Don’t hold your phone while you run, expert says
By mbrooks on October 5, 2019
By Matthew Brooks
When you go running, do you hold your phone or a water bottle?
If you do, you should stop, one fitness expert says.
A running coach, Alexa Duckworth-Briggs, says that an object in your hand could be throwing off your gait.
‘It might seem trivial, but holding your phone while running could be setting you up for future injuries,” Duckworth-Briggs says.
Duckworth-Briggs is a running coach for UK Athletics.
“It creates muscular imbalances, affects the distribution of weight across your body, and makes you a less efficient runner in general,” she says in an interview with Metro.
The effect on the body would be felt in the opposite side of the body where the imbalance occurs.
“Your arm and opposite leg go backwards and forwards in unison. So if you hold your phone in your right hand, you’re most likely to have issues with your left leg and hip,” Duckworth-Briggs says.
The issue becomes more pronounced if the action is continued over months and years.
A waist belt is better than an armband for your phone, the expert says. The armband still throws off the weight balance.
Putting your phone in your pocket works, too.
And holding a phone in your hand presents a risk for dropping it.
