WORLD RECORD Usain Bolt 9.58s 100m

IAAF Berlin 2009 16/8/09

Treadmill Vs Outdoor Running – Pros and Cons

By Kevin Urban

About the Author:

Kevin Urban is the editor at http://www.TreadmillTalk.com – one of the top sites on the web to start your search for the best treadmill in your price range.

Copyright 2008 TreadmillTalk.com

Permission is granted to republish this article provided all links are left intact and clickable.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Urban

Which would you choose Treadmill or Outdoor Running

• Outdoor Running
• Treadmill

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Running Posture Head to Toe

Running Posture By Kaleena A Lawless

From head to toe, here is running posture:

Head- Run with your head up and pointed forward. Don’t look at your feet as this compromises the rest of of your running posture.

The best visualization technique I’ve learned is the “puppet posture.” Picture a string coming out of the top of your head, pulling you upright. You are hanging there and your feet are barely touching the ground. Using this technique, I actually get a sense of floating or flying. It makes running seem even more natural than it already is and keeps me aligned in perfect form.

Eyes- Are facing forward but are darting around every few seconds to watch for cars, pedestrians and obstacles that could injure you on the sidewalk.

Ears- Should always be listening. If you run outside with headphones don’t blast your music. Keep it at a volume low enough to hear cars, sirens, horns and people.

Mouth- Should be relaxed. A good test that tells whether you are running in a relaxed position is jiggly cheeks.

Shoulders- Neutral and not tensed up. Don’t clench or pinch your shoulder blades together or pull them up toward your neck.

Arms- Bent at the elbow making a 90 degree angle resting at your side. They should be loose and relaxed. Not stiff and tucked in your body.

Hands- Slightly cupped and again, relaxed.

Torso- Flexed, moves with the legs and hips. Use your abs to help propel you, give you stabilization and maintain balance.

Hips- Facing forward and flicking left to right with the legs.

Butt- Put some glute in to your runs. Flex your glutes and concentrate on each stride coming first from the butt, then the legs. You can really get a great glute workout running uphill.

Legs- Shorter running strides are better than the long ones. They reduce injuries like muscle pulls and strains. They also save energy during long runs. You don’t want to burn out before crossing the finish line because you are moving your legs inefficiently. However find the balance between the long and short strides. You still want to be running, not shuffling along.

Knees- Slightly flexed to take impact. Sprinters raise their knees more than endurance runners for power.

Feet- Run heel to toe. Not on your tip toes. Your feet should land directly underneath your body.

Putting it All Together

Always start your run with a warm up. Your body needs time to get the idea that you are indeed, running! I find that sometimes I even walk funny for the first few minutes simply because my body hasn’t coordinated itself yet.

Muscles also need a warm up to reduce injuries.

As you start running gradually increase your speed as to not shock yourself and lead your bod to an early burn out.

Remember to cool down at the end so your heart rate and circulation can go back to normal before taking it easy.

Everybody has a different running style but as long as you follow the basic principals of running posture your runs will go smoothly an injury free.

Kaleena Lawless
Personal Training Specialist

http://www.kalisthenixfitnessblog.com

10 Benefits of Running

1) Running can help you Lose weight – running is second only to cross-country skiing in burning calories per minute. Seeing as it’s unlikely you’ll be skiing to the shops anytime soon then running is your best bet for losing body fat. If you’re struggling to control your cravings then the good news is that running tends to lessen your appetite.

2) Running Can slow down the aging process – the natural process of muscle and bone loss as we age can be slowed down in the bodies of frequent runners. Muscles and bones get healthier and stronger due to the demands put on them by a regular pounding around a track or a park. This means you are more likely to delay or avoid the effects of osteoporosis. But don’t just take our word for it; read an interview at New Scientist with a man who is still running marathons in his 80s!

3) Running and Better sex! – scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health showed that men who were physically active (such as runners) had 30% less chance of developing problems in the bedroom and that the increased blood flow around the body caused by regular exercise meant that both men and women experienced a more ‘potent love life’. Sounds good to us!

4) Running to Lower blood pressure – when you run your arteries get flexed more, in effect giving them a work out at the same time as you. By maintaining the flexibility of your arteries in this way you’ll also be making sure your blood pressure is lowered.

5) Running makes for Healthier lungs – by taking deep breaths during your run you are forcing your lungs to use more of their potential, up to 50% of the lung tissue you don’t normally use! If you’re a smoker then one of the benefits of jogging can be recovering large proportions of your lung potential.

6) Running Boosts your brain – regular runners have significantly improved mental skills as they get older than more sedentary people. Also just 25 minutes of aerobic exercise has been shown to boost creativity.

7) Running Improves your mood – there’s no doubt about it, one of the main benefits of running is the great feeling you get by getting away from all the stresses and strains of everyday life. Be it running through woodlands, along the street or on a treadmill, when the endorphins start coursing through your system everything might just seem to be a bit more manageable. BBC News has a great article on how Ronnie Sullivan used running to combat his depression.

Running assists with a Stronger cardiovascular system – your heart and lungs will get stronger and more efficient when they get a regular chance to show off their stuff.

9) Running and Lowering cholesterol – running increases the levels of High Density Lipoproteins (the “good” kind of cholesterol) in your body while reducing the Low Density Lipoproteins (the “bad” kind). This can lower your chances of having a stroke or heart attack.

10) Running and Joining the community! – thousands of people around the country run everyday and you can join them. There are loads of clubs and communities you can get involved with and make new and enthusiastic friends who’ll support you in reaching your goals.

[source: www.therunningbug.co.uk]

The Top Benefits of Running

A lot of people start running due to the benefits of running and active aerobic exercises. It is true that more than 60% of persons buy running shoes to make us of these benefits related with health and weight. However many young people dedicate their free time doing jogging due to the positive benefits of running related with better self confidence, muscles building and fun.

One of the biggest advantages of running is that you lose weight very efficiently and build muscles at the same time. The muscles start to burn fat more effectively. Actually 60% of the runners do it due to one of the most famous benefits of running: burning fat, reducing the cholesterol levels and the triglycerides.

The frequent cardiovascular exercises performed by e.g. runners and triathletes cause the building of muscles and prevent from losing muscle mass as well as bone mass. Frequent sitting in front of a computer leads to muscle regression and weakness of the bones. Your skeleton can stay in better health condition and support the weight of your bones and tissues as a consequence of regular running training.

Medicine has discovered that among above listed benefits of running the risk of stroke, cardiovascular diseases and breast cancer are decreased. Running is frequently prescribed to patients with early symptoms of osteoporosis, hypertension or diabetes. The arteries of runners and triathletes are more elastic and contract without any problems almost three times faster than the ones of untrained people. Ordinary people make use of about 50% of their lungs while runners and endurance sportsmen get to use up to 100% of their lungs volume.

One of the major benefits of running is that it builds your confidence. You may build your individual program, starting from the easiest exercises and going towards more difficult tasks when growing stronger. With running you create feelings of inner peace and closer connection to nature which both ultimately increase your spirit and even your productivity.

In running the last point is often referred to as the “Runner’s High”. Running outdoors leads to releases of endorphins – the “hormones of happiness”. The result is a sense of happiness or even euphoria. Triathletes know about this effect and appreciate it as an additional benefit during training and competition. Just as a side note: Doctors also perfectly know about these ramifications and use them in treating depressions and different types of addictions.

Another worthwhile benefit of running is improving your coordination. Running training especially on unpaved trails dramatically increases your intra-muscular coordination. Triathletes who also run offside the road e.g. on a park trail or in a wood regularly train their foots, ankles, knees and overall sense of coordination.

TriathlonAdventures will help you to find the right balance in your training efforts and avoid stupid beginner mistakes. The author has been a triathlete for more than 10 years now and will help you to jump over some first hurdles and really start to enjoy your new sport. For more great information simply go to http://www.triathlonadventures.com and sign up for the RSS news-feed.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sebastian_Wick

Usain Bolt sprint training and 100 meter world record video

DOB: born 21 August 1986
Usain Bolt CD is a Jamaican sprinter. Bolt holds the Olympic and world records for the 100 metres at 9.69 seconds, the 200 metres at 19.30 seconds and, along with his teammates, the 4×100 metres relay at 37.10 seconds, all set at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Bolt became the first man to win all three events at a single Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984, and the first man in history to set world records in all three at a single Olympics. His name and achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname “‘Lightning’ Bolt”.

Bolt distinguished himself with a 200 m gold medal at the 2002 World Junior Championships, making him the competition’s youngest-ever gold medalist. In 2004, at the CARIFTA Games, Bolt became the first junior sprinter to run the 200 m in under 20 seconds with a time of 19.93 s, breaking Roy Martin’s world junior record by two-tenths of a second. Bolt also set competition records at a number of other junior events.

Bolt turned professional in 2004 but missed most of his first two seasons due to injuries; he was eliminated in the first round of the 200 m heats at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2007, Bolt beat Don Quarrie’s 200 m Jamaican national record with a run of 19.75 s. In May 2008, Bolt set his first 100 m world record with a time of 9.72 s, improving upon his previous personal best of 9.76 s which was made earlier in the month.

As a result of Bolt’s successes in athletics, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for 2009.

http://www.usainbolt.com

In the video below, watch the rear foot and calf at take-off, and how the stretch reflex is utilized on these “short height blocks”
[source: www.speedendurance.com]