7 Tips to Running Injury-Free on Your Treadmill

Running Injury-Free

Running on a treadmill can cause people all kinds of injuries. The most common are ankle, knee and back injuries. This article, “7 Tips to Running Injury-Free on Your Treadmill”, aims to guide users on how they can run injury-free for many years to come.

Running Shoes

Before you ever think of using a treadmill, be sure that you have a good pair of running shoes. These shoes are designed to increase comfort and lessen injury while running so it’s only common sense that you use them on your treadmill exercise.

In addition, try to replace your running shoes at least once a year. Although, your pair may not show much wear and tear on the outside, its shock absorbing capability (which weakens gradually) will no longer be sufficient beyond 500 miles.

Stretch

The very first thing you do just before you run is to stretch. Stretching reduces the risk of injuries by loosening tight muscles. Be sure you stretch for at least 10-15 minutes. Emphasize more on your thigh, hamstring, calf and lower back muscles for they’ll be stressed out the most during your workout.

Warm-up/Cool Down

Be sure to warm-up your legs first before doing intense running. Start your workout with a slow walk of 3-5 minutes before gradually increasing the speed until it reaches your desired intensity. This ensures that your muscles are prepared for the task

When you’re done with your workout, never forget to cool down. This is another often neglected part of running. Cooling down means you end your run with a gentle jog followed by some light stretching. Doing this will circulate blood and oxygen to the muscles thus, reducing muscle soreness.

Cushioned Deck

Technology, nowadays, are so advanced that some treadmill manufacturers are offering cushioning that feels like you’re almost running on air. These cushioning eliminate side to side motion that is harmful to your joints, knees and ankles.

Although it might costs us more money compared to ordinary treadmills, I still recommend taking full advantage of technologies like these if you want to be running injury-free for the longest time possible. (If you need a treadmill with good cushioning, I suggest the Landice L7 LTD Pro)

Safety Clips

Most treadmill models (the quality ones) in the market right now offer safety clips. What it does is it automatically stops the treadmill when you can’t keep up with the pace hence, preventing any injuries from happening.

Don’t Overdo It

Do only what your body is capable of doing. Pushing your body beyond its limit would only result to injuries. Always remember “Rome wasn’t built in a day” so try to increase your intensity little by little every time. Avoid doing too much too soon. Add mileage by 15% or less per week, anything more might result in overtraining.

Also, you might want to take a break from running every now and then (at least 2 rest days per week and/or 1 rest week per month). This enables your body to recover and strengthen itself before your next training.

Nutrition

Nutrition plays a key role on whether or not you would be running injury-free. Make certain that you always eat a healthy meal and avoid any unbalanced diets, they would only slow down your recovery rpocess and make you more prone to injuries.

Be sure to get enough protein(rebuilds muscle), carbohydrates(refuels muscle), vitamins/minerals(helps in recovering), calcium(strengthens bones) and water(rehydrates the body) everyday to recover properly and avoid injuries as much as possible.

Well that’s it! Those are the tips I can offer to keep you running injury-free. Hope you’ll keep these tips in mind on your next treadmill workout.