The Fundamentals
Running is one of the most fundamental physiological aspects of being a human. Used both during the fight or flight response; if you cannot run you will be eaten, killed, or just incapable of acquiring your own sustenance. Present times, processed food, and the general false safety net of society teaches us that fitness is not a requirement for survival. We are also taught that running too much is bad for us, when in reality running too much with bad form is bad for us. Acid Gambit is here to help.
Fixing Your Form
There are two primary aspects to running fast and running long. They are form and training. You could argue sleep, diet, water intake, alcohol & tobacco use, and stress/cortisol levels all play an impact, but those all have impacts on fitness and health as a whole. We will discuss those in a later post. For now, we will fix form and training.
Form can be broken down into a series of cues, just like a squat or power-clean. In the same way we are constantly reminded to brace our core, press through the heels, etc. during the squat, there are cues we can keep in the back of our mind and consistently train to improve our running form.
1. Running Form Differs for Every Individual
This may sound contradictory to everything we have previously mentioned, but your form will not perfectly match what is said to be “the perfect way to run.” Everyone has idiosyncrasies that 1. make us who we are and 2. allow us to adapt to correct running form and find a natural, healthy way of running long and fast. So do not worry if your form doesn’t fit perfectly to the “mold.” We’re all different and all want to improve. Train the cues and you will improve.
2. Mid-foot Strike
Typical runners land on their heels, or just allow their foot to fall wherever it may land giving no thought to it. Others may try to land on their toes, which can also cause issues long term. The true sweet spot to improve speed, performance, and longevity is the midfoot strike. Running and allowing your foot to fall just under you with a slight bend in the knee will allow for consistent midfoot striking, as shown in the video.
By landing on the mid-foot, all the other cues will fall into place that we will discuss.
3. Lean Forward
This is very straightforward. Maintain a slight forward lean while keeping your chest forward. If you are standing still, press forward onto the mid-foot to the balls of the feet, almost to the point of falling. That is the sweet spot that will propel you forward when running and maintain momentum.
4. Increase Your Cadence
170-190 Steps per Minute is the goal cadence. This will come with time and practice. An easy method to judge your cadence is to start your watch for 15 seconds and count every left foot strike. Multiply that number by 8 and you have a rough average of your total steps per minute. Following these cues will allow for faster cadence. But additional practice to improve cadence includes knee drives and butt-kicks often seen in football practice warmups. Before running, jog 50m, then do 50m of butt-kicks. Do the same for knee-drives. When you are running, think of flicking your heel back the same way you do a butt-kick, and after the heel flick drive the knee forward. These small cues will improve cadence greatly.
5. Putting It All Together
This may seem like a lot, but if you practice one cue at a time, then two, then start putting them all together they will fall into place. You will notice that keeping your chest upright will be conducive to maintaining a slight forward lean in your stance. This forward lean will cause forward momentum propelling you forward with each step. And this forward lean with momentum will cause your foot to fall just under your body. Keeping a short stride with mid-foot strikes will allow for a fast cadence. See? This is not rocket science. Just a physical skill that needs to be practice. Nobody starts out as good runners, and many never learn proper form. Here is a final video to demonstrate a lot of these cues:
For additional programming, head to https://acidgambit.carrd.co/ to apply for one on one coaching, which includes training cycles built specifically for you, your schedule, equipment available, and goals. We do form checks, run analysis, and phone consultations.
Programs can be found at acidgambit.com, including the 12-Week Run Progression.
DICLAIMER
This is not Legal, Medical, or Financial advice. Please consult a medical professional before starting any workout program, nutrition plan, or supplement protocol.