If you are into health and fitness, there is a high chance that you will see running included in almost every workout routine. It covers the maximum number of fitness goals and helps you target almost every muscle of your body. Most people prefer running over other exercises because it has so many variations. From change in the pace to including things that can increase the resistance you will see running as a very diverse form of exercise. Even with all these benefits and reasons for ease, you will still see that most people think that running is all about leg exercise.
This is mainly because we usually don’t consider the way our body responds to any exercise. Instead, we think that the muscles that stretch or move are only being used. You will be surprised to know that every muscle in our body never works individually; instead, there are groups of muscles that are involved in each task. Similarly, in the case of running, you might see the leg moving but from head to toe, you will see almost all muscles moving. Muscles within the same group usually perform the same function and share the same goal, however, most of them don’t complement the movement. Instead, you will see that while one muscle contracts, the other relaxes, and as a result, you perform a small task.
The Anatomy of Running
When we look at the movement of our body while running you will not just notice the movement of the leg muscles. Instead, you will also see how your core and hips support your upper body when the lower part of the body is in full swing. Similarly, you are balancing your body when you run which means the constant shuffle of weight on both legs is very important. As you get back down on your feet in running, the way you land is also very important. Most people land right on their toes, while others land on their heels. Apart from this, your arms have to maintain a good enough angle of movement so you are able to support your upper body, shoulder, and chest area as well. With all these muscles in mind, there are so many simple ways you can add variation to your running. Moreover, if you use the right technique you might even be able to change the intensity as well.
What Is A Progressive Exercise Framework?
A progressive framework means you are gradually going to increase the intensity of your training. This kind of training is very important because you will find that almost all workouts become intense over time so the body is able to push its limits. A simple example is that when you start your workout, you will never get to start an intense workout right away. Your benchmark or goal will be very limited at first, but as you start to get better and your body builds up a good enough work capacity, you will see improvement. Then after tracking the progress you can move to the next benchmark. This division of the exercise into small chunks helps you to measure your progress and stay motivated throughout that training process.
Why Progressive Exercise Is Better?
Progressive exercise is the only way you can stay motivated. We have seen people starting a workout with a full intensity only to report injury later. Your body has a very specific capability which means that you start when the muscles are not very flexible, your body will require time to adjust. This is possible only when you start with low intensity and then move to high intensity. Without progressive exercise, you will have to face injury. Moreover, continuing the same exercise plan without any change in intensity means that your body will not respond to it after a specific time period.
How to Change the Intensity of Running?
Most people think that to choose a progressive exercise they will only be limited to weight-based exercises. However, in real life, you will see that cardio is being used as a progressive workout as well. Within running, there are three main things that will help you completely change the intensity of the run. This includes the speed or the pace of the runner, the distance that the runner covers, and the time that the runner exerts in the process.
This especially means that when you change any of these variables you will be able to change the intensity right away. If you want a low-impact workout, you will start with a low pace long distance running for at least 45 minutes. On the contrary, if you want to make the running intense you will decrease the time to at least 25 minutes but the focus will be on adjusting the pace because you will be running faster and you will cover more distance as well. Even if you don’t cover much distance as long as your speed is maximum you will benefit from it.
