Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Running Workouts

Running seems simple. All you have to do is put on your workout shorts and start down the street as long as you can, right? Not really. As strange as it might sound, running is a very unique exercise that may involve movements similar to those we make in our daily routine but are much more intense in their effects on the body.

While it’s obviously true that running is mostly working your lower body, it’s equally undeniable that jogging and sprinting are effective for the upper half as well. Although running won’t give you the guns you want on your arms, you’ll certainly be delaying a shredded midsection by not engaging in smartly planned running workouts.

To help beginner runners, as well as experienced fitness freaks, improve their running workouts, here’s a list of ways that have been used and recommended by professional athletes and experts:

Establish a Plan

Knowing when to run and where you’re going to run is important because this affects how effective your workout will be in the long run. Planning is, therefore, essential and vital even for something as simple as running. You’ll have to look at possible places that offer a safe place because you can’t just go out running around the city.

Moreover, picking the time of your run is also significant because it’ll determine how efficiently you’re burning calories and carbs. For people who want to lose fat, the best time to go on a run is to go before or an hour or two after your meals.

If you want to make the most of the psychological benefits of running workouts, you should focus on where you would like to run. Some people prefer to run in public places like parks or the beach whereas others would like to be alone and have time to themselves and relieve stress. Even if you don’t have the luxury of the place, you have the choice of the time you go out. Just make sure you’re not putting yourself at risk.

Increase The Intensity

Second, the best way to improve your running workouts is to increase your muscle intensity. Increasing the muscle strength and power helps in making long laps without getting your breath away and you don’t even have to push yourself further which can actually cause you muscle damage.

Therefore, defining your lower body muscle works in dimensions to provide you extra power so that you could make another lap without any issues. Adding on, great achievements lead by great works.

In order to increase the muscle intensity, you have to incorporate some exercises like squats and lunges. These are some of the basic exercises that will assist in strengthening your lower body and eventually you’ll be able to run faster with high intensity within your required time.

Moreover, try not to overwork your legs, muscle exhaustion can cause big problems like sprains or fractures instead of solving problems like excessive stress.

So, keep your workout pace slow. If you are a beginner, don’t overdo any of the exercises that later on cause harm. Keep it slow and gradually you’ll have great strength in your legs to win that gold medal in your high school competition.

Equip Yourself

If you think you can run in just about anything, you’re compromising on your workout’s efficiency. While running, your muscles expand and when your legs come out to make a run, the extreme ranges of the limbs are increased.

It is crucial to provide your muscles with a complete range of motion. Other than your running technique, your attire or apparel counts as an important factor and plays a vital role in your running workout. Whenever you step out, whether it is for a warm-up run or practice and the final round of competition, never forget to wear a proper outfit.

However, wearing a proper outfit like tracksuits and breathable track sets provide a complete range of motion to your muscles that secure you from any type of injury.

Monitor Your Progress

To make sure that you’re growing your gains and always improving upon your workout’s effectiveness, you need to measure your progress. This might seem boring and frustrating at times but it’s true and as simple as this; you can’t know how far you’ve come without knowing the distance you’ve traveled.

This is especially important for the times you’ll have to increase the pace. If you keep a record of how much you’re running and the times for rest, sprinting, jogging, walking, etc. that you’re spending, you’ll have a much better handle on how your workouts are affecting your body.

Incorporate HIIT

Lastly, if you think you’ve got it all down, try going for high-intensity interval training. This will involve running at slow paces at first. As you gradually increase the speed and get to sprinting at your max, you’ll engage in intense anaerobic workouts and allow yourself sufficient intervals or rest times in between.

Be mindful that HIIT can’t be used on a regular basis because as the name shows, it’s very high intensity and should therefore be used carefully.