Is it true that people who are overweight are not allowed to run

What is considered to be overweight

Fitness advertisements suggest that a healthy person should have a very low percentage of body fat. The cubes and distinct relief of bodybuilders are confusing and make people of normal body weight consider themselves overweight.

To surely dispel all doubts, calculate your body mass index. This is not the most reliable indicator, since it does not take into account the percentage of muscle mass, but for a rough understanding of the general picture, it is suitableBody mass index - BMI / World Health Organization.

BMI = weight (kg) / height² (m)

Normal weight is within the range of 18.5 to 24.99 kg / m². If this is your case, you can close the article and go for a run.

At values ​​from 25 to 29.99 kg / m², one speaks of overweight, and at 30 kg / m² or more, obesity is diagnosed. As a rule, in this case, it is advised to replace running with more gentle cardio loads - swimming, exercise on an exercise bike. And for a reason.

Is it true that running can harm the body?

There are several reasons why being overweight can make running dangerous:

• High risk of injury. Due to increased body weight, muscles, bones and connective tissues of obese people experienceR. O. Nielsen, M. L. Bertelsen, E. T. Parner. Running more than three kilometers during the first week of a running regimen may be associated with increased risk of injury in obese novice runners / International journal of sports physical therapy more load than the same structures in runners with normal body weight. Thus, an overweight person needs to take fewer steps to cross the line beyond which adaptation to stress ends and injuries begin.
• Slow recovery. Excess weight and obesity often accompanied byH. Lee, I. S. Lee, R. Choue. Obesity, Inflammation and Diet / Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition chronic inflammation. This condition can interfere 1. E. E. Howard, S. M. Pasiakos, C. N. Blesso. Divergent Roles of Inflammation in Skeletal Muscle Recovery From Injury / Frontiers in physiology
  2. H. K. Vincent, K. R. Vincent. Considerations for initiating and progressing running programs in obese individuals / PM & R: the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation the body to cope with microtrauma received during training, which increases the risk of injury in the next lesson.
• Worsening of joint problems. Extra pounds can cause joint problems without any jogging, and overweight people often suffer from this even before they start exercising. For example obesityN. A. Segal, H. J. Yack, P. Khole. Weight, Rather Than Obesity Distribution, Explains Peak External Knee Adduction Moment During Level Gait / American journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation increases the load on the inner part of the knee joint, provokes defectsV. Mezhov, F. M. Ciccutini, F. S. Hanna. Does obesity affect knee cartilage? A systematic review of magnetic resonance imaging data / Obesity reviews cartilage and osteoarthritis.

Research on running injury risk confirms the harmful effects of excess weight. So, in one experimentR. O. Nielsen, I. Buist, E. T. Parner. Predictors of Running-Related Injuries Among 930 Novice Runners: A 1-Year Prospective Follow-up Study / Orthopedic journal of sports medicine tested 930 novice runners and found that a BMI of 25-30 kg / m² increases the risk of injury by 2.7%, and above 30 kg / m² - by 10.3%. At the same time, a body mass index of less than 20 kg / m² has a protective effect and reduces the chances of injury during training by 14%.

In another jobI. Buist, S.W. Bredeweg, K. A. Lemmink. Predictors of running-related injuries in novice runners enrolled in a systematic training program: a prospective cohort study / The American journal of sports medicine with data analysis 532 beginners runners also noted that a high BMI significantly increases the risk of dropping out of training due to leg or back pain.

Similar data were obtained in the experimentI. Buist, S. W. Bredeweg. Higher risk of injury in overweight novice runners / British Journal of Sports Medicine with the participation of 848 amateur runners trained for the 6.7 km race. In the group of beginner athletes with a BMI <25, only 15% of people experienced pain in the legs or back, due to which I had to leave training for a week, while among the more complete (BMI> 25) participants this indicator reached 25%.

Thus, fat people really take more risks going out on jogging. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't even think about running. You just need to be a little more careful.

Is it okay to run if you are overweight

While being overweight does increase your risk of post-workout pain, not all fat runners end up injured (and not all healthy runners do without injury).

For example, in the experimentI. Buist, S. W. Bredeweg. Higher risk of injury in overweight novice runners / British Journal of Sports Medicine in preparation for the 6.7 km race, out of 334 runners with a BMI above 25 kg / m² only 82 were injured. Moreover, any complaint of pain in the legs or back, due to which a person dropped out of the game for a week, was considered an injury.

The remaining 252 people from the group did not receive injuries that would have forced them to refrain from running. Moreover, the scientists noted that both groups of participants - both overweight and without - exercised the same number of hours during the experiment. That is pain and the damage did not prevent fat people from completing their training.

What's more, regular exercise can have a positive effect on joint health even without losing weight. Norwegian scientists checkedP. J. Mork, A. Holtermann, T. I. L. Nilsen. Effect of body mass index and physical exercise on risk of knee and hip osteoarthritis: longitudinal data from the Norwegian HUNT Study / Journal of epidemiology and community health data from 15 thousand women and 14.7 thousand men over 11 years and concluded that obese people are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis than participants with normal weight. But if they do vigorous exercise at the same time, the risk is halved.

Thus, being overweight is not a reason to give up running. It will most likely not harm your health if you select the load according to your capabilities and do not rush things.

Obese people mayH. K. Vincent, K. R. Vincent. Considerations for initiating and progressing running programs in obese individuals / PM & R: the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation it will take 3-4 years to move safely to running. If the excess weight is not so significant, the body will be able to adapt in a few months.

How to know when you can start running

To avoid injury and not hate running after the very first session, follow these rules:

• Consult your doctor. Before starting a workout, see a podiatrist and cardiologist to rule out joint and cardiovascular disease.
• Start by walking. People of any physique are advised to start training with walking, and if you are overweight, this is simply a must. Over time, you can increase the load by increasing the speed or incline of the treadmill.
• Add power loads. Bodyweight Exercise as a weight to help you strengthen your legs and core. Strong muscles will keep your joints and spine in the correct position and reduce the risk of injury while running.
• Practice at a conversational pace. This is the speed at which you can carry on a conversation without panting or stopping. If you can't keep up a conversation even while walking fast, it's definitely early to run.
• Alternate intensity. As you increase your fitness level, you can switch to walking and quiet running intervals in a proportion that feels comfortable. For example, you can walk for 4 minutes, jog for 60 seconds, and repeat this 5-6 times in one workout. Gradually increase your running time and reduce the amount of walking.
• Increase volumes gradually. Do not increase distance or time more than 5% per week. For example, your half hour workout includes 6 intervals of 3 minutes of running and 2 minutes of walking. You are used to such a load and you feel great. After 1-2 weeks, you can increase the running time in each interval by 10 seconds. With a high probability, your body will tolerate such an increase well.

Do not strive for records, look for a comfortable pace in which you can work without severe shortness of breath and pain, and running will only benefit you.

Iya Zorina