A major misconception for both young and old athletes is that running on a soft surface is better for your limbs than exercising on sturdy ground. However, according to Dr. Tanaka and many experts he questioned, there is no actual proof that a softer surface is advantageous to runners. So why do so many athletes believe that running on grass, sand or dirt is better than running on asphalt?

Opposing the idea of running on hard ground, Dr. Warden stated an interesting example to express his point. He said that when jumping from a high surface to the floor, we are bound to bend our knees to cushion the fall. However, when jumping on a trampoline, we tend to keep our legs stiff and straight. Just because it doesn’t hurt our legs to jump repeatedly on a trampoline, that doesn’t mean we aren’t causing stress to our knee joints. Consider taking Dr. Warden’s advice and protect your limbs by switching up your running surfaces and constantly making sure that your shoes support your body weight.