My knees.

Good morning guys. I'm currently on W4R4 and my knees are starting to hurt a tad. Has anyone any advice? It would be appreciated. Thanks

Sean. X

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Morning.... Well done you... moving onwards now.

Firstly... hopefully you have the correct shoes and socks... and are warming up really well too. Stretching after every run is essential as you know... try these exercises which many of us find useful!

nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/k...

Then. simply try to relax; as the runs get longer, we may tend to hold ourselves tensely.

( concentration I think)...Relax, shoulders, arms. hands, face and then try to land lightly. I call it, kissing the ground with your feet...It sounds daft..but works.... I still use that technique in all of my runs.

See if that helps

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Squats!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I've been meaning to ask. What s the thinking behind squats? I'm intrigued. Does it strengthens the knees?

Sean.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Squats are reputed to be the king of specific exercises, strengthening several muscle groups all in one easy and accessible (you can do them while you are washing up or by your desk or whatever) exercise. Really easy to learn and to increase too.

Rignold did a squat challenge this time last year and if you have a look at his posts you will learn all about squatting and how to do them. They will help your knees by strengthening all the muscles around them.

Good luck Sean

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

The primary cause of the aches and pains felt by new runners is the impact of running, so do all you can to minimise it.

Slow down, avoid heelstriking, keep footfall under your body not out in front, run on grass or treadmill and most importantly wear proper running shoes fitted after a gait analysis done at a specialist running shop.

Your pace should be one at which you can converse in ungasping sentences as you run, as described in the guide to the plan healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

Stretching and strengthening as recommended by Oldfloss can also make a huge difference.

[Boofle999 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I've been told I'm a heel striker - so how do I stop doing this if it's my natural gait?

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Boofle999]

Trying to adapt your natural running motion can create injury, so take care and if you are serious about wanting to change it, then talk to an experienced trainer.

The simplest way is to follow the advice above....... keep footfall under your body not out in front.........overstriding is a major cause, so shorten your stride.

Good posture can also contribute to better form.

The majority of recreational runners are heelstrikers, while most elite runners are mid or forefoot strikers.

Don't agonize about it, but you can reduce the impact through your legs by striking midfoot.

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Ok thanks guys. Looks like I need to change my approach to running and maybe spend more than a tenner on a pair of trainers 😁 thanks for the advice. ReLly appreciated.

Sean.