Running News Daily

Check your balance-Improve your stability with this simple, equipment-free test

01/ Stand on a hard surface, your hands crossed on your shoulders.

02/ Lift one leg off the ground and don’t touch the other leg.

03/ Hold for up to 45 seconds, or until loss of balance and the raised foot hits the ground.

04/Compare your time to the averages below. Aim to get to at least the average time. To make it harder, close your eyes.

BALANCE, LIKE MUSCLE MASS, NATURALLY DECREASES WITH AGE. That’s something that can lead to less efficient running and, more worryingly, injury. Fortunately, older runners can arrest the decline with some targeted exercises. Test and improve your balance with this simple move. 

The thighs have it

Strong quad muscles can do more than power you uphill. Keeping your quads in top condition with squats and lunges can also prevent the need for a knee replacement in later life. And that’s some serious motivation, as knee osteoarthritis – which is often a precursor to a knee replacement – affects some 5 million people in the UK. A recent study* found that people who regularly do exercise that strengthens their quads were less likely to need knee replacement surgery. Consider that a polite reminder to start doing your step-ups, squats and lunges. 

High-speed recovery

Here’s a sentence we thought we’d never write: a new paper* found that HIIT was superior to traditional rehabilitation programmes ‘for accelerated recovery from musculoskeletal injuries’. That’s right: high-intensity exercise trumped traditional rehab for injury recovery. Who knew? A total of 80 injured subjects were assigned to either six weeks of a HIIT programme or more traditional rehab. Both groups improved after six weeks. However, the HIIT group reported greater pain reduction and performance on several objective tests of muscle function. This led the researchers to conclude, ‘Incorporating [HIIT] into rehabilitation protocols may offer an efficient approach for expedited recovery and enhanced muscle function.’