When you’re running, do you use the muscle groups that you should be using?
I’ve analyzed the running form of a lot of people, both on the treadmill and running outdoors, and it’s clear that a lot of people only use their anterior (front) kinetic chain in order to power their forward running motion, i.e. they rely on their quads and hip flexors to do most of the work - and they often run with their pelvis tilted forwards. This is particularly true of people who spend large amounts of time sitting at a desk and is also true of cyclists...the key being the position that you spend most of your time adopting.
To ensure efficient running technique and reduce the risk of injury, you really want to be powering your running using your hamstrings and glutes, i.e. the posterior part of your lower kinetic chain. This leads to more efficiency and usually means that you can run for longer before fatiguing.
So how do you achieve this?….
Move around during the day. Try to spend less time sitting and more time gently stretching out the muscles that you’ll be using for running. If you have a desk job, take regular breaks - get up and move around.
Use correct running technique and posture. This is easier said than done, particularly if you’ve been running in a particular way for a number of years. The following tips may help:
Changing the way that you run is not easy. Your body has become accustomed to running in a particular way and those actions are well-ingrained in our brains. But by regularly practicing the drills you can make the changes in as little as 6 weeks - and if it leads to less injury and more efficient running then surely it’s worth it.
I hope you found the above interesting.
Gary.
The Cool Impossible: Run Beyond Limits
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