The majority of the injuries we see in my clinic are due to people running too far or fast in a short space of time.
People get very excited when they aim to achieve a goal, such as a marathon or their first 10K. This inevitably means they schedule in six training sessions per week, with one day of rest. The day of rest will also usually consist of eating endless junk food and drinking vast quantities of alcohol.
Exercise damages the bodily tissues and quality recovery is when the repair occurs.
What most people fail to realise is that pro athletes build recovery days and weeks into their programmes and stick to them religiously. If they are doing it, then you definitely should be too!
The best approach is to turn recovery into an active session. Instead of shoving two pints of lager and a packet of crisps down your throat, head to the gym and follow a strict routine as follows:
- Warm-up – 10 minutes cross trainer or spin bike
- Foam roller – 5 minutes quads, glutes, calfs, shins etc
- Mobility drills – 10 minutes focus on any areas that are tight.
- Core exercises – 5 minutes make sure you do key exercises, planks, side planks, bird dogs.
Do this twice a week. It will allow you to train harder, adapt quicker and be more resilient to injury.
Robert Griffiths is a chiropractor and rehab therapist with a keen interest in running ProPerformanceClinics.com
