There are times when runners, due to various circumstances, are unable to go outside to train outdoors and choose, prepare and even run indoors. The time will depend on how big each house is and how it is equipped, but other than that, running around the house in the same way as doing it outside? Is it harmful?
According to Elena Isla, of the Sports Medicine Department of the Sanitas la Moralei University Hospital, “if you are using suitable footwear, avoid as much as possible impact on joints such as the thigh, knee or ankle, not should be harmful, “although” everything will depend on the size of each of us in our house. “
Race as physical activity, says Bruno Suarez, CEO of Emotiontrainers, PhD in Physical Activity and Sports and a member of the Official College of Students for Physical Activity and Sports (Coplef Madrid), “is associated with an improved quality of life. reduced mortality and morbidity, but his practice carries a certain risk of injury. ”
On a scientific level, the expert says, “we have data that say about 10 injuries occur for every 1000 hours of racing practice.”
According to Miguel del Valle Soto, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the School of Sports Medicine at the University of Oviedo, “It shouldn’t be more harmful than running on asphalt or cement,” although this will depend on the type of surface on which it is made and space in your home. And this is that “it can be harmful because the surfaces are hard, but if we have parquet in the corridors, the risk is reduced,” he explains. Another problem is in small rooms.
The disadvantage of running at home “is that the space tends to shrink, allowing you to make limited movements that lead to a change in our stride distance and stride time with each leg,” explains Helios Pareja, researcher and Professor at the European University, and Sergio Vasquez, Director of Rehabilitation Premium Madrid, physiotherapist of the basketball club of Fuenlabrada and director of the Master’s degree in physical therapy Sport Real Madrid – European University School.
This modification in gait dynamics “usually results in compensations that overload joints and muscles and increase the risk of injury.”
There is now evidence that “there is evidence that making changes in direction always in the same direction can cause a greater risk of injury to the leg than in the other,” Suarez says. To avoid this, he recommends, as much as possible, “the number of turns should be as balanced as possible for both sides.”
Speed, fatigue …
Another factor that can be influenced when running short distances is a decrease in your normal average running speed, thereby increasing the force of impact on the ground, which can significantly lead to increased discomfort and the appearance of certain injuries, “says Suarez.
This type of training “can lead to early muscle fatigue, movement control problems that cause tendon strain and joint overload,” they warn from the European University, in addition to the fact that “if the athlete continues forceful impact, this can lead to problems with the articular cartilage. ”
And this is so, because running on the street and running in the corridor of our house are different exercises: “Different muscle groups are performed, since the movements differ in the width of the step and in the Time of keeping the foot on the ground on each stage, in short in a confined space, “explain experts from the European University.
For example, as Del Valle Soto points out, “we cannot do ramps in the corridors, so we always run on a flat surface, so some areas are less trained, as the hips and gluteal muscles are less activated, and even twins work less. ” In addition, “the speed is usually lower, the stride is usually shorter and the stabilizing muscles are less active,” he adds.
Of course, if we are regular runners and do it “on time” and “in accordance with the recommendations of the sports professional”, in principle, such a practice would not have why suppose that “no risk” indicates Isla.
Those who need to be careful are people who are not used to running as this will increase the risk of injury. “What we shouldn’t be doing is doing distances or volumes we are not used to, much less under inappropriate conditions,” warns Suarez.
So if you are not a regular runner, “you shouldn’t think running at home is the best way to get in shape, much less on long runs.” And it is that excess volume is one of the main risks of injury. ” For this type of population, they advise that if they want to start, they should do so “with a specialist with a college degree in sports science.”
What can you do to avoid losing your shape?
If running at home can be harmful and can only be done on time, how can a runner’s workout keep fit without running? The first thing to be clear is that being locked up at home for a long time without running “will affect whether we want it or not,” Suarez regrets.
In incarceration situations, “we see Olympic athletes trying to maintain their level with treadmills, exercise bikes, etc. and even then their performance is reduced,” insists Suarez
But you don’t need to break because you can do certain workouts at home so that losing shape has the least possible impact. According to Isla, the first step is to “plan the day and set a time for physical activity.”
Of course, “regardless of the rider’s specialty, his training should be aimed at improving endurance, strength and technique,” according to experts from the European University.
Training strength “is very important because otherwise we risk losing important adaptations to this sport due to some loss of muscle mass (atrophy) and neuromuscular disorders. ”, University experts warn. However, “strength is not everything and cannot replace other components of a runner’s workout, such as aerobic and anaerobic resistance.”
You only need one mat for aerobic and anaerobic resistance. An example suggested by Pareja and Vasquez is burpees, a classic gymnastic workout (bodyweight workout) that allows you to train a large number of muscle groups. ”
The technique for this exercise, as they describe, “is to begin with a squat with your arms on the floor, followed by an extension of the leg from the back, bending the elbows, doing ‘flexion’. or “from below” to return to the starting and ending positions by performing a vertical jump. ” It is “such a complex resistance exercise that serves as a Burpee Test for measuring anaerobic resistance,” they emphasize.
Another example is jack jumping, an exercise that “we all did at some point, even if we didn’t know their name,” say Pareja and Vasquez. “It’s about standing with our legs together and our arms relaxed to perform the jump, while we spread our legs to the sides and raise our arms above our head.”
Then they add: “the journey ends with a jump when we bring our legs together and lower our arms to the starting position.”
A similar, albeit more intense and complete, version of this exercise is the power jack s. “To do this series of exercises, we begin to stand with our legs spread apart at hip-width apart and our arms relaxed. We then perform a bent-leg lateral opening jump (squat) with our arms raised above our head. ” Then “we cancel the pose with another jump, which brings us back to the starting position.”
The jump rope, they assume (if the house we live in allows it), “this is a very complete static exercise for training aerobic activity, which also has an important carryover into the race, since it uses similar muscle groups “. Variations in this exercise are numerous from simple jumps, crosses, or jumps with alternative legs, as well as intensity that can be easily adjusted by increasing or decreasing speed. “
Other exercises that allow us to train resistance without moving and the elbows are extended in a bent position to alternately bring the knees to the chest. “
Train Your Strength
For the resistance exercises described above, European University professors recommend other forces “to complete the workout”.
Strength exercises “usually do not require a lot of space, so you can find a limitation in the material if we do not have weights or machines,” they note. However, “gymnastics has a very wide range of exercises that allow us to strengthen all muscle groups in our body without the need for material, using the weight of our own body”
Some strength exercises involve squatting or squatting in their regular version or by moving forward (forward lunge) or backward (lunge backward, push-ups with or without knees, gluteal bridge, and of course, “a wide range of exercises for abdominal muscles and for working with rubber or weights “(water bottles or any heavy materials).
This exercise description “should always be programmed by a physical activity scientist,” they argue, “because good technical execution of an exercise is just as important as its personalized combination of repetitions, series and breaks between exercises.” … This “will help to find the best adaptation, but also to avoid injury,” they conclude.