| Jogging (any other kind of long,slow, distance training) | | | | efficient for taking in oxygen while jogging and many |
| is not an optimal training method. It may be | | | | joggers do this. So jogging makes a bad situation |
| downright bad for you. There I said it. Here is why. | | | | worse! |
| 1. It doesn't help you look good (this is a big one isn't | | | | This next point is a sobering one. I spent some time |
| it?) | | | | helping out at a place where elderly people gather for |
| Time for more honesty... the main reason people | | | | social support and to play simple games. It was very |
| want to start an exercise program is to look good. | | | | clear that the happy and healthy elderly were those |
| Nothing wrong with that. | | | | who were strong, mobile and able to take care of |
| Sure most people don't want to look like a | | | | themselves without assistance. I could tell by their |
| professional bodybuilder and most simply want to | | | | handshakes who were still in good shape and who |
| look toned. I would guess that an ideal "toned" | | | | were having poor health. I want to be strong till my |
| physique for most people would be something like | | | | last breath and I assume that you do as well. |
| the bodies of those models on a health magazine like | | | | The game of life is a long one. And many elderly are |
| "Men's Health" or "Shape." | | | | left bed ridden or immobile due to crippling health |
| Now for the reality check... how many people who | | | | conditions. Guess what, aerobic capacity is not a big |
| jog (see the treadmills in gyms, or the jogger on the | | | | determinant in our quality of life as we age. 2 major |
| street) look like those cover models? That's right, not | | | | determinants of quality of life for an elderly person |
| many (if any at all!). In fact most joggers look tired, | | | | are leg power and grip strength. These are indicators |
| bored and unhappy (oops that's just their faces). | | | | of lower and upper body strength and power |
| Their bodies look soft, jiggly and not particularly | | | | (strength and especially power are lost rapidly if we |
| impressive. | | | | do not training specifically for them as we age). |
| "Oh but maybe they are just starting out". Well look | | | | These are maintained by resistance training, not more |
| at the people who have a jogging routine. Same | | | | slow jogging. Many elderly are made immobile |
| people, same distance, same place, same gym etc. | | | | because of falls and accidents that are due to a lack |
| Check them out 3 months or even 12 months later. | | | | of strength, not because they ran out of breath as |
| Yup. Same look or even fatter! I would suspect that | | | | they climbed a flight of stairs. |
| all of us want RESULTS for our hard work. That's | | | | 3. Jogging isn't that great for your health |
| fair! But that's not what jogging provides. | | | | There is a saying that I like "you don't run to get fit, |
| What do most people need to look better than they | | | | you get fit to run". Its true, more than half of all |
| do now? 2 simple things. More muscles (yes even | | | | people who start a jogging program get an injury |
| women - in the right places), and less fat. Scientific | | | | within 6 weeks. That's higher than most contact or |
| studies, and real world evidence shows us that | | | | high risk sports like rugby, American football, or car |
| jogging provides neither. Without getting too | | | | racing! |
| science-nerd-geeky (which I actually enjoy) here are | | | | Firstly there is the issue of foot strength. Most |
| some results from those studies. These results can | | | | people wear shoes all day and thus have weak feet. |
| be seen empirically by you in your friends who jog, | | | | Ankle, heel, and sole injuries like plantar faciatis are |
| as well as by me in my clients who used to jog | | | | common because most people's feet are not ready |
| before they found out the truth. | | | | to take the pounding. |
| Result A: Jogging does nothing more for fat loss than | | | | Lets move up to the knees. Each foot strike has a |
| a good diet. Eating healthy is great for fat loss. | | | | impact 3-6 times body weight. All this depends on the |
| Jogging adds NOTHING to it. Shocker!! This isn't some | | | | running mechanics, the shoe, and the running surface. |
| 10 min a week either. Its 30-50 min 3 times a week! | | | | 3 times is a low estimate. Many times we have poor |
| More than most joggers do. | | | | mechanics, poorly chosen shoes, and overly hard |
| Result B: Jogging does nothing for muscle gain. | | | | surfaces. Combine this with poor technique and |
| Jogging puts your entire body into "starvation mode". | | | | muscle firing (again caused by poor posture and an |
| The body thinks "I'm lost in the jungle that's why I'm | | | | inactive lifestyle) and the knees take more than their |
| jogging so much to find my way out". Whats the | | | | fair share of impact. For ladies, their naturally wider |
| best way to survive in the jungle? It's to use as few | | | | hips and less ideal bio-mechanics mean knee issues |
| calories as possible so we can live off less food. How | | | | are even more prevalent among lady joggers. |
| do we achieve that? You body commands it's calorie | | | | Poor pelvic alignment means even the lower back is |
| using parts to be jettisoned. Only muscles use | | | | taking to much of the ground impact. With correct |
| calories! Oops there go your fat burning, calorie using, | | | | training, rehab and changes in their exercise routine, |
| nice looking muscles. | | | | not only do these issues go away, but they get |
| So far, jogging is zero out of two in the looking good | | | | great results (i.e. they look great and are pain free). |
| score. And it gets worse! As you jog, you get more | | | | So what can we do? Well i always suggest sprints |
| and more efficient at jogging. Efficiency in car petrol | | | | (fast striding or faster) for my more experienced |
| consumption is good. Efficiency in jogging to look | | | | clients. Or sprints on a stationary bike for the ladies |
| good is bad! It means that you use LESS calories as | | | | and less experienced clients. These are done in |
| you get "better" at jogging. Oh no! The reality of this | | | | interval fashion e.g. 30 sec run/sprint. 90 sec walk. |
| is that you need to run further and longer just to use | | | | These save our joints (running fast is tough on our |
| the same amount of calories as you used to. This | | | | muscles not our joints, and there is total less number |
| doesn't just mean that jogging doesn't work, it | | | | of impacts) and give great results (there we go, |
| works in reverse! | | | | results again! they are important!). |
| 2. Jogging doesn't help you in the "game" of life | | | | Jogging is certainly better than watching TV or |
| OK more real life. I just got back from my stint in | | | | surfing the Internet all day. But its really quite a low |
| the army reserve. All the males in Singapore have to | | | | benefit activity compared to the potential risks. |
| do this service to our nation. I am an army engineer. | | | | There are far better alternatives like sprint cycling, |
| We build stuff and we blow up stuff. In our training | | | | fast running (if you are a well conditioned athlete), |
| we NEVER had to jog to succeed in our missions. All | | | | and total body resistance training with low rest |
| our critical tasks were strength related. At no time | | | | intervals. All these alternatives give far greater |
| would jogging have helped my men or I perform | | | | benefits than jogging, take less time (VERY |
| those tasks successfully. | | | | important for long term success), and are more fun |
| When was the last time you had to wake up and run | | | | to do (also important for long term success). |
| 10km. Never? Yup, me neither. However just like my | | | | Conclusion: |
| army story, real life stuff is strength related! Carrying | | | | I hope joggers don't take this article an a personal |
| a growing child is a strength task. So is changing a car | | | | attack. I certainly don't mean it that way. It's just |
| tire, shifting furniture, carrying groceries, sprinting | | | | that in a fast paced culture (with so little time to |
| after the bus when you are late, climbing stairs when | | | | exercise) and with the current levels of inactivity, |
| the elevator is crowded this list can get very long. | | | | obesity, and other lifestyle related health conditions, |
| Another real life consideration is posture. Most people | | | | we cannot afford to do anything less than optimal |
| have poor posture. We slouch way too much due to | | | | training. Even if we are blessed with loads of time, |
| alot of time spent at a computer at work and school. | | | | why would we do anything less than what is ideal! |
| This can cause head-aches, neck-aches, and | | | | Get off that treadmill and into a well designed |
| back-aches (in addition to not looking as good as we | | | | resistance and interval training program. |
| could). Unfortunately, this head forward posture is | | | | |