Hey, it’s Ekemba from SolCore Fitness again, answering one of the top fitness questions—should you just start running to get in shape? Absolutely not. You want to build a strong, balanced foundation before you go pounding the pavement.
Why Preparation Matters
Let’s start by looking at simple walking. For someone weighing 100 lbs who does 10,000 steps per day—that’s about five tons of cumulative load on the hips and joints. When you run, that force multiplies, sometimes reaching three times your body weight with every stride. Desk jobs, sedentary habits, and old injuries leave most bodies imbalanced—hips, abs, posture, and muscle chains are weak or tight.
Jumping into running, hiking, or even fast walking on an unprepared body is like loading the tilted Golden Gate Bridge with cars. Sooner or later, the structure fails. That’s how people end up with worn cartilage, chronic pain, or joint limitations years down the line.
Science: Running vs. Walking—Impact and Benefits
- Running: Builds muscle, boosts cardiovascular fitness, accelerates calorie burn, and supports bone density—but only if joints and connective tissue are ready for those repeated high-impact forces.
- Walking: Lower impact, easier on the joints, and far more sustainable for beginners or those with chronic pain. Both deliver excellent health benefits, but walking puts less stress on your frame.
Whether you walk or run, preparation and balance are everything.
How to Prepare Your Body
The solution is simple: get in shape to run, don’t run to get in shape. Before hitting the trail:
- Practice myofascial stretching to lengthen and balance muscle chains.
- Integrate segmental strengthening to stabilize small, critical muscles holding posture and limbs in place.
- Use corrective movement techniques like ELDOA to open joint spaces and restore healthy alignment before high-impact exercise.
These methods prepare your body for loading, keep every joint moving well, and dramatically reduce your risk for overuse injuries, pain, and joint breakdown.
Explore balanced, science-backed movement and injury prevention here:
Global Strengthening (GS): The 7 Primal Movements Exercises
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