half-marathon or marathon, confirm that.
We all strive for the ultimate running body, and in order to get as close to it as possible, it is necessary to break it down into segments and pay enough attention to each of them. In the text below, you will find useful tips on how to improve your running technique and build an extreme running body.
Go Gradually
The first and basic rule is that you cannot expect miracles in the beginning, especially if you have been physically inactive for a long time, and if you have not practiced other types of training. In this regard, you should not worry too much if you lose your breath after the first kilometer, for it takes some time to get accustomed to this type of activity.
Perhaps it would be best to actually practice fast walking before you start running, or to alternately jog and walk fast at certain intervals, which you can measure by distance or running time. If you measure by time, let it be a shift of at least 2 minutes, and if you measure by a distance, let it be half a mile.
If you plan to run at home and not outside, you can follow the same rules. According to the folks at yanrefitness.com, you can find a variety of running equipment, if you want to have some additional help in your running adventure. The fact that you are not running outside does not make any difference, because modern treadmills are made so well that you will have complete enjoyment of running.
Decrease your brisk walking intervals over time, and increase those when you run, until you run continuously. The pace is less important, it all comes down to continuity – do not skip training. It would be best to run 4 times a week.
At no point should you feel like you are going to collapse, but at the end of the workout, you should feel that you may have been able to do a little more. Let that be your guide. So, slow down in the beginning, then gradually speed up.
We also mentioned the frequency of 4 times a week, which turned out to be the best. In that respect, it is better to run less mileage and run 4 times, than to run only 2 times a week with significantly more mileage.
Set New Goals
This is very important. When you manage to run 5 miles effortlessly, then try to set new criteria for yourself – maybe to run that distance in a much shorter time, or to run a few more miles. This makes your muscles reactivate over and over again, which means you become stronger and burn more calories.
Of course, don’t be too hasty in setting goals.
Keep a Run Log
To make it easier to track your progress, we suggest keeping a running diary where you will enter mileage and other parameters. In fact, it might be best to use one of the mobile running apps, which are very practical. They give you more information, and one of them is the average speed, i.e. how many minutes it took you for one mile.
Monitor Your Pulse
Running is defined as cardio training, which means that it affects the greater blood flow to the body, and the more you are in shape, the slower your heart rate will be. So this is another parameter through which you can monitor your progress.
Don’t Forget Warm-ups!
And finally, something that you probably already know. Under no circumstances should you skip a warm-up of at least 5 minutes, during which you should activate all muscle groups, as well as stretching, which helps your body to cool down gradually and your muscles to recover more easily after physical activity.
Warming up makes the whole process much easier. It is not just improving the blood flow that is important for the work of the muscles, it is also accelerating the nervous-muscular system by which our brain sends an impulse to the muscles to contract. Fat-burning enzymes are secreted, which helps our aerobic system to increase the efficiency of exercise.
After all, running should be fun, and we’ve given you a few tips to inspire you and guide you on what you need to know before you get onto it. Hopefully, this guide will help you on that road!