How is your running form?

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 · Mike Davis

Good morning, We have the opportunity to see a lot of runners through our running form analysis (gait analysis) system and one of the consistent things we see is very little knee drive. Most runners tend to lift their feet very high off the ground (or treadmill) and drive their knees forward. If you can picture a runner lifting their foot 1 to 2 inches off the ground as they begin their swing phase while the back foot is swinging forward with some knee bend but straightening somewhat as it ready’s to land (stance phase). This continues on with both feet basically replacing each other with the same minimal lift and mostly straight legged at center mass. This particular running form is definitely not optimal use of all the muscles God gave us in our design nor does it provide much relief from impact or spring for takeoff. Believe it or not once upon a time we probably sprang off our feet as we floated gangly around the school yard or in the backyard. However age tends to steal that spring in most cases and getting it back requires neuromuscular attention. Neuromuscular means that muscle between the ears now plays a role that once came naturally and effortlessly. Don’t think for a second that if I am describing your running form that you are in the minority here because I can confidently say that 90 percent of runners over the age of 30 have very little lift or spring (propulsion). Okay now that you know that you are in the vast majority the question becomes: “If most people run with this form, is it okay to continue?” As a running coach and a gait analysis professional you probably think I am going to tell you this form is wrong and needs to be corrected. On the contrary, if you are happy with your results and are running healthy, I would certainly not change a thing. Running form has basic fundamentals that are helpful with increasing efficiency as well as minimizing injury potential but if neither one of these are an issue, I wouldn’t encourage changing a thing. However if a runners comes to No Finish Line Running looking to get faster, run with greater ease, minimize potential for injury or just wants to improve their overall form, then we start looking at their form and tinker with their form. As I said, most of the times we are able to see clearly on our Medical Motion gait analysis system that runners tend to shuffle foot to foot without pushing off much thus they utilize only the front side muscles (quads and below) while their backside muscles (gluts and hamstrings) get little or not involved at all. The hamstrings do play a role pulling the knee back in but not an active role in driving the runner forward. So from a pure efficiency standpoint most running styles are limiting muscle usage and forcing certain muscles to carry the load. There is definitely opportunity there to incorporate more muscle usage which will help the runner move with greater ease, working easier and get better results. From an injury prevention standpoint using your knees for better spring will most certainly reduce the risk of injuries from the hip all the way down to the feet. Flexion is critical in protecting us just like shock absorbers are with our cars. I won’t tell you that improving your running form is easy but I will tell you that when we have runners come into the Center for a running form analysis it becomes easier to accomplish. Being able to see yourself on video and then understanding some basic fundamentals helps the runner to begin the process of changing their running form. We typically give only a few changes to the runner and encourage them to incorporate them in small spurts as they run. Often a 3 minute focus initially and increasing as they progress. This method tends to have a great success rate and keeps the runner from going nuts during a run. Getting the runner to understand the feel of good form running is really the key to success and that certainly takes time. If you want to learn how you run and if you can improve your overall running and efficiency please contact us at info@nofinishlinerunning.com and set up a running form analysis. Believe me every person that we have worked with on their form has come away blown away! Our professional gait analysis system is a great resource for runners and makes it much easier to improve your running form. Have a great finish to your week! God Bless! Mike