Tag: muscles

Should I Try Acupuncture?

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi there, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

Running can be very rewarding, helping you lead a healthier lifestyle. However, you put a lot of strain on your muscles when you run, and it’s crucial that you find ways to deal with it, otherwise you could do some damage. People try various techniques to alleviate sore muscles, one of which is acupuncture. To find out if acupuncture could be the right solution for you, carry on reading.

Handling muscle cramps

Muscle cramps are often a reality for runners, especially those of the long distance variety. There are two kinds of running muscle cramps you need to be aware of, the first of which is muscle overloading. This is where you overuse your calf muscles, as they’re the ones you depend on most for running, and this leads to painful fatigue cramps. The second is electrolyte imbalance muscle cramp which affects all muscle groups and is caused by excessive sweating – a common by-product of running.

If you don’t manage muscle cramps, there could be consequences later down the road that stop you from running. Obviously proper hydration management is key to dealing with an electrolyte imbalance muscle cramp, so you have enough fluids to replace lost sweat. For muscle overloads, you can try stretches and massages, improving the blood flow to your calf muscles so they can get some relief.

Warming up and down

It’s important to create a personalised warm up and cool down strategy. This will prepare your muscles for the rigours of running and stop any injuries from getting worse. It doesn’t take long to warm up – you can prepare your body for running in five minutes. Exercises such as ‘knee lift hip rotations’ (where you extend one leg out from your body 15 times, then repeat for the other leg) are a great way to warm up.

Cooling down’s not quite as straight forward. You should base your cool down strategy on the amount of time you spent running. If you had a gentle jog, a five minute stretch should do it, while if you’ve just completed a marathon, it’s a good idea to put aside a few hours for cooling down. Doing stretches after you run gives them time to recover, and replenish both lost energy and essential fluids.

Runners and acupuncture

But sometimes doing regular warm ups and cool downs isn’t enough. Just think of how much strain you can put on your muscles by using them every day, especially if you’re training for a marathon, where it’s common to run tens of miles in a single session. You’ll need to take some extra measures to keep your muscles in tip top shape, and industry source Runner’s World suggests that you try acupuncture.

So what exactly is acupuncture? Acupuncture is a medical practice which originated in the Ancient Chinese medical tradition. It works by stimulating key points in your body, most typically by using a needle to penetrate your skin, providing you with pain relief. It’s also employed to treat certain medical conditions, ranging from migraines to insomnia.

But how much can it help a runner? A lot, according to the experts Runner’s World spoke to. The publication notes that the needles used in acupuncture produce a large amount of anti-inflammatories, so it can be used to treat various running-related conditions. The treatment can also promote better blood flow to a muscle, allowing it to access the oxygen and nutrients needed to enable healing. It’s common for many elite runners to go in for a 30 minute acupuncture session each week, and you can see real results after about three weeks.

Is acupuncture right for you?

Yes, acupuncture can be great for runners, as it’s known to relieve muscle cramps, promoting better performance, but is it right for you? It definitely gives you the ability to embrace endurance running. But it’s best to speak to medical experts before trying ‘alternative’ treatments such as acupuncture, just to be on the safe side, as it may not be appropriate for everyone. But it is a great way to take care of your muscles and be the best runner possible!

Until the next time,

Mohsin Salya

How to Prevent Muscle Cramps While Running

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hello and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

Getting muscle cramps is inevitable when you’re a runner, it’ll happen at one time or another. Sometimes you can get them at specific times, like when you’re running a marathon, and it’s also common throughout the summer.

In this post I’ll be looking at why we get muscle cramps, when we get them and how to prevent them.

Why do I get muscle cramps when I run?

The most frustrating thing about muscle cramps is that they seemingly come from nowhere, and even more frustrating when it’s in the middle of a race.  Although the cause of muscle cramps is still somewhat unknown, there are some theories out there on the different kinds of cramps.

The first type is thought to be muscle overloading and fatigue cramps from overuse. This cramping is painful often in the calf muscle as that is the one being overworked. The second type is an electrolyte imbalance muscle cramp. These can develop due to extensive sweating and low sodium levels, and so these cramps may occur even if there is no muscle overuse. This type can also occur in multiple muscle groups, not just the calf.

It’s important to try and determine which type of muscle cramp you are most prone to getting when you run, so that you can try your best to prevent them.

How do I stop muscle cramps when running?

Sometimes muscle cramps can be worked out, but unfortunately more often than not they persist and you just have to wait it out.

If you have a muscle overloading and fatigue cramp, this can occur from repeated or extended loading of a particular muscle group and muscles that are in a shortened position. For example, the calf muscles are very vulnerable as they remain in a shortened position while running. A few things you can do to immediately treat this type of camp include:

  • Passive stretching and massage
  • Active contraction of the antagonist muscle (e.g. contracting your hamstring to stretch your quadriceps)
  • Icing the affected muscle group

The electrolyte imbalance muscle cramp is typically a result of extensive sweating and significant electrolyte losses – especially sodium and chloride. Dehydration is very often an underlying issue also, especially if you have a poor daily intake of fluids and electrolytes. This type of cramping is intermittent, as opposed to constant.

A few things you can do to immediately treat this type of camp include drinking a high-salt sports drink, or alternative add 3 grams of salt into 0.5 litres of regular carbohydrate sports drink. It’s also beneficial to massage and ice the area to help relax the muscles.

How do I prevent muscle cramps?

If you find yourself having muscle cramps more and more regularly, there are a few things to try to help deter them.

  • Reduce your exercise intensity and duration
  • Improve your conditioning and range of motion
  • Make biomechanical adjustments
  • Practice relaxation when exercising

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya

The Best Strength Training Exercises for Runners

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

 

Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

As a runner, you can sometimes overlook the importance of strengthening muscles and joints. Strength training leads to improved race times, good running form and being less prone to injury. In fact, strength training is one of the single most important non-running aspects of training.

However, runners require a completely different strength training program than the standard gym-goer or bodybuilder. As a runner, you need to focus on targeting the key muscles that will keep you balanced. By targeting the muscles you use most during running – mainly the quadriceps, hamstrings and the calves – you can correct any muscle imbalances that may occur.

Here are some of the best strength training exercises that you can work into your training:

Planks

You may know this already, but all variations of planks are some of the best core exercises you can do to target every angle of the core, lower back and shoulders. This makes it one of the most simple but powerful strength exercises.

  1. Lie on your stomach
  2. Prop up on to your elbow with feet slightly apart, and toes about hip distance apart. Make sure your shoulders are directly above your elbows.
  3. Aim to straighten your whole body so that it’s forming a straight line from the top of your head to your heels.
  4. Whilst engaging your core and keeping the straight line, hold this plank position for 30 seconds to a minute.
  5. As you get stronger, aim to gradually add more time. You can also make it more challenging by adding weights – placing a plate on your back is a good way of doing this.

Here is a great example of how to plank correctly.

Overhead Lunges

This is a great exercise to target the whole body – quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders and core muscles as well. If you’re pressed for time and looking to get the most out of your workout, then this is also a good one for you as it’s quick yet effective.

  1. Hold a pair of dumbbells straight above your shoulders, with arms straight and elbows locked. Make sure your feet are shoulder width apart and your knees are slightly bent.
  2. Whilst keeping the weight directly overhead, step forward with your right leg into a deep lunge position, bending both your knees.
  3. Return to the starting position and repeat with your left leg. Do 12 steps on each side to complete one set.

Follow this guide for the ultimate overhead lunge.

Air Squat

As a runner, the squat should be a staple in your runner’s orientated strength training programme. They are the single most important exercise that you can do to strengthen the whole body, as they target a lot of running specific muscles.

  1. Stand with your feet hip distance apart with toes facing forward.
  2. With your arms out in front of you at shoulder height, squat down by bending your knees.
  3. Lean forward at the waist whilst keeping the back flat and knees tracking behind your toes.
  4. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground or to the point where you can no longer keep your back flat.
  5. Press up through your heels to return to starting position.

Check out this guide on how to do a squat correctly.

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya

How to Prevent and Treat Shin Splints

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

Shin splints are some of the most common injuries for runners, and it’s very rare that a runner will go through their life without suffering this at some point. It’s not just runners that suffer – shin splints are common among dancers, gymnasts and military recruits too.

In runners however, shin splints are a more common injury for beginners and long-distance runners, but are both curable and preventable. In this blog post I’ll be explaining what shin splints are, how to treat them and how to prevent them in the future.

What are shin splints?

‘Shin splints’ is actually a term used to describe a wide range of lower-leg injuries and lower leg exercise-induced pain. However, in the running world, shin splints injury is usually the medical condition known as medial tibial stress syndrome – MTSS for short.

The main symptom of shin splints is a dull, aching pain in the front of the shins. This is usually felt in an area measuring roughly 5 inches in length on either side of the shinbone or in the muscles surrounding it.

What causes shin splints?

Shin splints occur in most cases as a direct result of the repeated impact to the bone tissue, tendons and muscles surrounding the tibia. This leads to inflammation of the connective tissue that covers and joins the muscles of the lower leg to the shin bone.

How do I treat shin splints?

Shin splints are not a serious injury, provided you treat it before it has chance to become chronic. Doing the following as soon as you start to feel any shin pain should do the trick.

  • Rest: If you start to feel any shin pain, rest. You shouldn’t be doing any type of running or high impact exercise until it can be done pain free.
  • Ice therapy: Ice the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes, three to four times a day to reduce pain and swelling. Keep icing on a daily basis until the injured area is no longer inflamed or painful.
  • Medication: In cases of severe pain, you may have to take anti-inflammatory medication to soothe pain and speed up recovery. However, it’s always important to check with a pharmacist first.
  • Recovery: It can take anything from two to four weeks to recover from shin splints, depending on how severe you were injured. As you start to notice improvements, opt for alternative low-impact exercise such as swimming or yoga.

If the pain persists and symptoms fail to improve, you should always seek medical advice.

How do I prevent shin splints?

It’s true that prevention is better than a cure. Here are a few measures you can take to try and prevent shin splints:

  • Make sure you have the right running shoes
  • Start a comprehensive strength training regime that’s aimed to strengthen the muscles and the tendons in the lower legs and feet
  • Consider getting a biomechanical analysis (conducted by a professional, typically using a motion capture video) to pin down and isolate the exact problems with your running biomechanics
  • Make sure you perform a wide range of stretching exercises for the hamstrings, calves, and the Achilles

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya

What Stretches Should I Do Before Running?

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi there and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

If you’re a runner or you’re training for a marathon, you’ll know just how important stretching can be. Running can be very stressful on your legs, and you need a regular stretching routine to counterpart these stress effects. However, there’s so much information out there that it’s hard to know what stretch to do and for which muscle.

As a runner, you need to focus on three main areas if nothing else: hamstrings, calves and quads. The following stretches will target the muscles that runners use most. They’ll definitely boost your running performance, but they’ll also put an end to the aches and pains that you may experience afterwards.

Hamstrings

Your hamstrings are prone to injury, and this is especially the case amongst runners. They are notorious for tight hamstrings, which can lead to pulled muscles and lower back problems. Try this standing single leg hamstring stretch before your run to ensure your performance isn’t compromised:

  1. Stand with your feet hip distance apart.
  2. Bend your right knee and extend your left leg pointing toes up.
  3. While holding this position, lower your upper body and reach toward your left toes as far as you can.
  4. Hold the position for 30-second then switch to the other side.

Calves

The Calves are the most overworked muscles on your run, and losing flexibility and mobility in this area can set you up for calf strains, shin splints and plantar fasciitis. Try this runner’s calf stretch to also boost the length and cadence of your strides:

  1. Stand facing a wall and with your arms extended and back straight, place both arms on the wall.
  2. While keeping both feet flat, take a step backward with your right leg, while keeping your heel planted to the ground and the leg extended without bending the knee.
  3. To stretch the calf, lean forward slightly to the wall while actively pressing your back heel into the ground until you feel a good stretch in muscle.
  4. Breathe deeply and Hold the stretch for 30-second or more then switch sides.

Quads

Flexible quadriceps are essential for a stronger knee lift and speed. The dreaded runners’ knee can be traced back to tight quads, but this standing quad stretch will help you become less prone to injury:

  1. Stand with legs hips distance width apart.
  2. Grab a chair for balance (if necessary) and stand tall while holding your right foot behind butt pointing knee to floor.
  3. Slowly move your right foot to the back and feel the stretch in your quadriceps.
  4. Keep your thighs lined up and core engaged throughout the stretch and hold for no more than 30-second.
  5. Repeat with the left leg.

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya