Proper Running Form
September 04, 2009 | in Fitness | 2 Comments Share
Improving your running form can help you run quicker, more efficiently, and with less stress on your body. Follow these tips to work on perfecting your form.
Paul "Crazy Legs" Stofko is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Running Coach and marathon/ultrarunner with degrees in Exercise Science and Nutrition. Check out our interview with Paul for background and contact information.
Look Ahead
Your eyes should be focused on the ground about 10 to 20 feet ahead of you. Don't stare at your feet.
Land Midfoot
Don't be a toe runner or a heel-striker. If you land on your toes, your calves will get tight or fatigue quickly and you may develop shin pain. Landing on your heels means you have over-strided and you're braking, which wastes energy and may cause injury. Try to land on the middle (ball) of your foot, and then roll through to the front of your toes.
Keep Hands at Your Waist
Try to keep your hands at waist level, right about where they might lightly brush your hip. Your arms should be at a 90 degree angle. Some beginners have a tendency to hold their hands way up by their chest, especially as they get tired. Ironically, you may actually get more tired by holding your arms that way and you'll start to feel tightness and tension in your shoulders and neck.
Relax Your Hands
As you run, keep your arms and hands as relaxed as possible. You can gently cup your hands, as if you are holding an egg and you don't want to break it. Don't clench your fists because it can lead to tightness in the arms, shoulders, and neck.
Check Your Posture
Keep your posture straight and erect. Your head should be up, your back straight, and shoulders level. Check your posture once in a while. When you're tired at the end of your run, it's common to slump over a little, which can lead to neck, shoulder, and lower-back pain. When you feel yourself slouching, poke your chest out.
Relax Your Shoulders, Too
Your shoulders should be relaxed and square or facing forward, not hunched over. Rounding the shoulders too far forward tends to tighten the chest and restrict breathing.
Rotate Arms from the Shoulder
Your arms should swing back and forth from your shoulder joint, not your elbow joint.
Don't Bounce
Try to keep your stride low to the ground and focus on quick turnover. Too much up-and-down movement is wasted energy and can be hard on your lower body. The higher you lift yourself off the ground, the greater the shock you have to absorb when landing and the faster your legs will fatigue.
Keep Arms at Your Side
Avoid side-to-side arm swinging. If your arms cross over your chest, you're more likely to slouch, which means you're not breathing efficiently. Imagine a vertical line splitting your body in half -- your hands should not cross it.
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Photo courtesy of basegreen at Flickr
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Comments
I have two sons who are running, and I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to badger and cajole them to drop their arms back to 90 when they get tired. It’s such a natural mistake
daltonsbriefs | December 08, 2009
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Great article! It’s amazing to me as a trainer how many people I have to remind of this stuff. I wonder when in our lives we loose this inate knowledge…if you watch a child run, it’s much closer to what “right” looks like. Again, great article!
-Tom
Tom Fieber | September 18, 2009