Run to Win

This week last year covered a lot of news, and I answered quite a few reader questions.

• This week last year started off with The Running Shoe FAQ, which explained why runners wear specialty shoes and what makes them different from normal walking shoes.
• I answered a question from an aerobics instructor about how to treat posterior shin splints, including what they are, how to best treat them, and how to prevent them from coming back.
• I was asked “What is the difference between swiss balls and medicine balls?” by Susan. Swiss balls are the large inflatable balls that you can sit on, while medicine balls are the small weighted balls that you can use in place of dumbbells. For good measure, I also explained what a bosu ball was.
• Some friends of mine ran the Vermont 100 mile race last year for the first time, and all three have continued on for their ultramarathoning endeavors. In fact, there were 5 guys who went to Vermont last weekend to compete in this year’s event from our training group.
• On the news front, the IAAF finally agreed to work with Oscar Pistorius to determine whether or not his prosthetics give him an advantage. I also provided a new wrap up that covered stories about new Junior American records, doping at the Tour de France, Disney’s move to ban smoking in their movies, and a study that found that obesity is contagious.
• This week two years ago, I continued my series on how to ice sore muscles by explaining how to give yourself an ice massage and how to use an ice bath. I spent a little time exploring the cost of racing and how much race registration fees can cost. I also discussed how gastrointestinal problems are affected by running.
• This week three years ago, Lance Armstrong won his final Tour. I also gave some tips about proper hydration and how to time rest intervals while lifting weights.

Susan from the Workin’ on My Fitness site recently wrote about doing some ab work in order to get over some work-related stress. I asked her whether she had ever tried using a swiss ball rather than using a machine or just a mat. She emailed me back with the following question:

I’ve never used a swiss ball, although I’ve used those balls that are weighted. Is there a difference? I’m down to trying anything new when it comes to ab work.

It turns out that she does in fact have a swiss ball, she just had not heard the terms that I refer to them as before. Below I have provided a brief description of medicine balls and swiss balls, as well as their ugly step-brother the bosu ball.
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This week last year was very focused on a limited number of topics. The weekend series about the New Rules of Lifting continued, but everything else dealt with the Coast to Coast relay and the new book that had just been published, or with weight lifting and swiss balls.

• I continued my animated workout series with how to do a swiss ball bridge, which takes the standard exercise and makes it a little more challenging. The discussion about swiss balls continued throughout the week, beginning with why you would use a swiss ball in the first place and then discussing the difference between balance boards and swiss balls.
• Discussion about the Coast to Coast book continued, with a few reminders about the contest to win a free copy as well as a review of Coast to Coast. There was also the first guest article here at Run to Win, written by Matt Hartman. Matt was the photographer on the Coast to Coast relay.
• I continued my thoughts on the New Rules with New Rule #16 (lifting can make you flexible) and New Rule #17 (aerobic fitness is not all its cracked up to be).

This morning at the gym I discovered a new danger with swiss balls.

I was doing swiss ball crunches in the corner when the ball jumped out from beneath me. Thankfully, it bounced off the wall and back into me, which kept me from hitting my back on the floor. Instead, my butt just dropped a couple of feet onto the ground. It did not hurt, but it was pretty embarassing.

I think that the biggest contributing factor to my fall was that the swiss ball that I was using was too small. It was the only one I saw upstairs and it kept me on my rest schedule to not have to search another one out. I felt it move a bit a few reps before it popped out, but I did not immiediately adjust myself since I was not getting a wedgie at that point. The next thing I knew I was sitting on the floor and it had bounced back to me off of the wall.

If this happens to you, then just get back on and finish your set. I think that in the future I will pay a little more attention to how I am balanced on the ball, and will make sure that I do not use the smallest size that they have available any more. It is more work for me to use the larger ball anyway.

The Health and Fitness blog has an animated picture of a swiss ball bench press. Back in March, I wrote an animated How To for the swiss ball bench press. If you have not given this exercise a try yet, then I highly recommend that you do.

This week last year, there was some doping, some soreness, and the Red Sox lost.

• I explained how to do hip extensions with a swiss ball and linked to an animated image at a different site showing the move.
• I asked whether you would take a DNA test to determine athletic abilities and point out what you would be good at.
• Another doping charge against an athlete happened this week last year when Alex Bogomolov Jr was suspended for a month and a half for not having a therapeutic use exemption for Salbutamol.
• Chris at Strength News bought a Captains of Crush strength grippers.
• I spoke about sore muscles, and I also posed the query about whether or not to run through an illness and gave my standard operating procedure.

Bud Gibson expanded upon my normal bridge and swiss ball bridge articles to show how to do a swiss ball bridge with a knee tuck. I am definately going to have a go with this exercise; it never even occurred to me to try something like this.
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When discussing the benefits of using a swiss ball and the differences between active and passive resistance, Liv asked a very good question about the difference between balance boards and swiss balls.

I have a question: aside from the Swiss ball, I have also attemted to use a balance board to work on core strength. The problem is, I feel like when I try to balance on it, all the work is being done by my quads and nothing remotely like my abs. Any helpful suggestions?

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