With running season firmly in swing… let me answer this question from a reader of my Northern Each column who asks:
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“Paul… At present I meet with my friend twice a week to do some running “up hill” in an attempt to lose weight. We meet at Parklands Way on West Park (in Hartlepool) which has a nice steep bank for us to run up, and then walk back down. We do this five times.
Only thing is I’ve woken up the next day on both occasions with a sore Achilles and a stiff back – both worsening each time
Am I doing something wrong? And what are your thoughts on running up banks or hills?
Many people I talk to are of mixed opinions so I thought I’d ask you”.
Claire B – Late 30’s, Hartlepool .
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This is, in a round about way, one of the most common mistakes I observe runners make. Let me explain why:
You’re not designed to run up hills. And nor do we need too, to keep fit or loose weight. Sure, you might work a bit harder by running up a bank or a hill, but you’re adding huge stress to lower back muscles and Achilles tendon muscles by doing so.
I agree – that if you were in training for something that involved lots of steep hills or banks, such as the route for the GNR, that doing this type of ting would likely be of benefit to achieving the goal. But here’s why it’s likely to do more harm than good:
When you run or even walk up banks, your natural instinct is to lean forwards to make it easier to get up. When you do this, your lower back muscles have to work 10x as hard. And that’s no exaggeration.
Standing up and leaning over or bending forwards for any sustained period of time will add at least 10 times the stress to your lower back than if you stand up tall and straight. Something to think about if you do that at work or even in the kitchen, or somewhere like that.
More: Means your lower back muscles are getting very stressed. And if they’re not ready to cope with the extra stress, as in, they’re not strong enough because you haven’t been doing things like core stability or Pilates style exercises, then you will notice a negative affect.
As for your Achilles tendon… think of an elastic band being stretched too far. The tension created means it’s likely to snap and every time you stretch it too far, you’re closer to that “snap” actually happening because of the weakness that is being created.
Same with your Achilles tendon when you run up banks. Because you’re leaning forwards, your Achilles tendon is always on a full stretch and means your likely to feel pain and tension by the end, or at very least the next day.
If that’s happening and it’s getting worse, you need to stop ASAP and find somewhere flat to run.
Here’s my first tip: if you are going to run up hills or banks, stand as tall as possible and tip two: spend a month or so before hand working on balance ball, core and pilates exercises to make your back stronger so that you can safely do it.
My second tip:
Weigh tloss is 80% what you eat, 20% what you do.
If your goal from running up hills is weight loss, I’d wager that you’ll end up putting weight ON.
Why? Because you will get injured meaning a period of even less activity, meaning slightly more weight added. Believe me, there’s much easier ways to lose weight.
More sports injury tips and a free report, go here: www.paulgoughphysio.com/sports-injury-clinic
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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