For many of us, the cell phone is an integral part of running gear.
Indispensable for listening to anything that motivates strides, closely monitoring the day's sports performance, or asking for help in the event of an injury or a fall, it often camped in a runner's hand.
Only if the habit seems innocuous, it can nevertheless have repercussions on the practice.
"All the energy used for the upper body will be lost for the bottom," warns Cécile Bertin, running expert.
To hold the phone, it will be necessary to contract the arm and thus the shoulder, which will tend to tire more quickly.
Details.
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A disturbance of balance
The consequences of running with a phone in hand have not been the subject of scientific studies, but sports doctor Victoria Tchaikovsky considers that the practice is rather to be avoided.
"It will create extra weight on one side of the body, which will give more momentum to that hand and therefore cause an imbalance between the two sides," she says.
This can create muscle tension, pain and even tendonitisVictoria Tchaikovsky, sports doctor
This imbalance can result in pain in the joints, in particular in the shoulder which by extension carries the telephone, in the hips, in the knees, but also in the back.
"The rotational movement of the arm will be greater due to the weight and this can create muscle tension, pain or even tendonitis," she continues.
“People often don't realize how much of a shift carrying the phone is going to create between the upper limbs.
But if you run 2 to 3 times a week for an hour, the body can lean a few millimeters towards the side where you hold it, this is not negligible”, warns Cécile Bertin.
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Loss of speed
Having your phone in your hand will also make you lose speed.
“To run well, you have to use your hands to gain momentum, and thus gain speed, recalls Victoria Tchaikovsky.
But with the phone, we will swing less one of the two arms, the gesture will be less natural.
The enthusiasm and the rhythm of the race will therefore be directly hampered, without our realizing it.
A drop in concentration
Running with your phone in your hand can also distract the jogger.
We train less well, we are less vigilant.
Jogging in the city, for example, is punctuated by many obstacles: sidewalks, traffic lights, pedestrians.
Looking at your phone means taking the risk of hurting yourself.
“Many ankle sprains happen after a moment of inattention,” warns Victoria Tchaikovsky.
Get well equipped
To remedy these problems, Cécile Bertin advises to invest in a banana that we will hang at the waist, to have the least possible impact.
Other solutions, such as armbands, exist, but for the two experts, a pocket at the level of the abdomen or the waist remains what will unbalance the runner the least.
"When we run, we run", insists Cécile Bertin.
Notifications, messages or calls will disturb.
While running, reminds the expert, is the way to get some fresh air and let your mind wander.
Perhaps even more in the age of telework.
*Originally published in January 2021, this article has been updated.
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