The Middle Ground Between Increased Intensity And Injury Prevention

When it comes to finding a balance between improving exercise and preventing injury among runners, caution is warranted.  On the one hand, if you take things too slow, you’ll find yourself struggling to get the most out of the workout.  But if you go too fast, your body gets worn out more quickly, your form diminishes, and the risk of an injury increases.

Therefore, you have to alight upon the type of fitness regimen that produces results but that doesn’t come at the cost of your physical health.  A new article takes a look at something called the physical stress theory, and it seeks to help runners make the most of their workouts when framed through the lens of this theory.

At its most basic, the theory posits that a muscle that isn’t taxed in a way that goes beyond what it is used to will not grow.  The muscle will remain stagnant, the individual failing to experience improvement.  However, when the level of stress is ratcheted up slightly, the muscle is forced to adapt to this new level, establishing a new baseline for future workouts.  When a runner then fails to stress the muscles to that same degree in the future, the muscles can retreat.

In essence, your muscles are ready to go to battle for you, but you can’t tax them too much nor too little, or you risk an injury or a lessening of ability.  Think of yourself as a coach who wants to get the most out of a player but who doesn’t want that player to be pushed past the breaking point.

In light of this idea, one can see how injury prevention gets tricky.  When you don’t push yourself enough, your muscles and joints remain weak, unable to cope with undue stress.  When pushed too far, the intensity itself poses a greater injury risk.

You have to increase your fitness regimen by a slow but steady degree.  If you run a mile per day one week, then the next week you can try running 1.1 miles. If you’re focused on time, then instead of ten minutes, run 11.  Your body will gradually grow accustomed to the new run.  Acclimating in this way allows you to get the most out of a workout without putting you off of exercise.

By the same token, pay attention to pain that does erupt.  Soreness or any other kind of pain should prompt you to reduce the intensity, and you shouldn’t be afraid to take breaks from running for a couple of days.  This may be just the adjustment your body needs to reach the next level.