Jogging!

[Sam Slater]

Used to love jogging - though I stayed away from pavements as much as possible.

About it damaging your knees - well, that's true if you're overweight/running high mileage every week for years. What damages your knees more is not fucking using them by being sat on your fat arse for years on end.

Give me two 50 year old men. One runs on pavements 3 times a week for 20 years, and the other's been a couch potato for 20 years.....bet you I can guess 90/100 who has the stronger, healthier knees, baby.

[crofter]

So you are an expert in 50 yeard old men's knees then Sam ... jog along!!!wink!

[Arginald Valleywater]

Have you ever seen a happy jogger?

[Ace]

I had a stab at a jog a few years ago, and instead of sports shorts, I wore some beach type shorts with the mesh interior to keep yer bits in.........After a mile, my thighs were red raw and rashed to fuck as the rubbing of skin against the mesh was a recipe for disater.
Never again

[Sam Slater]

[quote]So you are an expert in 50 yeard old men's knees then Sam ... [/quote]

Actually...........errrrr.....yeah!

For instance:

Lack of exercise usually means weaker quadriceps -mainly the vastus medialis- which is hard to train. The hamstrings are too strong and thus pull on the quadriceps from the lateral side. when running the vastus lateralis is the strongest quad muscle and is attached to the patella (along with the vastus medialis). Due to the imbalance in strength, and made worse by the hamstrings, the patella is pulled up/down at an angle and is pulled outwards (laterally). This causes the kneecap no not run smoothly in it's normal groove which means the cartridge underneath the kneecap can grind on the underside of the patella, causing knee pain.

Over pronation (due to weak arches amongst many other things) can have the same affect, while being bow legged has the same kind of pain but the patella is running in a more medial position.

The knee usually hurts more when walking DOWN stairs due to the knee being bent at a more acute angle than walking upstairs.

Regular exercise would have kept all the muscles in better balance, resulting in a healthier knee.

Well, that's enough for today. !happy!

[Flat_Eric]

The key to jogging (like with any health regime) is to do it properly - no good trying to run a half-marathon at your first attempt, you have to start off short and build up.

Also, a decent pair of running shoes is absolutely key - no good thinking you can get away with a 12.99 pair of trainers from Asda because with them you just don't get the fit and the cushioning, and you're asking for joint problems.

You need to splash out on a decent pair of running shoes (and even they need replacing at semi-regular intervals as the cushioning effect wears off).

Not having the right kit (including non-chafing shorts, Ace!) - and of course overdoing it - are where most folk fall down.

Approached the right way though, jogging is in fact one of the best forms of exercise for the whole body, and the cardio-vascular system in particular.

- Eric

[Sam Slater]

[quote]The key to jogging (like with any health regime) is to do it properly[/quote]

Indeed. The trouble lots of physios and doctors find with some people is that they haven't done any exercise for so long, that once they start they cannot discern the different between stitch and chest pain. They can't tell the different between aching muscles and ligament damage/muscle tears.

[quote]Also, a decent pair of running shoes is absolutely key[/quote]

The most important bit of kit.....especially if you're over 14 stone as you're more prone to arch collapse and over-pronation....as well as impact damage to ankle, knee and hip joints.