Tag: gym

The Best Fitness Classes for Runners

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi there – welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

Even if you absolutely love to run, you can’t run all the time – this will just set you up for injury and burnout. Runners are well known for having imbalances and weaknesses, as running is a high-impact, repetitive motion. Therefore, switching up your routine by adding group fitness classes can address the holes in your fitness. Not only that, but it will mix things up in a social and fun environment.

However, with all the different fitness classes on offer, knowing how to pick the right one can be confusing. In this post I’ve listed my suggestions on which fitness classes runners will get the most benefit from.

Treadmill classes

This is the perfect stepping stone for runners who are new to group fitness classes. Treadmill classes combine approximately 30 minutes of intense running intervals with another 30 minutes of strength training. This is done in a high energy studio with loud music, which is great for motivation and a definite change from your usual quiet run. These classes are great for encouraging you to push yourself harder and introduce you to speed and tempo work.

CrossFit

CrossFit focuses on total-body strength and power moves, including squats, deadlifts and thrusters. Because of this, it can be a complete game changer when it comes to optimising your running efficiency. With CrossFit, you get a huge upper body component that other runners may overlook. The stronger your upper body, the more your body can stay in control and work as a single unit rather than having your upper body flail around like many other runners’.

Indoor cycling classes

The biggest benefit of cycling is that it’s low impact. As a runner hitting the pavement regularly, this can take its toll on your joints. Taking part in some cycling can enable you to take some stress off your joints whilst still getting a great cardiovascular workout. Even though running and cycling are both lower body dominant exercises, cycling emphasizes a slightly different blend of leg muscles then running does. When it comes to reducing the muscular imbalances and preventing injury, this is critical.

TRX classes

TRX (Total Body Resistance Exercise) naturally challenges the core and the stability of the body, which is incredibly important in running. When working with a TRX, you will learn how to fight instability, which will come in handy when you’re out running and are getting fatigued. It will also help with different types of running, such as when you’re trail running.

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya

 

Tips for Running on a Treadmill

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

When we think about treadmill running, we sometimes consider a second-class form of running. However, there are times when even the strongest opponent will hop on the treadmill for a workout.

There’s no doubt that running indoors on the treadmill can be incredibly effective. It’s also safer, due to the fact that there’s no uneven terrain, no icy patches or road running. Most importantly, treadmill running is convenient and consistent – you get the same run every time and you get to run in a temperature-controlled environment with similar terrain and conditions.

So if you’re thinking about hopping on the treadmill, I’ve put together some tips to bear in mind when switching from outdoor to indoor running.

Test your fitness

One of the biggest challenges to moping indoors is trying to reconcile the fitness that you know you have outdoors with what you are doing for your workouts on the treadmill. There is a proper test you can do for this:

  1. After a quality warm up, run a 3 mile time trial effort
  2. Start with the effort you know you could run a 5k outdoors
  3. Evaluate how you feel every ½ mile, starting at the 1 mile mark, adjusting the pace faster or slower as needed
  4. At the end you’ll have your new high-end pace and heart rate

Focus on your cadence

The biggest difference you’ll notice between running outside and indoors is that a treadmill on the ground is moving while you stay in place. You’ll particularly notice this when taking note of your pace. For example – an 8 minute mile on your regular run may give you a heart rate of 150bpm and a perceived exertion level of 7, however that same pace on the treadmill has your heart rate at 140bpm and feels more like a 5.5 than a 7. But it’s important not to be disheartened about this, as you can quickly turn it into an advantage by using it to improve your form.

Increased cadence is the easier part of running faster, and the treadmill is the perfect place to get this done. On the treadmill you have a timer right in front of you and little else to distract you. You can also hear the strike of your foot and will be able to find the right spot for your foot placement.

This Treadmill Pace Conversion Chart is really useful.

Use the incline to your advantage

Running on a flat treadmill is comparable to running down a slight decline on the open road. You’ll be tempted to over-stride a bit and lose your natural running form. However, standard treadmill protocol is to set the incline at 1% as standard for all your runs. As you begin to improve on the treadmill, it will feel natural to increase the running speed – but it’s important to remember this won’t really translate to the open road. Instead of just going faster, challenge yourself by increasing your base incline amount. Alternatively, try to alternate between incline and speed adjustments.

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya