Running with the Whole Body: A 30-Day Program to Running Faster with Less Effort

by Jack Heggie

In Running with the Whole Body , Heggie proposes a thirty-day exercise program that will not only prevent you from injuring yourself in a new way, but enable you to become a smoother, and more powerful runner. The exercises presented isolate the workings of the various parts of the body to show how each part of the body balances and works in concert with the others. The result is a body whose torso, hips, pelvis and shoulders all move freely in the act of running. You will discover how to unleash the power of the large, strong muscles of the hips, spine and shoulders to power your running.

Genres: Fitness

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1986

Reviews

[Jim Leckband · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is cheesy, that I shall grant - is this another repackaged common-sense workout book?

The answer is an emphatic no. I have read and skimmed quite a few running and workout books and there is nothing like this one under the sun. The common thread to most running, technique or workout program books is that those books essentially claim to be *the answer* if you follow their dictates.

This book is humble. It doesn't know what your problems may be that are keeping you from running your best - or from even running! It doesn't have a graduated workout program to get you to a marathon in 12 weeks. It doesn't tell you that the Holy Grail is that you should run barefoot, or run on your toes, or run with a certain stride length or pace.

So what does it do? In about 10 sessions of working with the book you learn how your whole body works as it is running. Everyone is different in how they run or where they are in their running. This book takes you back to square one and isolates all the motions that your body does as it runs. In doing this you discover things that you may have never done or that you had let slip as the years go by. In my case, I had let my torso and arms get in the habit of going along for the ride, letting my legs generate all the force and balance. Needless to say, I was often injured because of the imbalances.

Heggis isolates certain motions in each one of his sessions - feet, shoulders, hips, knees, etc. He walks you through how the running motion uses the whole body in synchronization - and to achieve that you have to feel how a certain body part feels as it is doing that.

He does this using "exercises" that are more thinking and concentrating rather than physical. Most of your effort will be in your head rather than your body as you try to feel exactly how your hip is moving or what it takes to get it to move (I know - it was hard!)

Heggis does not have any answers for you on how you should run. What he does do is show you how your own body can tell you how you can run efficiently. When I first started this book a year ago I had just hurt my ankle (having no idea how!) and had runner's knee as well. I couldn't train so I picked up this book and decided to dedicate some time to it.

After the second or third session, suddenly my run was like a cork shooting out of a champagne bottle. Before, even contemplating a 8:00 minute pace per mile sent me into consternation - how will my knee handle it? How jarring will it be? Will I be able to have enough stamina to keep it up for 4 miles?

In that "champagne cork" run, all of a sudden I felt my arms move my torso, my hips were turning and after a half mile I looked at my pace watch. I was going 7:00 to 7:15 minutes per mile and I was hardly breathing. I was moving smooth just like I used to in my younger days. That run made a believer out of me and I continued to run and recover from my injuries.

However, probably because of my spectacular recovery, I didn't finish the book last year. That is because the exercises are time-consuming and after I got back running I didn't feel the need to put myself through them. That is why I don't give the book the full 5 stars - it is not very user-friendly. It is hard to do the exercises while reading the paragraphs of text. I hear there is an audio version - that would be ideal as you can do the motion exercises without trying to keep a book open. Even better would be if you had a partner reading it you while you worked.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the pictures are dated, this is a fantastic book for understanding how your body moves and therefore runs. I found this a lot better than Gary Ward's stuff (the latter is good but not running specific).

[Noelle N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow read, but I've always been interested in Feldenkrais, so when I heard about a book that incorporates his philosophy with running I wanted to check it out. I only tried a couple of the movements illustrated, but I think they were helpful in creating more awareness. Basically, I'm glad I read it and feel I got his general idea, although I'm sure it would've been more useful to me if I took the time to try/focus on the movements.

[Leonore Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book very hard to read AND follow the instructions/exercises at the same time. Maybe if you have a partner to read while you perform the drills? Also advocates a heel strike... that's quite outdated!

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is more than one way to run, and this book helps you to become aware of how various parts of your body can relax and work together while running. This really made running more comfortable, pleasant, and sustainable for me.

[FC]

Skim read. Chi Running was better and more clear example.