PODIATRIST RECOMMENDS VARYING YOUR WORKOUTS

Lauren Giraldo uses a treadmill with a 12 Percent incline — the equivalent of a steep hill — and walking at a speed of 3 miles an hour for 30 minutes. But when asked about “12, 3, 30,” experts took a more cautious approach, saying it’s important for exercisers to listen to their bodies, protect themselves against potential injuries, and be realistic about results. Arnold Ravick, DPM, a podiatrist who specializes in sports medicine and an assistant clinical professor of surgery at George Washington University Medical School, suggested starting at a lower incline and walking for a shorter period of time.

 

Dr. Arnold Ravick

 

“You’re using the same joints and muscles and tendons repeatedly like that, and that’s really not the object of exercise,” Ravick said. “That’s why you want to cross-train; that’s why you want to use interval training, so that you don’t strain the same thing because that’s how you get hurt.” He noted that he wouldn’t do any one specific workout more than three or four days a week. “That’s the sweet spot for exercise.”

 

Source: Allyson Chiu and Lizzy Raben, Washington Post [12/7/20]

Courtesy of Barry Block, editor of PM News