Welcome to Grit Run Club

Hi, this is Dr. Ryan Balmes. I’m a physical therapist and running coach.

Thank you for joining and subscribing to Grit Run Club!

This is my bold promise to you:

Grit Run Club is a newsletter and community to help you become a healthier and faster runner. You’ll learn actionable tips and technical insights from the latest science to run your best. I do all the nerdy research so you don’t have to.

You’ll get an email from me at least once a week every Monday morning.

Read the past newsletter issues here!

I recommend taking the following steps to make sure the emails get to your inbox and not lost in your junk/spam folder:

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My first piece of advice.

Let’s start with my favorite tip to runners:

You don’t have to stretch to decrease your risk of injuries. There are many other things you can do in your lifestyle to prevent injuries.

This paper from Afonso J et al described it best here:

“The answer to “can I stretch?” is yes—it probably will not increase injury risk. But the answer to “do I have to stretch?” is “possibly no”—as the likelihood of decreasing the injury risk is contentious.”

Afonso J et al, 2021

I’m not sure why my take on stretching is controversial. But go ahead and save yourself the time and effort.

What is the best way to reduce your injury risk? In no particular order, these are the best practices for runners:

Optimize sleep
Manage stress (So this includes work and personal. All of life really.)
Perform regular strength training
Progress training load conservatively
Adjust training plan when things don’t work out

Thank you again for reading. I’ll catch you on the next email.

Happy running!

Ryan Balmes PT, DPT

p.s. Got a question for me about running? Email me. I’d be happy to help.

p.s.s Do you have a topic you’d like me to write about? Also email me.