I jogged about 1/2 mile the other day on a treadmill. It's been a while since I've done that. It might seem short to you but to me it was like completing a 10K. I felt great.
And, then I thought, "Do I have the strength to do this? Should I be doing this?"
There isn't any research, that I know of, that suggests exactly how much muscle strength you need to jog. And, really, the issue is less about muscle strength than it is about joint strength. During my 1/2 mile jog, each foot hit the ground about 200 times. My joints have to absorb at least twice my body weight (it can get up to 4 times body weight depending on your speed and stride length) with each step which is about 430 lbs of force. That's 86 tons of force for 1/2 mile. Imagine what a 10k produces.
You do need muscle strength though to help you dissipate the force. Here are a few simple screening tests you can do on your self before you start jogging (or even if you are already jogging):
- Can you squat on one leg to a knee angle of 70 degrees (two pillows in a chair will give you about that angle) back up thirty times with good form and no pain? Squat down until you feel your rear end touch the pillows and then stand up.
- Can you stand on one leg for at least 30 seconds?
- When you stand on one leg, do your hips stay level?
If you can't at least do the above, you may want to do some work before you take up jogging.
For me, I think I'll stick to half a mile for now.
Make today count.
Doug Kelsey