Jogging running sprinting

The best exercise is walking because it is a low-impact, injury-free, moderate workout. One drawback of walking is the slow and modest changes it makes to the body's external appearance. For faster results people turn to more intense aerobic exercises like running.

The biomechanics of walking has the person's hip swinging over their planted foot, while a runner bounces along, the tendons and ligaments in their legs acting as springs. Jogging is a low-impact form of running and these two exercises are usually confused, with people who are actually running, thinking that they are out jogging!



Sporty young Argentinian model Yesica Toscanini shows the proper way of jogging: lightly bobbing along, the feet making full contact with the ground, while the arms are held close to the body. There is no way to swing the arms because the pace in jogging is gentle, it is as low-impact as normal walking. Walking as an exercise is considered better than jogging because the legs reach full stride, and there is greater movement in the arms and upper body.

So why go jogging? Because it exercises different muscles in the legs than walking. One of the few sports that incorporates a jogging pace is boxing, where the boxers are mostly bobbing on their feet while throwing punches.

In almost every other sport, athletes are running or sprinting. For example, there are no "long distance joggers" but only "runners" who compete in all races greater than 400m in length. Running incorporates a medium to full stride, swinging of the arms, and landing on the balls of the feet.



The "chicological" Josie Maran shows her running stride. Many runners are comfortable landing on their feet, rather than the balls of the feet, while running at a modest pace. It is physically impossible for sprinters to land on anything but the balls of their feet.

Sprinting uses more muscle power than running, and is considered an anaerobic exercise while walking, jogging, and running are aerobic. Aerobic exercises use the slow-twitch red muscle fiber for endurance, and workout the cardiovascular system; while the fast-twitch white muscle fiber give explosive speed and strength required in anaerobic exercise.

Since all human beings have both kinds of muscle, doctors and fitness instructors suggest that mixing up intensity levels is more beneficial than just exercising longer. A person should start out jogging, increase their pace, then burst into an intense sprint, and again slow down to a jog. The anaerobic sprint also releases human growth hormone, which helps the body to build muscle and burn fat. This form of exercise is called 'interval training' and has long been used in sports medicine and training.

Running injuries

The drawbacks for high-impact exercises like running and sprinting are muscle fatigue, cramps, and injuries. The older you are the more injuries you get, and the more intense the exercise the greater the risk of injury and fatigue. Hamstring strains are a common injury, most often observed in sports that involve running, sprinting, and jumping. Rupture of the Achilles tendon is another commonly seen injury, leading to sural nerve dysfunction. Other injuries from running too much are heel pain, arch pain, and shin splints.



Female athletes have yet another running injury to worry about; they are more susceptible than male athletes to the tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the ligament in the center of the knee that provides stability. While jogging, running and sprinting increase bone strength, any excess can lead to stress fractures. Runners with a flat arch tend to have a greater risk of developing stress fractures in the foot. To prevent injury don't overexercise, and find a running shoe that gives you the right combination of shock absorption and stability.