[dancemb]

I used to do quite a bit of jogging/running on the treadmill at my gym as it was the best way to burn off the fat in the quickest time as opposed to all the other machines, but doing so for 30mins 3 x a week, I started to get dagger pains in my knees, even when not in the gym, so it was at that I decided to stop doing that and using all other machines instead.

Now after more than a year, I have asked my gym instructor to do me a new programme, and part of that is 15mins on the treadmill.

So that the problems do not re-occur again, I am after a new pair of trainers as my Nike 360 has done me proud but have now come to the end of there life as they are the main pair I wear at the gym and when not at work.

I remember reading an article in The Sun newspaper about a guy that managed to get fit in 12 weeks, and he said that he started running 40 mins, 3 x a week, but that can come with knee problems, and found that a brand called ASICS were better than the others to stop any knee problems from occuring.

As I have not verged off from Nike before, I want to see if any Sports fanatic or gym/regular runners can confirm if this is true or not?

If so, what is the best type of ASICS trainers? I had a browse earlier and found there was several ones, and want to pick the best ones for knees.

Sorry I babbled on there, but I might as well give all the history

[Spacecat]

i would stick to an ellipitical cross trainer if you have dodgy knees ,

[danaldinho7]

Asics gels are the best, for the best ones go for the most expensive ones as you usually get what you pay for I have a pair for running and an astro turf pair for hockey and they're the business

[johnscarlet]

Why not go to a proper running store , and get proper advice . I know they exist , just can't remember what any of the are called

[johnscarlet]

heres one

[Xan]

I agree with John,

Go to a specialist running store who will do a video gait analysis on how you run and match trainers that suit the way you run. They will let you try on different pairs of trainers and video you running on a treadmill and they will be able to identify which trainers best suits.

I dont know where you are based but I buy mine from foottraffic.com

Also try sweatshop.co.uk

Look at the soles of old trainers see where they wear out, you could be like most people and over pronate, which means your feet roll inwards when they land which means you would benefit from stabilty and motion control shoes.

Runnersworld.co.uk will offer plenty of advice and is worth checking out.

[danaldinho7]

actually where do you live because there's a running shop near mine that can give you test to see how you run and mesure your soles to see how it curves and then tell you whats the best shoe for you its just north of carrington

and if you're a member of a running club you get a 20% discount

[breakersrevenge]

I would go for Asics!! - Got all mine from Derby Runner.

I wear Asics for running and leisure!!!

As like the other members post, go to a specialist running store!

[RMCF]

Any runners I know all claim that Asics are the best for jogging.

The brand have a long history in the running world, whereas I think people like Nike are for the style and name conscious runner (Asics aren't the best looker!!) rather than serious athlete.

I suffered from achilles problems for years, and I found that Sorbothane shock absorbing insoles relieved the pain a lot. I would say it would be worth spending another £15 on these.

[dancemb]

I do find that with all my trainers the soles do run out all on the 1 side rather than the other with both my feet.

In terms of where I am, I am in the South-East, around the Catford/Croydon area often, but live near Sevenoaks.

Would it be worth me going with the Asics trainers? People are saying that the Gel versions are the best?

[RMCF]

Originally Posted by dancemb

I do find that with all my trainers the soles do run out all on the 1 side rather than the other with both my feet.

In terms of where I am, I am in the South-East, around the Catford/Croydon area often, but live near Sevenoaks.

Would it be worth me going with the Asics trainers? People are saying that the Gel versions are the best?

I assume the Gel ones are more for cushioning.

But you have to consider a few things when doing a lot of running. Things like whether you need a support shoes, or cushioned shoes or even control shoe.

Check here for more info:
http://www.sportsshoes.com/misc.php?...nningshoeforme

[SimonO]

ASICS make some good shoes, also look at the Brooks Adrenaline GTS if you need a stability shoe, or the New Balance 1061 if you're neutral. As others have said, get your running gait checked at a specialist store.

[mjn]

Asics Gel all the way!

[Xan]

With regards to your knee problems:

The stress of running can cause irritation where the kneecap rests on the thighbone. The resulting pain can be sharp and sudden or dull and chronic, and it may disappear while you're running, only to return again afterward. While biomechanical issues may be to blame, the cause can often be traced back to poorly conditioned quadriceps and tight hamstrings. Weak quads aren't able to support the patella, leading it to track out of alignment, and inflexible hamstrings can put pressure on the knee. If you want to treat and avoid another bout with runner's knee, add strengthening and stretching to your routine. The three-step quadriceps exercise below is a good place to start. It works the muscles on the front, inside, and outside of your thigh. Do 10 reps of each part on both legs.

Quad Strengthener

Front Thigh: Lie on your back with an ankle weight on your right leg. Fully extend that leg and lock your knee. Keeping your foot relaxed and in a neutral position, lift your leg straight up toward your head as far as you can. Your goal should be to position your leg perpendicular to your body. Return to the starting position.

Inner Thigh: Do the same exercise, but this time, turn out your right leg (toes pointing away from you) to target your inner thigh muscles.

Outer Thigh: Repeat the same exercise again with your right leg turned in (toes pointing toward you) to isolate the muscles of your outer thigh.

[Sonic67]

In surveys carried out after the London Marathon the majority of runners were using Nike unless it's changed in recent years. I use the Nike Air Pegasus as I know of a few professional runners that have it. Don't bother paying for the expensive end of the range.

[RMCF]

The thing to remember about trainers is that there are plenty out there made for specific purposes.

Lots are made and bought by people who just walk about in them. These have their design based on looks and nothing else.

You also get ones made for over-pronators, ones made to give cushioning, ones made for support etc.

Buying the most expensive trainer doesn't necessarily guarantee that it will be the best for you. It may be expensive because it has been designed specifically for people with certain running problems that you don't have. You may just end up wasting money when a cheaper pair would have done rightly.

But definitely look into the Sorbothane insoles - you will never regret it.

[mjn]

Originally Posted by Xan

Quad Strengthener

Front Thigh: Lie on your back with an ankle weight on your right leg. Fully extend that leg and lock your knee. Keeping your foot relaxed and in a neutral position, lift your leg straight up toward your head as far as you can. Your goal should be to position your leg perpendicular to your body. Return to the starting position.

Inner Thigh: Do the same exercise, but this time, turn out your right leg (toes pointing away from you) to target your inner thigh muscles.

Outer Thigh: Repeat the same exercise again with your right leg turned in (toes pointing toward you) to isolate the muscles of your outer thigh.

Squats are a very good quad strengthener, especially when used with weights. Perform dynamic stretching before running, and static stretches during your cool down routine.

[dancemb]

I am pretty sure that my quads are good, but are now only getting better as I have been introduced to the Squat Smith's machine, and it is really tough to carry out the 3 sets x 10 reps even without any weights due to the very heavy bar that it has.

Also, im doing 3 sets x 20 reps for Squat Thrusts, so im sure these are the types of exercises that will (eventually) give me even stronger quads to be able to run without any problems of any kind.

In terms of getting these trainers, When I wear either shoes or trainers, the sole always seems to wear out 1st on both the outsides of them, which might be a big clue into what type of foot wear I am best off getting?

[Xan]

Have a look here:

http://www.therunningshop.uk.com/questions.cfm

It should help you out.


By the way I wear Asics Gel Kayano XII, they are not the cheapest but since wearing them I have very few calf injuries which I used to get all the time.

[themoid]

i wear Saucony, suit me well. you should get assessed for your running style so that your shoes match (eg pronator, neutral etc). up and running have always been good shops for me to buy from, good advice from actual runners

going to pay them a visit this weekend to sort some new trainers for my ironman in August

cheers

Stu

[Digger]

Originally Posted by Spacecat

i would stick to an ellipitical cross trainer if you have dodgy knees ,

Agreed on the assumption you continue to have mild knee problems. It is the one cardio machine in the gym that can get my heart rate increased the quickest. I quite often use it at the end of the workout for a quick HIIT fix.

EDIT I have had knee issue for several years, not major, but induced no doubt by the thousands of miles I have cycled over the last 15 years or so.

[bigmacx]

Hello,
I also wear Saucony (Grid Hurricane), I used to get shin splints if I started to up the milage (I pronate) and the Saucony's help fix that. I then tried a pair of Asics (Kayano) after having my gait analysed and although they were incredibly comfortable and felt great for running in - the shin splints slowly started to come back (although in a different place) so I ended up buying another pair of Saucony's.
The funny thing is the Saucony's don't feel half as comfortable or nice to run in but are obviously better for me. I hope you get lucky, it took me about 4 pairs of running shoes before I found a pair that suited me.
I'd definitely recommend getting your gait analysed professionally, you might not get the exactly the right pair of shoes straight away but it will help you know the type of shoes you should be looking for.

Mac.

[dancemb]

I actually managed to see the guy who owns the gym when I went there last (as he is the expert there and who did my exercise plan) and said about everything, and he pointed me towards cushioned trainers as they would be the best for me for what I would be doing, and he made a mention of the Asics Kayano's, because even though they are quite expensive, they would be worth the money.

I think I will go for these. I can only seem to find them at a cost of £80, can anyone manage to find these trainers for less than that price?

[unique]

they had a similar article in this months FHM, they said to turn your beer belly into a six pack in 12 weeks, don't bother with the gym, just do some running. run as far as you can each day. you start off not going very far, but after a few days you get better. i think it said do running 3 days a week and do some other kinda excersizes on the other days. anyways they said asics were the best too.

in my area, most of the runners wear addidas. just hang outside any supermarket for about 10 mins and you'll see someone in a race with a security guard

btw, what are the cheapest asics that would do a beginner? you know the type you buy and use twice and never again cuz it's too much hard work, that will go with my bike i've only used twice?

[SimonO]

Originally Posted by dancemb

I actually managed to see the guy who owns the gym when I went there last (as he is the expert there and who did my exercise plan) and said about everything, and he pointed me towards cushioned trainers as they would be the best for me for what I would be doing, and he made a mention of the Asics Kayano's, because even though they are quite expensive, they would be worth the money.

Doesn't sound like much of an expert to me ...

[dancemb]

I might not have made him sound like an expert by the way that I said it there, but he is really good at everything, he was the one that showed me all the exercises and that most of them I did I had the incorrect posture and technique for it, and now im doing them all fine by back is a little better than it used to be aching most of the time.

[SimonO]

Obviously there are shoes for different types of exercise - on/off road running etc., however to say you need cushioned shoes based on what exercise you'll be doing is just plain wrong. Most people will suit a stability shoe, so the Kayano's may well be right for you, but if you're in the minority, you'll end up with another injury sooner or later. It's not an exact science and as bigmacx said you may need to try a few different models, but you need to at least start with the correct type of shoe

Good luck

[Steven]

Originally Posted by RMCF

But definitely look into the Sorbothane insoles - you will never regret it.

Encountered this thread again after helping someone in GC

Anyway, some hype for those insoles! But let me explain

I broke my left leg 3, 4 years back and had to get them pinned. Complete recovery, but now my right leg I would say is millimetres longer than my left leg. Nothing major at all but enough for me to know there is an imbalance. I have adjusted but when running I have had to adjust as my left leg has to "stretch". Worse thing is though, because of the extra pressure on my right leg due to me naturally shifting weight on it as it is slightly longer, it is affecting my hips Yes I know, totally irresponsible to let it go on for this long, but I first noticed it really after I was finished with the physio and I haven't seen my GP since registering with him about 5 years ago

Any thoughts people? I thought about insoles, but would only reverse the problem? Would a pro running store be able to cater for me? And where is one in central London? Or anywhere accessible via underground

Thanks, signed one of those people who can't remember their GPs name

[SimonO]

I wear orthotic insoles in my running shoes, I've had to switch from a stabilty shoe to a neutral, allowing the orthotic to do it's thing rather than the shoe. A qualified podiatrist (via your GP) will be able to build you an insole to correct for a leg length difference, but not all will be sport specific.

I don't know of anyone in London, however I've spoken to this company at length at a couple of shows and they have a very good reputation.

[Steven]

Thanks man