5 Surefire Ways to Prolong Your Running Career With Bodyweight Exercises!

If you're interested in being a runner long-term, (and there's no reason why you can't be), then you're reading the right article. Running offers significant physical health benefits including a lean body, and tremendous reserves of stamina and endurance. It calms the mind and helps to improve focus, determination and self-belief, as you become a better and better runner.

However, like all sports it can have its drawbacks and thats what this article addresses. In a nutshell to maximise your injury free running career, we recommend you consider the following running tips, and build the ones that you're not using into your training arsenal, in particular bodyweight exercises.

1. run short and often – running can place a lot of stress on the body, and for many of it will be more effective to train by running shorter distances more often, and then to mix in one or two longer runs per week at the most,

2. stretch before and after – perform a thorough stretching routine both before you begin to run, and the cool down with the same. Ideally, 5 – 10 minutes. Some of the best runners stretches include the down dog, the bridge and of course your preferred stretches for hamstrings and quads,

3. pay attention to how you run – as run pay attention. You want to be touching the ground pretty lightly as you run. It may take a while but if you watch really good runners either at your local race meet, or even on TV you'll notice that they are efficiency in motion. This is how you will become when you pay attention to how you look and feel when you run,

4. practise bodyweight exercises, especially the hindu squat, the bridge and the wall chair – these three exercises from the bodyweight exercises stable are sensational for runners, and promote strength, flexibility and proper alignment,

5. if you do experience any pain apply ice and rest – this is critical. Don't play the martyr and suffer. Life at end of the day is a marathon event, not a sprint. And remember, many of the typical injuries sustained by runners come from either overtraining ie running too far, too often and/ or overtight muscles. So mix your training up with the above bodyweight exercises that have been proven to enhance strength, stamina and flexibility.

The most important part in any training regime is that you enjoy it. So get a training buddy, set a few short and long range goals, and remember to add the spice of variety to what you do. Happy running Forrest! (ie Forrest Gump).

Bodyweight Training For Fitness: More Than You Think?

Fitness is a complex term. This is why when you ask someone for a universal definition of fitness you usually get something vague like this, "Fitness is being fit". Don't believe me, ask someone (even fitness professionals). But once you understand the true nature of fitness, I'm confident you'll see why bodyweight training for fitness should be a part of your over-all workout program.

So, let's begin with my definition of physical fitness!

Fitness is the acceptable and deliberate compromise of competence and ability to perform in all the areas of cardiorespiratory endurance, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and toughness to produce optimum performance results under the greatest amount of circumstances.

You'd better read that again to make sure you get it.

As you can see, fitness is more than being strong. It is more than having powerful heart and lungs. Fitness is the ability to use all your physical abilities simultaneously and seamlessly to overcome physical challenges. And bodyweight training is an excellent method for training for over-all fitness!

Normally, people seeking fitness focus on only one or two of the physical abilities needed to be fit. Or, they base their training on the RESULT of being fit, like burning fat or building muscle. You see, having muscle or being lean does not necessarily mean you are fit! However, being fit usually manifests itself as a strong, muscular, lean body.

There are three types of challenges you'll face in sport, work and life.

1) The challenge requires you move your body to successfully complete the task
2) The challenge requires you move an exterior object to successfully complete the task
3) The challenge requires you to move your body and an exterior object to successfully complete the task

And to make things more complicated, the challenge can require any of the physical abilities of fitness and in any combination. As you can see, being able to move your own body is needed for two of the types of challenges, and therefore should be trained accordingly. Bodyweight training is that important.

Think of it this way, there are so many abilities to train in order to be fit, you need a versatile tool capable of training them all. And there is no better tool than your own body. Bodyweight training can effectively target all of the physical abilities needed to be fit.

Compare bodyweight training to weight training. Bodyweight training is a much more accessible and versatile form of training. Don't get me wrong, I like weight training and think it superior for some types of training. I just think bodyweight training has more to offer in terms of improving all the physical skills of fitness.

So, if you want to truly be fit, you need to improve all the physical abilities of fitness. Bodyweight training for fitness should be a part of everyone's physical training program. Because when you are truly fit, you'll not only meet the challenges of sport, work and life with excellence, you'll look great too!

CrossFit triathlon Workout

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Chest workout: hip pushups