Jay Dicharry may or may not have taken Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies quiz, but it’s safe to say that he’s probably a Questioner. Jay is not afraid to question beliefs that many of us have blindly accepted for years and study if, in fact, there is actually any truth in them or if there are better ways to train to avoid injuries. He has a passion for this ‘Pre-Habbing’ which goes back to his injury-prone youth.

Jay is a renowned expert in biomechanics and physical therapy and is also the author of Anatomy for Runners. In this episode, he challenges us to reevaluate parts of our accepted, conventional training and running wisdom.

He does a great job of deconstructing clinically complex concepts into easily understandable ideas and examples. He breaks down things like Strength Training versus Power Training and the differences between joint limitation or blockage, shortened tissues, stiffness / sticky tissues, and dynamic mobility.

Our conversation covered a lot of ground and included many additional resources as noted by the links below. This may very well be an episode that you will want to listen to multiple times to explore these and evaluate what changes you may want to integrate into your own personal program.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

How biomechanic training can help Pre-Hab or prevent injuries.
Biomechanics fact vs. fiction and the ongoing critical evaluation of prior assumptions.
How to leverage strength training to improve your running while reducing your volume.
How to evaluate a potential strength coach or options if you don’t have access to one.
Risk / Reward balance of using different types of shoes for training / racing.
Jay’s Mobility / soft-tissue work philosophy.
The difference between ‘stretching’ and ‘dynamic mobility’ and which you should do before a run.

Questions Jay is asked:

3:50 When did you determine that biomechanics was your passion?

6:37 Is there still a lot of misinformation portrayed within the PT / sporting world?

8:07 Do you still get frustrated when people repeat ‘facts’ they haven’t verified or is it getting better with more readily available information?

10:30 What is it that drives you to keep exploring?

12:33 Is there anything surprising that you’ve learned about Pre-Hab along the way?

14:42 Who else can people reference for up-to-date information

16:17 Is the UVA Running Medicine Conference open to the public?

17:14 (Listener Question) If you could go back and rewrite Anatomy For Runners, is there anything you would change?

18:58 Is there another book in the works?

19:25 What is your philosophy on strength training and plyometrics?

20:52 Exactly what type of training are you referring to by ‘Strength Training’?

27:07 When selecting a Strength Coach, how important is it that they have a running background?

29:45 What can you tell us about the Saucony Stride Lab for those who may not have access to a running lab?

34:20 Why did you choose to work with Saucony?

35:18 Were you part of the design team for the Saucony Freedoms?

35:41 (Listener Question) If you’re running in a heavier / bulkier shoe, is there an injury risk to doing the workouts or races in a lighter shoe if you train in the heavier shoe?

39:34 Can we trust our GPS / wearable tech with our biomechanics or are they inaccurate?

40:29 When it comes to imbalances or weaknesses, is it an issue if one part, or side, of your body is stronger than the other?

43:25 If you do all the form trainings we discussed, you’re prolonging the amount of time your body is able to hold good form when running?

44:21 Should people who sit all day at work and run after work stretch between working and running?

49:25 How often do you recommend that runners should perform foam rolling / mobility / soft-tissue work? Every Day?

55:00 The Final Kick Round

Quotes by Jay:

“There’s still the folks out there saying ‘Running is going to kill you and you need to stop’.”

“I don’t like being the person paving the way; I like being the person helping people.”

“ ‘What’s the ONE thing to do?” and the reality is that life isn’t that simple, right? If it was, then nobody would have problems.”

“There is very good research out there to show that running does NOT make you strong. Running efficiency DOES improve when you improve the way that you carry yourself.”

“At the end of the day, the runners who are serious find a way to get in the weight room. The runners I work with, the people I’ve introduced to this, I don’t know any of them who have STOPPED doing this at all even from a novice up to an elite level.”

“The goal is to build a running-specific plan to RUN better, not just to lift more weight in the gym.”

“If it’s not improving running economy and making your body more robust in terms of injury reduction, then you shouldn’t be doing it.”

“If you’re a soccer player and you’re more accurate in shooting goal with your right foot, that’s fine, right? But, when you run both legs have to show up.”

“I’m not looking to train a muscle; I’m looking to train a movement.”

Take a Listen on Your Next Run

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Mentioned in this podcast:

UVA Speed Clinic

Run To The Top podcast with Max Prokopy

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Joe Friel's Blog

Bryan Heiderscheit, PT, PhD

Christopher M. Powers, PhD, PT, FACSM, FAPTA

Irene Davis, PhD, PT, FAPTA, FACSM, FASB

Reed Ferber PH.D., CAT(C), ATC: Director - Running Injury Clinic

2017 UVA Running Medicine Conference

PubMed Website

MedLine Home Page

Jack Daniels's Run Smart Project

Book: Anatomy For Runners

Run To The Top podcast with Dr. Santos

Run To The Top podcast with Drew Watts

Saucony Stride Lab app for iOS

Saucony Freedom Shoes

Steve Magness Amazon Author Page

Runner's World Article: How to Use a Lacrosse Ball for Recovery

Carrom Balance Board

Hyperice Vibration Ball

Rep Lab - Jay's lab blog

Tina’s Dynamic Warm-up Drills

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Jay Dicharry- If You are Serious About Your Running, Time to Get in the Weight Room