Ramp Up Your Running By Hitting The Couch (Or Wall)

I hate to break to you, but your daily routine is compromising your ability to run well. Commuting, sitting at a desk, wearing high heels, sitting down for meals, getting cozy on the couch (not the “couch” time I mean!)—all of it is tightening your anterior muscle and ligament chain. What the tightness can mean to your running is less power, tight hips, sore knees, ITB pain, tight calves, Achilles tendinitis and more. Dr. Kelly Starrett, author of Ready to Run likens the phenomenon to driving a Ferrari with the parking break engaged—an amazing machine can only go so fast or far when it’s being used inefficiently. Plus it hurts. Given that many of the tightening factors are unavoidable, Starrett stresses the importance of having a plan to counteract them. His plan is the “couch stretch,” demonstrated here. Photos: Courtesy of Ready To Run