WPH Press
Each Wednesday the WPH features the WPH Wednesday Workout, designed to help you become a stronger, fitter, faster, and better handball player. From leg and shoulder strengthening exercises to HIT Training, biking, balance, footwork, agility, coordination, first-step explosiveness, hydration, cooling down, upper body strengthening, circuit training, altitude training, and much more, the WPH Wednesday Workouts focus on the areas that every handball player needs to reach their peak form.
To view all WPH Wednesday Workouts, go HERE
On this WPH Wednesday Workout, we’ll discuss the benefits and disadvantages to jogging for handball training.
We’ve all heard of boxers doing “road work,” meaning jogging several miles in the morning before the sun rises. Boxers and other athletes use jogging as a way to build endurance, strengthen their legs, and prepare themselves for intense competition. Jogging can also cause knee problems, back pain, shin splints, and various other injuries that can sideline an athlete in the short and long term. Let’s discuss the benefits and disadvantages of boxing, and you can determine if jogging should be a part of your handball cross-training routine.
Advantages to Jogging
According to Healthline HERE, jogging is defined as running at a pace of less than six miles per hour, and can improve your cardiorespiratory health and boost your mood (runner’s high). Healthline lists additional benefits to jogging below:
- Enable you to surpass your exercise plateau
- Help you drop weight
- Strengthen your immune system
- Positive effect on insulin resistance (one of the markers of pre diabetes)
- Reduce stress
- Can keep your spine flexible as you age
- Could save your life
Disadvantages to Jogging
According to MyFoodDiary HERE and CalorieBee HERE, while jogging can provide a number of advantages and benefits, jogging can also cause problems for athletes or those aspiring to become more fit.
- Overuse injuries, such as plantar fasciitis, shin splints, stress fractures, and runner’s knee
- Weight gain due to increased muscle mass, increased glycogen in the muscle, and an increased appetite
- Succumbing to the peer pressure – trying to keep up with other runners and pushing yourself past your limit
- Creating poor posture and alignment
Is jogging for you? That depends. If you’d like to add jogging to your handball cross training routine to build endurance and increased cardiorespiratory capacity, start slow – jog for 10 minutes and take the next three days off. If you are not experiencing any of the jogging drawbacks, continue to increase your mileage. Jogging is a great way to get fit, zone out, and vary your workouts. If your knees, ankles, feet or other body parts are hurting after jogging, jump in the pool, ride a stationary bike, or visit the WPH Wednesday Workouts page HERE for more handball cross training ideas.
David Fink
WPH Fitness Director