Running to get into shape and getting into shape to run, what’s the difference?
There has been a tremendous change in our daily routines with the recent COVID-19 pandemic. For many people that rely on gym memberships to get their training in, their routines have drastically changed since those facilities are now closed and they are now left with a lack of equipment for their training. In turn, a lot of individuals have resorted to bodyweight training and/or running based programs. This leads to the question; what is the difference between running to get into shape and getting in shape to run?
Running is a great way to exercise, but it also requires preparation. This preparation was intuitively there growing up, whether it was a part of sports or simply running around as kids. The problem starts though, when we age and inevitably reduce our activity level, and therefore our training no longer meets the demand that running requires.
Running to get into shape will only get you so far since we know that cardiovascular changes occur quicker than musculoskeletal changes. Research shows that cardiovascular changes can occur in as little as three weeks (Murias et al. 2011). The study showed that VO2Max, cardiac output, and stroke volume were all increased in both the old and young population within the time frame, and then continued linearly for twelve weeks (Murias et al 2011). Cardiac output (CO) is the amount of blood your heart pumps each minute and this is measured by multiplying your heart rate (HR) by the stroke volume (SV). Stroke volume is how much blood your heart pumps with each beat.
These cardiovascular changes occur in almost half of the time that it takes for the musculoskeletal system to catch up - taking anywhere from six to eight weeks (Bandy et al. 1990). What does this mean - it means that sooner or later, you’ll be able to run more than your body is capable of handling. Whether you’re a recreational runner or a competitive one, you should supplement your running with training that will increase your body’s tolerance to the said activity. Depending on which research paper you read, running applies anywhere from 4.5x-6x your body weight to each individual leg as you run (Magness 2014).
Another way to look at it is that runners who added resistance training into their program had an increase in performance. This doesn’t mean that we just add arbitrary exercises, but instead, we have to look at specific qualities that are relevant to the individual’s goals. In the case of running, one of the things that is proven to improve running economy (total efficiency of your run) is muscle and tendon stiffness (Dalleau et al. 1994). The reason for this is that stiffness of these structures help recycle energy whenever your foot contacts the ground (Zatsiorsky and Kramer 2006).
People that have developed this particular quality can describe it as having almost a “bounce” in their step. Your Achilles tendon recycles about 35% of the kinetic energy, and the tendons that support your foot arch recycle about 17% (Ker et al. 1987). How do we train these qualities to supplement our running - the prescription of exercise is always individualized, but generally you have to strength train, perform plyometrics, and train speed by sprinting (Brazier et al. 2017).
The great thing is that those particular activities also increase rate of force production (RFP). This is a fancy way of saying how fast your muscles can contract to produce force, which will in turn make us faster and more efficient (Zatsiorsky and Kramer 2006). Heavy resistance training, plyometrics, and sprinting have shown to increase stiffness in tendon properties as well as increase motor unit recruitment, in turn improving running economy (Brazier et al. 2017).
This is the science behind why we prescribe these interventions. The art is finding the way to seamlessly blend this into our routine and then dose it appropriately - this is vital because everyone has a different response to training (Hecksteden et al. 2015). Lifestyle also has to be considered, since training at different frequencies throughout the week will yield differing programs. One other important factor to consider is a person’s profile or background. Your history will give us insight as to who you are - getting to know you will allow us to gather objective data so that we can effectively intervene.
Let’s say we are taking you through an evaluation. There are certain, 7 specific, standards that we look for, to ensure that our runners are at a low risk for injury and performing as optimally as possible. If someone performs well in five out of the seven assessments, we want to make sure that the program addresses the two assessments that you are performing poorly in.
“A rising tide lifts all boats”
The results found during our evaluation, gives us a direction for your individual program -the objective data from day 1, will allow us to see whether or not we are making progress when tested at a later time. If someone has maximized their potential in one area then we don’t need to spend as much time developing that particular quality and can then focus your training any other low hanging fruit and finally on maintaining those qualities already improved upon.
Whether you’re a recreational runner or competitive one, we are prepared to help you perform at your best while mitigating risk of injury. If you’re interested in a consultation or want to get a better idea of how we can help, please contact us or schedule an appointment through our website.
References:
1.) Shephard R. Time course and mechanisms of adaptations in cardiorespiratory fitness with endurance training in older and young men. Yearbook of Sports Medicine. 2011;2011:375-377. doi:10.1016/s0162-0908(10)79716-6.
2.) Bandy WD, Lovelace-Chandler V, Mckitrick-Bandy B. Adaptation of Skeletal Muscle to Resistance Training. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 1990;12(6):248-255. doi:10.2519/jospt.1990.12.6.248.
3.) Magness S. The Science of Running: How to Find Your Limit and Train to Maximize Your Performance. San Rafael, CA: Origin Press; 2014.
4.) Dalleau G, Belli A, Bourdin M, Lacour J-R. The spring-mass model and the energy cost of treadmill running. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 1998;77(3):257-263. doi:10.1007/s004210050330.
5.) Zatsiorsky VM, Kraemer WJ, Fry AC. Science and Practice of Strength Training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2006.
6.) Ker RF, Bennett MB, Bibby SR, Kester RC, Alexander RM. The spring in the arch of the human foot. Nature. 1987;325(6100):147-149. doi:10.1038/325147a0.
7.) Brazier J, Maloney S, Bishop C, Read PJ, Turner AN. Lower Extremity Stiffness. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2019;33(4):1156-1166. doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000002283.
8.) Hecksteden A, Kraushaar J, Scharhag-Rosenberger F, Theisen D, Senn S, Meyer T. Individual response to exercise training - a statistical perspective. Journal of Applied Physiology. 2015;118(12):1450-1459. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00714.2014.