Running Technique: 6 Ways To Improve Efficiency

With all the recent debate around foot strike type in endurance runners there is a lack of concrete evidence supporting one method alone.

In our coaching experience, it’s apparent that forefoot / midfoot striking is hugely beneficial for many athletes. If the appropriate time is given to learn the correct technique and to break your body in gently!

However, there is also a significant proportion of athletes who will be best served remaining as heel strikers – BUT working to become “light heel strikers” rather than over-striding heel strikers who smash their heels into the pavement with each contact!

Often these athletes have a specific injury history or goals (Ironman or ultra-marathons for example) which lead them to become more suited to developing a more gentle heel striking contact, rather than moving all the way to forefoot / midfoot striking.

Look at Craig “Crowie” Alexander. Come the latter part of an Ironman marathon, the three times Ironman World Champion and brand ambassador for Newton (forefoot running shoe company!) is definitely heel striking.

However, Crowie has such good running technique from head to toe, that this heel strike occurs without a significant over-stride and therefore isn’t heavy and inefficient. It’s what we refer to as a “glancing” heel strike – landing gently on the heel before quickly transitioning to the forefoot where the foot fully loads.

Whether you’re a heel striker, forefoot / midfoot striker, barefoot runner… the list goes on – there are a number of simple ways in which you can improve the efficiency of your running form.

Top 6 Running Technique Tips:

1. Avoid Over-Striding

Irrespective of what type of foot contact you employ, the position of this contact in relation to the rest of your body has a large role to play in determining how heavy the impact and subsequent braking forces are.

A good rule of thumb in terms of over-striding is to look for the alignment of knee and ankle upon initial contact. Ideally we’re looking for the knee to be flexing directly above the ankle on initial contact. If the runner is over-striding, you’ll see the ankle ahead of the knee.

Over-striding patterns such as those seen above can be the result of a number of factors, in particular tight / over active hip-flexors and a running cadence too slow for the given speed.

Try increasing your running cadence (stride frequency) by 5% and feel how it encourages you to reduce the over-stride. In turn you’ll feel lighter on your feet as your contact time decreases.

A running metronome is really useful in achieving an increased cadence.

More information and research on running cadence

Free Running Metronome Download

2. Run Tall

Your running posture is one of the keys to achieving good, efficient form. The postures you sustain at your desk during the working day, in the car or on the sofa have a real carry-over into the way you run.

Most of us spend too much of the day sitting down (I’m sitting down writing this!), shoulders rounded forwards and hips flexed. Through sustaining this type of position, we get short, tight hip-flexors and other anterior muscles and weak, under-active glutes and other posterior muscles.

This then becomes an issue when we try and run, with the body needing to maintain an erect posture and adequate hip extension. Instead, we become a product of what we posturally do most often and run in a semi flexed position – particularly at the hips.

Then, consider triathletes. Many of who suffer from all the desk-job related postural issues. We then jump on the bike for hours on end, which only goes to exacerbate the hip-flexor tightness which comes from excessive time spent in a sat down position.

In an effort to counter act the hip-flexor tightness, I get all my athletes and triathletes to perform the hip-flexor mobility exercise below before and after every session, in the gym, at the office… and generally whenever they don’t know what else to do during their day!

It’s all about working to undo the hip flexion pattern, and buy them back some range into extension.

Read this article for more information about running posture

3. Relax Your Shoulders

Tension in your shoulders, neck or upper back can inhibit your arm motion. You need your arms to provide balance, rhythm and power as you run.

As with your legs, the faster you go, the bigger the arm motion should be. Conversely, running slowly should require small, yet still active motions of the arms, swinging from the shoulder. The movement pattern doesn’t change, only the size of movement.

This will take some getting used to, but as you get fatigued keep your arms moving, as they help to keep the legs working at a steady rhythm.

 

4. Strengthen Your Glutes and Core

No  matter how hard you work on your running form and efficiency of foot contact, a serious limiting factor to your performance and ability to stay injury free is your core strength and ability to activate your gluteal muscles. These two key muscle groups play a huge role in providing stability around your lower trunk, pelvis and hips.

Weaknesses and imbalances around these areas can directly lead to knee, hip and back injuries, as well as running related problems with the lower leg.

Incorporate regular strength and stability exercises into your weekly routine to improve these key factors and your running will reap the benefits in the long term. Both in terms of injury prevention and improved performance.

Below is an example of a short core routine we use for a Pro Triathlete we work with, developed to compliment her running specifically.

A great exercise to start practicing on a regular basis is the Single Leg Squat as shown in the video below. Chrissie Wellington is a big fan of this particular exercise, tweeting:

“I will master the single leg squat without looking like a drunkard. Oh yes I will.”

@chrissiesmiles

Read the following articles for more information about core, glute and general strengthening exercises for runners:

Multiplanar Strength Exercises For Triathletes And Runners

10 Great Exercises To Build Running Strength

Medicine Ball Exercises For Runners

 

5. Don’t Bounce or Twist Excessively

Running is a linear motion, as you move forwards in a straight line. Although many of the constituent movements at individual joints and segments require rotation to function correctly, your body shouldn’t be rotating excessively from side to side. Excessive rotation counteracts the end goal of making forward progression. In fact it costs us energy to control and stabilise – a big inefficiency!

In the same way, your energy should be directed in traveling forwards not upwards. A slow rate of cadence and therefore over-stride (see above) often results in excessive upwards displacement or “bounce” within the stride.

For those running a marathon, for example, an extra one inch of bounce with each step (which doesn’t sound like much), will equate to one extra mile traveled upwards across the marathon distance… what a waste of effort.*

*Actual figures vary with stride length – but you get the picture!

 

6. Control Your Breathing

The rhythm with which you breathe when running should fit in with the overall rhythm that the rest of your body is working to. The ratios with with you inhale and exhale will most likely vary as your intensity of exercise varies. Getting your breathing right is integral to your running technique and should be practiced so that you can maintain your composure on race day as your concentration is elsewhere.

Read our article “How to breathe when running” for more information

 

 

15 Comments

• 
  Leon Boone April 6, 2012 at 5:37 pm

  This is a great article. I like that you said that there isn’t evidence that puts one technique over another. I have been working on my own running form and have read a few books about it. I take things from each book and put it towards my form. I like the hip flexor exercise and I will probably start using that in my stretching regime. Thanks for the great article.

  Reply
  • 
    James Dunne April 9, 2012 at 1:05 pm

    Thanks Leon! I use exactly the same approach as you when it comes to working on my own technique, and that of the athletes I coach.

    I find that while it’s important to endeavour to understand as much as possible about different methods and ways of coaching running technique, the most important factor is to apply that information to find what works specifically for the individual athlete.

    Reply
• 
  Leandro Knewitz November 9, 2012 at 6:39 pm

  I’m an orthopaedic surgeon from Brazil and use to read all your tweets. It’s rare to find on medical journals this kind of discussion. Thank you.

  Reply
  • 
    James Dunne November 10, 2012 at 11:20 pm

    Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Leandro. I hope you find all the Tweets and info interesting and useful, both in your training, and in your work with runners and their injuries!

    Reply
• 
  Séhel November 22, 2012 at 6:07 pm

  I am surprised you describe Craig Alexander as a heel striker : I watch the following video and I do not see much heel striking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVTjKJn3IFw

  Reply
  • 
    James Dunne November 22, 2012 at 6:31 pm

    Hi,

    Thanks for your comment. I have to disagree though. Check out the footage below. It’s from the same coverage at the same point in the race, but with the close-up angle on foot strike.

    At this late stage in the race, Crowie is definitely heel-striking.

    Not a bad thing though, as his brief heel-strike is close to under his hips, and the foot rolls through to load the midfoot very quickly – negating much of the usual impacts associated with a heel-strike.

    Reply
• 
  Steven Provis January 29, 2013 at 8:29 pm

  Thanks so much, great information to take out and put into practice.

  Reply
• 
  kate orawee April 14, 2013 at 4:20 am

  Txs a lot, James

  Reply
• running-techniques May 3, 2013 at 2:44 am

  [...] Running Technique: Top 6 Ways To Improve Running Efficiency __________________ If you knew that hope and despair were paths to the same destination, which [...]

  Reply
• 
  Andy Dunn May 28, 2013 at 1:37 pm

  Very useful information, and very timely. I do run barefoot already but often wonder if its the correct form and what I can do to improve my posture and technique. Thanks !

  Reply
• 
  Manolo Velez May 29, 2013 at 12:38 am

  Excellent info..!

  Reply
• 
  JC May 30, 2013 at 7:41 pm

  Brilliant. Thank you for such a clear analysis!

  Reply
• Running – You’re doing it wrong! | morning of magicians June 4, 2013 at 8:41 pm

  [...] have been doing running wrong all these years. My assumption was somewhat confirmed when I found this page on running technique and efficiency. I have been doing pretty much all of the six points mentioned [...]

  Reply
• 
  Pip Deave June 5, 2013 at 1:37 pm

  Thank you. This is a really clear and well written article, which I would like to use for some of my patients. It is nice to see the advice I give as a physiotherapist reinforced – a bit of positive feedback for me as well as useful resource for my patients.

  Reply
• 
  Jen June 9, 2013 at 8:09 am

  Thanks so much for sharing, this is such a great time for me. I had adopted forefoot running and it was going great, was going to do christchurch half marathon last weekend-when I developed an injury above medial maleolus. My sports physio thinks its related to when I broke my femur fell running 10 years go, my r) glutes are still weaker than my L) , also not helping is having a back op after child birth 3 yrs ago! What a wreck! Still determined to get back running, I am so interested now in biomechanics and getting my form right, think I may go back and improve light heel striking and cadence. Your exercises for glute/core strength, will be great. Cheers x

  Reply