We often think of jogging in place as a warm-up prior to performing ‘real exercise’. However, running in a stationary position is a very good form of exercise in its own right. In this article, I’ll lay out 13 benefits of jogging in place.
1. Cardiovascular Health Improvement
Jogging in place involves constant movement of the body. As a result, your heart has to pump harder to supply oxygen to the different parts of your body. Over time your heart becomes stronger and is, as a result, able to pump more blood with each beat. This will bring down your resting heart rate, lower your blood pressure and make you less likely to suffer from heart disease.
Jogging on the spot will also improve lung capacity and help to lower bad LDL cholesterol. As a result, you will get a very effective cardio workout and improve your aerobic fitness.
2. Lower Body Strength
Running in place will improve the muscle strength of your quadriceps, calves, glutes, and hamstring muscles. They will obviously not do so to the extent that you will get with resistance exercise. But you can increase the strength potential of your jogging in place workout by wearing ankle weights when you are jogging in place.
3. Better Posture
Jogging in place has been shown to have a strengthening effect on the core, especially the abdominal muscles. This helps to improve your posture. This is an important aspect nowadays, as many people suffer from poor posture as a result of spending an inordinate amount of time slouched over a computer or phone screen.
4. Weight Loss
There is a considerable calorie burn when you engage in jogging on the spot. Running in place for 15 minutes is a form of aerobic exercise that will burn between 75-100 calories. If you combine that calorie burn with a reduced-calorie diet you should be able to maintain a daily negative calorie balance in order to force your body to burn stored body fat.
5. Reduced Knee Pain
Jogging in place will strengthen the tendons and ligaments around the knee joint. When you jog in place you are also likely to be doing a lower impact workout than if you were running on the road on undulating terrain.
6. Improved Balance, Agility & Coordination
Jogging on the spot will help you to develop your ability to balance your body and remain coordinated when you are mobile. This will help elderly people and others with balance problems to be more confident in their movement and improve their body mechanics. As a result, they will be less likely to suffer from a fall, which is the biggest cause of injury among people over the age of 65.
7. Cognitive Benefits
Regular running in place has been shown to help people who are suffering from depression and to be able to relieve tension and stress. Because it is so accessible, jogging in place is an instant aid that can help people who are feeling down to immediately start feeling better. After a few minutes, the feel-good endorphins will kick in to provide you with a natural pick-me-up.
8. Can Do It Anywhere
Jogging on the spot is the most accessible thing that you can do. So long as you can move, you can jog on the spot. You don’t need to rely on the weather and you don’t need to spend money on a treadmill.
The convenience of jogging on the spot means that you no longer have any excuses not to work out. You can also do it whenever you get the urge to do so. One way to ramp up your fitness and calorie burn is to get off the couch and jog during the ads.
9. Reduce Chronic Disease Risk
Regular cardiovascular exercise such as jogging on the spot will help you to reduce your risk of chronic disease. As well as lowering your risk of developing heart disease, you will also be less likely to be plagued by such conditions as osteoporosis, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels. In addition, your overall cardiovascular function will improve.
10. Increased Muscle Mass
Stationary jogging will increase the size of your leg muscles. This will be especially the case when it comes to your calf muscles. For many people, the calves are the most difficult to develop on the whole body. Jogging on the spot often proves to be the thing that makes the difference. For the best calf-building benefits, jog on your ties.
Regular running in place will also improve leg strength.
11. No Equipment Required
Jogging in place doesn’t require any equipment at all. All you need to is the area that you are standing on. You can even jog in place with bare feet. That removes all the barriers to their exercise session that often prevents people from getting started.
12. Complements Calisthenics
Jogging on the spot is an exercise that works great alongside such calisthenics exercises as push-ups, bodyweight squats, and lunges. That is because you can make instant transitions between them. As a result, jogging on the spot is a great addition to a circuit interval workout where you move from one exercise to the next without any rest between them.
13. Easy Learning Curve
Many exercises have quite a steep learning curve that can act as a barrier to participation. Jogging on the spot is not one of them. It is very easy to learn how to perform the standard jogging-in-place exercise, along with such variations as high knees and butt kicks.
Conclusion
It’s time to upgrade jogging in the spot from its position as a warm-up exerciser to a part of your workout main course. One way to do that is to add it in like a 30-second interchange between bodyweight exercises like push-ups and lunges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is jogging in place better than jogging outside?
Rather than being better or worse than jogging outside, jogging on the spot works your body differently. It does not activate the muscles of your body that carry you forward. When you run in place, you will be landing on your toes more than when you run outside. That will build and strengthen your calf muscles more.
How do you jog in place to boost your weight loss?
To jog in place for weight loss, simply begin to alternately bring your knees up and down while pumping your arms in a running action. After a minute, begin performing butt kicks by bringing your heels back and up to touch your glutes. Do this for 30 seconds then do 30 seconds of high knees. Repeat this sequence several times.
Is jogging in place a good form of cardio exercise?
Yes, jogging in place will give you a very effective cardio exercise, producing many health benefits. The cardiovascular benefits include improved heart health and lowered risk of cardio disease.
