After this long period of forced abstinence, the «runners» are «cutting their heels» to return to the streets, parks, trails and routes to recover all the lost time. However, for many athletes, the desire is not in line with their physical condition, since they are quite «devastated» by so many weeks of limited activity.
Experts agree that we must be cautious, because during the quarantine certain physical conditions could have been lost.
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For Jorge Cancino, a physiologist at www.nft.cl (a platform specializing in physical training, nutrition, medicine, and psychology, whose goal is to help maintain adequate health and increase work performance), the situation is like this: “When finally When it comes time to go outside, the first thing runners should do is make sure they are not infected. They could have been asymptomatic and the consequences that the virus could have left are still unknown. In this case, I recommend that you do a «rapid» antibody test to make sure you haven’t been infected. In the case of being positive or having had the disease, physical and sports activity cannot be restarted without a pulmonary and cardiological study.
“In the event of having a negative result in the Covid-19 test, the activity must be resumed in a guided and gradual manner. Emphasize intermittent or interval aerobic activities to regain cardiorespiratory fitness in the first few weeks,” explains the NFT specialist.
The idea is to increase the training in aerobic mode to add kilometers of volume. Likewise, the strength activities should be aimed at recovering the muscle mass lost by not having had specific stimuli in that period. It is important not to neglect flexibility exercises.
For those who already ran before the quarantine, they can do it for a maximum of half an hour. But for those who have never done it, it is advisable to do what in running they call «cacos technique», which involves walking and running. The goal is that as the workouts progress, the walking time decreases.
- To start warming up is essential, as it helps minimize the risk of injury and allows you to exercise at a high intensity more comfortably and safely.
- Hydration is necessary and must be individual, depending on the sweating rate of each athlete and the time they will exercise. Sports drinks are useful to provide both water and energy.
- Finally, stretching helps the muscles to remain flexible and injuries are not generated as a result of a muscle that is trained only in a required position, such as «twins» during the race.