Below we give the advice of 50-year-old Dean, who claims that he has never been injured in his life. How to become as impenetrable as Dean Karnazes read on.
"I very rarely sit," says Karnazes, telling how he tries to avoid sitting wherever possible. He is sure that sitting weakens the body and cripples it. His home office is equipped with a standing desk where he writes texts and checks emails. In addition to the obvious biomechanical benefits of standing work (limited time, long standing is also harmful), recent studies show that a standing lifestyle accelerates metabolism, which is noticeable even for those who regularly exercise. (Source: “Television time and continuous metabolic risk in physically active adults.” Healy, G. N. et al. 2008. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise).
"I am sure that our body needs different workouts," says Karnazes. Every day he conducts six training sessions for American Navy Seals (a special unit of the US Navy). "In between reading emails, when I feel like I'm sticking, I do a short workout. It includes push-ups, squats and pull-ups. "The ultramarathoner believes that only thanks to continuous training he managed to finish 9 times out of 10 at the most difficult Badwater distance (note BLB: a continuous race for a distance of 217 km across a hot desert with an average temperature of 55C, from Death Valley to Mount Whitney). When Karnazes travels, the first thing he looks for in hotels is a gym with a crossbar for pulling up.
"I advise runners to hear everything, but not to believe anyone." Karnazes recalls that during his high school running class in the 70s, he ran barefoot on the beach, leaving his shoes in the bushes. "Minimalism is not new to me," he says, referring to the new minimalist shoes that emulate running barefoot, which fills the market of the United States and developed countries. "I remember meeting Nike 10 years ago. They showed me the latest developments in clothes, shoes and gadgets. I told them that they overdid it with shoes and made it too complicated. I asked them to leave their foot with their foot. I told them that they hurt runners with poor form by forcing them to take positions for runners in great shape. That their bodies just aren't ready for it. The problem was that such modern footwear compensates for weaknesses, prevents the weak parts of the leg from developing, which leads earlier or later to serious injuries." Then Nike released a series of Free.
Dean does not recommend, however, to rush straight to minimalistic shoes. It's worth giving her a chance and trying, but very carefully. "I don't think we're cut out for barefoot running on asphalt," he says. He advises anyone who is thinking about barefoot running or just wants to strengthen the foot, to start with small runs on sand or grass. He also recommends starting to walk barefoot at home all the time — get up and jump more often!
(via)
