Running and fitness ki Duniya

Words/terminology/expressions

Explained: थोड़ा सीधा-थोड़ा टेढ़ा

Photos courtesy: BNP GR friends and Pexels.com

21/22/23 Body types :

21/50)

Ectomorph :

This is the first body type. Ect when replaced by Act indicates not much gain even after tons of activities.,😉
People with ectomorph bodies are thin, skinny with small and delicate frames. Small shoulders (literally and figuratively) mean lack of responsibilities when it comes to gaining protein or fat on your body. The fast metabolism always does not allow the fat build-up and muscle mass remains lean.

In south Asian context: Your mother is always worried. Mera beta sukha ka sukha rehta hai ( My son remains as skinny as a stick ) She is always ready to use any Baba’s magic remedy in her son’s diet.
Ideal body if you want to be the halwai (the sweet maker) who has to taste his items on a regular basis. Even you may end up on-ramp for catwalks.

When it comes to workout it is advised to work on large muscle groups. In any case, it is difficult to even locate the minor muscle groups so why bother?😂

22/50 )

Mesomorph :

This, as the name suggests, is the middle one. Like the spiritual philosophy of the middle path,😇 this can work out very well as one can have the best of both the worlds. Usually associated with an athletic body with stronger bones ( as compared to ectomorphs). You can build on your muscles with broad shoulders.

Fat weight gain can be a matter of concern if not taken care of.
Mesomorph bodies respond well to cardio as well as weight training and show results immediately at the end of hard work.

23/50 )

Endomorph:

It is the official end of this kind of body morphing/I mean body type. Beyond this range we can only have XLL/XLLL/XLLLL, basically more L can be added,😵 but smartly the body type category is restricted to just three body types.

{It seems that in the 1940s, psychologist William Herbert Sheldon used thousands of photos of naked Ivy League students without their consent to create a classification of the human body shape. Since he was doing this without the consent, he must have realized to keep it simple and limited his study to 3 body types only😛}

Endomorphs are softer and full-figured round bodies ones. They can be short and stocky. The fat weight gain is their forte and it is usually a one-way street when it comes to fat gain. They must work hard in all the workouts and keep the high hopes. They are always advised to watch the calorie intake, which they normally and sincerely watch in the mirror every now and then and wonder

“ o teri , ye kab hua? “ { what the heck …is that someone else in the mirror again?? 😲}

Disclaimer: 1)For any doting mother the endomorph kid will still look like a malnourished kid and she will insist that he must eat properly.
Disclaimer ( a bit more genuine ): Most people are a combination of these types rather than strictly one version. Usually, people fall in between these.

24/50)

Stride length :

Simply put: It is the length of each step( toe of one foot to the toe of the other foot or heel to heel ) one takes when running. Of course, it does not clarify who are you running from

Depending on your panic your stride length can vary, IF you are chased by a ferocious dog it may not remain constant! When it comes to normal running there are typical figures thrown in: average stride length for male: 75 to 80 cm. Average stride length for female: 65 to 70 cm. There are a lot of ways to measure the stride length: footprint method, distance travelled vis a vis number of steps taken to methods using height-based formula. It is always better to find your own comfort stride length. Any longer stride length beyond your comfort zone can be very demanding and can be sustained for a shorter distance.

{It is stated that Usain Bolt took only 41 steps when he set the world record at 9.58 seconds with an unusually long stride length.}

25/50)

Runner’s High

The actual expression can be: How to get a runner’s high?
As we know Running is an addiction and achieving runner’s high is the aim of the run-addict!
There are a lot of ready to use methods which guarantees the runners high!
As of now, the runner’s high is referred to as the feeling of pure elation, euphoric mood due to the release of endorphins released during your long run.
Endorphins! The homemade happy chemicals are the reason to make us run-addicts as we keep on craving for runners high again and again!
More research is adding more chemicals like cannabinoids which help us in feeling and keeping high. It is clear that we all have to keep running as may be in coming years more research will happen and we will be told that our craze for running is nothing but full-to chemical factory which keeps producing happy chemicals.
So more the running, more is the chemical locha and more will be that intoxicated feeling. Most economical way of getting high without spending a lotta money on drugs or alcohol.

26/50
Hitting the wall

The running community loves philosophical terms and this one is one of the classics.
Obviously, it does not relate to any kind of hurdle race marathon.No it is not any rigid wall which one has to tackle during the marathon course.
It is an imaginary wall, rather it has nothing to do with any imaginary wall. It is a mental state ! and yes mental state without any wall ….oh hell just forget the wall !!!!🤦🏻‍♂️
During the marathon when one feels a sudden drop in energy levels with a wave of fatigue it is termed as “You have hit the wall”! Usually, around 32 km people hit this “wall”( during full marathons )
When one runs out of carbohydrates stored in her/his body and have to suddenly shift to burning mostly fat/protein to keep going. With this glycogen depletion, even our brain may want to shut down activity as a preservation method, which may lead to the negative thinking that comes along with hitting the wall. Runners can feel weak, dizzy, experience headaches, blurred vision, and more.
The way to prevent ‘hitting the wall’ is to replenish the body with some form of carbohydrate during the event, and if one hits the wall then one has to slow down and take simple sugar ( but it should be able to digest and not result in vomiting )

27/50

 Sweatisfaction
(In typical बम्बईया lingo :पसीने की कमाई )

It is often said in Runners’ groups : ” we see each other in Tees and shorts with sweaty-sticky and at times unkempt look , it becomes difficult to recognise each other if someone suddenly meets you in tuxedo.”
Sweaty look is a part of our identity!

We glorify our pain (the run related ) and cherish our reward at the end of a tough run : sweating !

Sweatification :The sensation of satisfaction after an intense, sweat-soaked workout.

It remains proof of all our hard work which was worth .
During high humidity environment we have more sweat remaining on our body (as rate of evaporation slows down due to high humidity around us )runners love to express
“Man , it was tough , kya humid tha . Weather was bad”…..And then…to add maximum effect you suddenly hear one say, “By the way I did my PB (personal best “!!!)😁😊
Sweatification becomes supreme if we are able to establish the our achievements against many odds.

Some are natural ‘ sweat factories. In normal conditions they sweat more , and when it comes to running they sweat profusely. Sweat in palms, socks ,arm pits .

They simply have more sweat glands then normal people ! The average Johnny can sweat anywhere between 0.8 lit to 1.4 litres at the end of 1 hour work out, but the sweat factories can produce 3 to 4 litres of sweat 🥵at the end of one hour serious running/work out.
It is generally observed that Females sweat less when compared to males. One of the theory talks about females having have less muscle mass which results in less heat production .
Researchers are still sweating over 🤦🏻‍♂️to go deep into this kind of subject.

As a runner , Have you ever measured your sweat rate?

(This will be covered separately 😅)

 

28/50

 

Hammer

The Running World does not leave any word

As more people join the running community, the lingo becomes creative and soon new exotic/ impactful/crazy/techno-loaded words get into running vocabulary.

Hammer is …usually a Hammer!🤦🏻‍♂️

You use it to hit a nail!😎 (unless you have other sadistic ideas😱)

The word immediately creates the visual of …what else? The Hammer itself!🔧🔨🛠️

(Yes I know unlike a carpenter or mechanic or technician you may not have the emotional visualisation of one of your favourite tools🧰, still you can fairly visualise something which can be safely called The Hammer🔨)

Hammer is the last mile (or fraction of mile ) which you sprint at the final stage of your marathon race.

You are no longer a long-distance runner who has committed his life to the aerobic mode of running.

You are now sprinting, giving your best shot; pumping in real lactates in your already challenged muscles.

Imagine few scenarios:

Scenario 1) It is a straight road to finish line. You can see the distant large digital scale and suddenly you find (imagine) yourself running next to Usain Bolt. He whispers the golden word “ Run my dear friend Run and you Bloody Run and cross the finish line in super sprint.

Scenario 2) The आकाशवाणी (the celestial voice)

You are shit scared. You are now in the final mile and are worried that any one of your leg muscles might go bonkers. “ Will I get cramps?” is more due to your past experience .

You suddenly have that आकाशवाणी/celestial voice descending on you kind of feeling.

“ You must run the last mile as if this is the last mile of your life “ you have this strange feeling /sensation going through you mind and body.

And you bloody run as if there is not tomorrow and cross the finish line in super sprint way .

So dear reader did you imagine and identified with the scenarios??

What…”’ nothing like this happens in real life? “

I know -I know ,neither Usain bolt or Forrest gump can become the imaginary force during almost full drained out mile, but if you really sprint hard during those metres you can proclaim I hammered it

 

29/50

 

DNF
:like similar sounding three letter word DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acid,

DNF is not Deoxyribonucleic fluoride.(basically acid when has some mutant virus attack the acid turns into fluoride….oh sorry🤭 ….looks like that the present environment around me which is Corona-ised is affecting my writing:🤷🏻‍♂️ this is 23rd march 2020)

Yes it looks like some scientific acronym.😎 Assuming you are new to running (if you are one ) you may think it may be some protein synthesis which may happen when some exciting term like VO2 max goes beyond maximum. (Sorry I forgot you are new to running 🤦🏻‍♂️😅). Sadly, it is not scientific term and in no way any techno-sounding word

DNF simply means DID NOT FINISH

It is that dreaded tag which you can earn when:

a) You do not finish the marathon race 😞

b) when you finish the distance beyond the cut off time ( at times timing mats are removed)

c) when you are not able to complete the pre-decided cut offs timing targets ( at times in many races you are told to get into the sweeper bus and you are physically removed from the race if you have not covered desired cut offs kilometers within given time limit.)

DNF is the other extreme when compared to PB (or even podium for some).

For some run-addicts the experience of 1st DNF can be devastating.

It is more shocking then getting ditched by your girlfriend /beloved.

He/she may take good amount of time to recover from the shock.

DNF can happen due to various reasons.

1) Running marathon/s without required preparations and time commitments.

2) Going too soon -too fast

3) Not having the correct Race strategy

Willing DNF : This is by choice and for the rational mind. Willing DNF happens when during the marathon running you realise “Today is just not my day!”, “No point pushing any further “

And you decide to quit!

Quitting the race with self-accepted DNF can be much better than pushed to wall-ended with DNF scenario.

Stupidly earned DNF can haunt you with injury in-turn increasing your mental agony more.

Graduated with DNF

Runner with one DNF (or may be two) is definitely a wise Runner!. He has learned it the hard way. Most of the time his next follow up repeat race (after the DNF ) is one of the best marathon as he has completed. He has gone through the required cycle of unlearn-learn followed by the correct path.

 

30/50

HTR

Hypoxic training for running

Sounds more like some-hypnotic-toxic term.🤭

It originated as Altitude training 🗻when researchers found that runners from high altitude regions can perform better.🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️

If two runners (with similar abilities are given similar training programs,) one can perform better if he trains at higher altitude.

It is stated that running in high attitudes (2500 m to 5000 m above sea level) can become challenging to your body. At higher altitude the attitude of air becomes pricey ! Air pressure and net Oxygen availability higher altitude is lower. One can use the expression “ oh air is thinner !” In these kinds of low oxygen or hypoxic environment body must struggle to produce required energy. Body slowly adapts by increasing red blood cells, which are responsible for moving oxygen through veins. ( Please read the earlier term: EPO: explained earlier: part 2/5: 16/50 ).

 

This is anatural way to increase EPO ( erythropoietin) which will increase the red blood cells.

Hypoxic training can be useful if you are preparing for some marathon at high altitude or if you want to use the training to improve your performance at sea level / lower altitude running event ( can be timed in such a way that the after effects of the hypoxic training are still prevailing )

Our own city amchi Mumbai has some specialized gyms with hypoxic machines. See here the old English proverb gets tech support ☺️: The mountain will come to Muhammad !” The mountain has come to a gym near you !

You can train in these gyms where in the oxygen supply is managed, somewhat mimicking a high-altitude kind of effect.

Oh so Leh-Ladaakh marathon participating group is excited !

You want to try the gym-studios similar to one wherein Actor Farhan Akhtar trained for few months followed by actual Ladhakh training! ( Bhaag Milkha bhag ) .Go ahead ………………. Juley/ju-le !