Potential Benefits of Jeffing
As simple as it may sound, alternating between walking and running offers a number of health benefits.
May Lower Injury Risk
Run-walking may lower your risk of running injuries by recruiting your muscles in different ways, reducing the likelihood of overuse, Twiggs notes.
There’s some research to back this up. An older study in 42 non-professional runners found that those who used a run-walk strategy during a marathon reported less muscle pain and fatigue after the race than those who ran continuously. Yet both groups finished with similar times.
Gradually working in more intensity through a run-walk approach can also help beginners’ bodies better adapt to the high-impact stress of running, adds Rachelle Reed, PhD, an exercise physiologist in Watkinsville, Georgia, who is the head of scientific research and communication at Therabody and serves on the scientific advisory panel for the American Council on Exercise.
May Boost Cardio Fitness
Adding running intervals into a walk boosts your heart rate and the amount of oxygen your body needs, Dr. Reed says. Over time, these effects can lead to increased cardiorespiratory fitness.
HIIT works to improve cardiovascular fitness by increasing the amount of blood our heart pumps with each beat and creating more mitochondria (where cellular energy is created) to power our cells.
Although runners traditionally run at a moderate rather than a high intensity during a run-walk, HIIT research can still offer useful clues because both approaches alternate periods of work and recovery, Reed notes.
May Reduce Fatigue
Because run-walk intervals are less intense than a continuous run, they’re less likely to leave you as fatigued during or afterward, Reed says.
“By changing up the muscle groups you’re using, that fatigue is going to be distributed in a different way,” Twiggs adds. Rather than tiring only the muscles that propel your running stride, you’re sharing the work between those that help you run and those that help you walk.
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