The other sports that can help you in the challenge of running 5 kilometers

Health

Many times we have said that running is not just running, so in our challenge to run 5 kilometers in 8 weeks (which you can follow through our profiles of Facebook and Instagram) we also include other types of training, such as strength.

But in addition to complementing the challenge with training in the gym or our body weight, there are other sports or activities that can benefit us when it comes to running more and better. These are some of the sports with which you can complement the practice of running.

The other sports that can help you in the challenge of running 5 kilometersPilates to improve your posture while you run

One of the disciplines that can give us more advantages as runners is Pilates, and not only if we do Pilates specific classes for runners. The Pilates method gives us the foundation to learn how to move efficiently and effectively. That translates into a better stance in the race, which will cause the onset of fatigue to occur later in time and will make it more difficult for us to injure ourselves.

One of the principles of the Pilates method is the activation of the core, center or powerhouse when we are in motion: this means that our whole middle zone, from where the movement that reaches the limbs, is activated during exercise. One of the most striking consequences of this activation is the improvement of posture and its benefit in the race.

In addition to improving posture, other benefits that we can obtain from the Pilates method and that we can apply in career are the control of breathing or the coordination of movements.

Yoga to improve range of motion of the joints

Neither Pilates nor Yoga are activities exclusively aimed at improving the flexibility of those who practice them, but it is usually one of the consequences of their practice, as well as achieving greater breadth of joint travel .

One of the most important points in the corridor is the hip : a joint that receives the weight of the whole trunk and serves as a “hook” with our lower limbs. A hip with little mobility in a runner usually translates into a poor running technique and an inadequate stride length.

Many of the traditional Yoga exercises will help us improve mobility and hip opening, while stretching the muscles that are in that area and directly affecting the runners career quality. An example may be the psoas-iliac muscle which, if not stretched properly, can be shortened by making our career difficult and even causing us pain.

Swimming to gain aerobic endurance

No doubt one of the sports that best complement the practice of running is swimming in any of the styles (crol, back, butterfly or breaststroke). Swimming is a perfect sport to work our muscles only with water resistance, without external loads, besides helping us to relax and let the shoes rest a couple of days a week.

Swimming is a sport that demands a very good control of the breathing, with a very marked pattern to be able to obtain the maximum performance of our organism in each stroke. Through swimming we work the muscles involved in breathing and we increase our lung capacity, something that will be very beneficial to us, especially if we take long distance races.

In addition, we teach our body to be more efficient in oxygen consumption: combining a couple of days of swimming a week with our career training, we will get great benefits that will make us more complete athletes.

Written by suNCh8

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