How To Improve Your Running Cadence

While you might have heard of running cadence, you’d be forgiven for not knowing exactly what it is, why it’s important and how we can improve it…
Luckily, Sarah and Mo are here to quite literally step in and explain all in this video!
↓↓ Do you know your running cadence? And will you try to improve it? Let us know in the comments. ↓↓
Referenced study:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles...
What's in this video:
00:00:00 - Understanding Running Cadence
00:00:35 - The Optimal Cadence for Runners
00:01:57 - The Impact of Cadence on Running Form
00:03:09 - Improving Running Cadence
00:03:41 - Increasing Cadence for Reduced Muscle Stress
00:04:17 - Explosive Efforts and High Cadence Strides
00:04:54 - Tips for Improving Running Cadence
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[@Fraser365]

When I first started running my cadence was about 157 spm where it remained for about 2 years. I made a conscious effort to increase it primarily to prevent injury as my mileage increased as I’m quite heavy. I average about 170 now on most runs and nearer 180 during speed work. I think it’s helped to prevent injury and I feel quicker but that may be from just running more and being fitter. I do think it’s worth considering if your cadence is quite low and you are prone to injury.

[@runningchannel]

It's great to hear that monitoring your cadence has helped you!

[@gwilymeades]

I've been asked by other runners about how to increase cadence, and now I can point them to this video! I think it's useful initially to say that you take smaller more frequent strides to increase cadence, but ultimately I don't think cadence and stride length are related. If you keep stride length the same while increasing cadence, you run faster. This is what I always want to tell even quite experienced but low cadence runners...just add in more steps and you could run so much faster!

[@sundark6503]

Excellent work guys and enjoy all your videos . Well done

[@KaMi-gz1il]

I've been an ocassional runner for many years but this year I want to do it seriously. I discovered the importance of cadece (thanks to your channel), as per my apple watch all these years my cadence has been around 145 spm which is incredibly low. Last run I tried to bring it up to 160spm and it was a big difference! I struggled a lot to keep the pace but I inevitably ended up running faster without feeling as tired as those km per minute use to make me feel, and first time ever I didn't feel plantar pain, nor calves pain. In the downside, I have hammered toes so I ended up with a couple blisters in my toes and a black nail... will keep improving.

[@torgeirleirbakken896]

I've started to increase my cadence to approx 180-190 for the last 2-3 weeks. I'm running so much faster now. Thanks for such a great tip 😊👍😊

[@cardiogiggoer]

My running cadence varies from 177 to 190. It’s working 🙌🏻

[@klaasdeboer8106]

I picked up running 4 months ago with some extra energy savings around my waste. Now I can run quite well at 209 bpm, which I discovered when "staying alive" came on the radio, I think my. 'natural' cadence is a bit lower, but still well above 180. I don't think everyone runs at their personal most efficient cadence, because when you start running you simply run at the cadence you can maintain for two minutes. Ifthat is a low cadence your muscles involved in moving up and down will get more efficient at doing that, and the muscles involved in moving your feet will get trained less, and with a high cadence it is the opposte. In both cases your cadence when running a marathon stays more or less the same as the one you started at in the beginning. My personal goal for the upcoming months is doing a lot of drills to reinforce muscles bones and tendons in order to be capable to run in both lower and higher cadences, hoping that at the end my legs will have the choice of picking the best cadence at the end.

[@CSRunner7]

Definitely agree on the posture point and general form as the focus. Increased cadence should then be the outcome of that. Can be counterproductive if people focus just on cadence as their form can get worse and less efficient. They end up just picking the legs up and way overusing hip flexors or hamstrings and losing all natural dynamic and elastic movement and quickly becomes a muscle dominant shuffle that ends up using more energy. Shorter strides though probably good as you say for people reaching out and slamming heels into the ground. Guess it’s like everything, should form part of an overall holistic approach but not the sole focus.

[@taylorcook5688]

'Sole focus' niice

[@ProtectedRunner]

Such an important (and often overlooked) topic. Thanks guys!

[@runningchannel]

Glad you found it useful!!

[@mhelel]

The Clip where Mo tries to heelstrike ist Gold. Even though he hits the ground with the heel first, he still perfectly hits under the body and not in Front. His Form is just to good

[@runningchannel]

It’s all about practice! 💪

[@edithgruber2125]

My cadence varies with pace. For recovery runs, I average 170-175, my normal easy runs are about 175-180, tempo workouts can be anywhere between 182 and 188, depending on what I'm doing (marathon pace, HM pace, threshold, etc) and 190-220 for all sorts of intervals and sprints (from 10k pace to all out sprints). Today, I averaged 193 in the 10k race, got a PB. As a short person, I work mainly with cadence because my stride length is limited with the short legs I have.

[@glenm99]

When I was in my early teens, I experimented with cadence and stride length quite a lot. Stopwatch and measuring tape at the ready, I periodically measured my stride length at my best sustainable pace. From that I could calculate how many strides I expected to take in a race, divide that by my target time, and train to achieve that cadence. This sounds silly today, but we didn't have readily available resources about running technique back then, just a handful of creased magazines at the library, and it worked well enough for me. As I got more serious about track, I began to tape events on TV, and I would count the runners' steps with a watch going. For the middle distances, I found that the top women were typically right around 180 spm, and the men were a bit more variable but were mostly in the 180-200 range. And I was aiming for 240 spm at those distances! I thought, hmm, they must have done the same calculation as me. But that means they are taking huge steps! I came to a bad conclusion about how those athletes achieved that stride length, and committed to a form with severe over-striding. I believe that even though my times would initially suffer as I adjusted, they would eventually improve, because that's what the pros were doing. They never really did, of course, because it's not what the pros were doing. Decades later, I still run for fun, and I still record my best times each year in the same old notebook. A couple of years ago, I came across this channel, corrected my form, and started crushing my old times... even those from my teens and twenties! I wish you'd been around way back in my youth (I guess the show would have been on public access TV then). But I guess it's better late than never! Cheers!

[@runningchannel]

We're really glad we've been able to help! Are you working towards anything in-particular?

[@glenm99]

@@runningchannel I try to run my age (in kilometers) on my birthday each year. I missed some years and worried I'd never get back there--it gets harder as you get older!--but I managed to get enough injury-free training in last year, and I hope to at least match that time (at the slightly longer distance) this time around!

[@rhobbs6157]

appreciate the helpful content. I am training for my first half-marathon these tips are very useful and give me things to be aware of and pay attention to... my current average cadence has been approx 156. so, some more work to be done! thanks!

[@Senseigainz]

I was the same. I did this one simple trick and my cadence jumped from 157 to 167. Point your big toes down into the sole of your shoe as you run. It feels a bit weird at first but what it does is forces your stride to shorten which increases your cadence. Let me know how it goes.

[@runningchannel]

Good luck with the half marathon! 💪

[@rhobbs6157]

@@Senseigainz I'll give it a shot... thanks for the tip.

[@RichardBeales]

recently becoming a big fan of Shane Benzie, who's got a slightly different take on this (especially around vertical oscillation and impact), and is worth checking out.

[@CSRunner7]

Agreed, I love Shane’s book and all is work. Recently discovered Lawrence Van Lingen and he also has a real focus on getting your body moving naturally and fascia etc. Would recommend him as well.

[@rebecca4508]

Highly recommend booking a session with Shane, it dramatically helped my running form, I have less niggles/no injuries as a result and have moved my average cadence up to 173 for easy runs just naturally. Plus he's just a really nice guy!

[@rjsouthworth5246]

I haven’t tended to pay much attention to my cadence - looking back at my activities, it tends to be around 170, up to 175 for a very fast Parkrun. Going to see if I can bring it up a little.

[@runningchannel]

That sounds pretty perfect!!

[@vineethelias]

I am an injury magnet. I’m prone to severe acute shin splints every time I over exercise and my cadence averages around 152 as shown on Apple Watch. Anyway, I’m keen to try this out and see if increasing my cadence can help me with the shin splints. I had to back out from couple half marathons because of my injury and I’m really afraid to run now.

[@effortlesslye1921]

Try walking on your heels before and after runs for one minute at a time. That healed my shin splits.

[@herbieherbsen]

During easy runs my cadence most of the time averages at around 178 spm (+-5). That actually feels uncomfy when running longer than an hour as my hips move so little given the small stride length. I was unsure whether to sacrifice some bpm to go faster with better bio mechanics but slightly approaching zone 3 periodically. I also tried to force a slower cadence, which immediately feels unnaturally, almost like baywatch beach running

[@brianbruno1786]

Yeah my cadence used to always be around 160’s in HS and my freshmen yr in college. Starting my sophomore yr - my cadence has now been 170’s sometimes 180’s and in speed I hit 180’s+

[@collierellis553]

If I'm not training for anything my easy run cadence will fall around 155 steps per minute, but I will vary it during my training cycle depending on the type of workout I'm doing (long slow run vs intervals, for example). Spotify has a lot of running playlists available with specific beats per minute, in several different music genres, which helps me maintain my cadence.

[@runningchannel]

Spotify is a great way of sticking to stride length!

[@goodyeoman4534]

Mine seems to be 176. I'm quite tall. As an experiment a ran 1km with consciously shorter steps and it did shave 10 seconds off my average pace but felt unnatural.

[@HueiSong]

My cadence averages about 184spm. I’m 166cm tall and weigh 50kg for reference. I try to do everything right, try to correct my posture, make sure I strike mid-feet (the wear in my shoe shows that I’ve done that correctly), but I get shin splint allll the time. I’ve been running outdoors for 6 months now and the pain hasn’t really gone away. It has gotten slightly better before, but if I go on an outdoor run 2 days in a row, the pain will be back. Not crazy running or anything, about a 30 minute 5km session each time. If I’m in too much pain I’ll do 3km only

[@duftgestank8913]

I had the same problem, taking a long break so your legs can recover, get proper shoes ,start slowly again and get a black roll and do stretching!

[@pauljaffray6437]

My cadence is 191 on both easy runs and 5k pace. I just changed the stride length. Plenty of very slow running changed it in the summer

[@runningchannel]

👏👏👏

[@luanadotcom]

Great vid. A bit random but could you do a review of the latest garmin hrm fit that was just released, the one that's connected to the sports bra? I haven't got a hrm band as I didn't want something else to put pressure on my chest, just saw this new one and thought it would be nice to actually have bra wearers reviewing it. Thanks!

[@runningchannel]

It’s funny you should say that because we’re trying it out right now! 😁

[@derekruth574]

I've only been running for a few years but my cadence is freakishly stable at 180 unless I'm doing speed intervals. Regardless of speed or distance, the pace graph on my Coros watch is just a VERY flat line (with a couple of dips where I get a drink or stop at a light). So, basically, my speed is determined almost entirely by stride length. I have no idea why this is the case, although I'm a musician and when I first started running, I'd run with a 180bpm soundtrack.

[@runningchannel]

That’s great!

[@danielguerreiro8553]

Almost certain that at 0:57s is Rosa Mota, first portuguese woman to win an olimpic medal 🥉 Still crashing at the age of 65!! (10km in 39:40 made on 31/12/2023)

[@usivaguru9150]

question: how does increasing cadence while at a slower pace help you run faster with the same cadence rate?

[@scottnorton9304]

When I watch Andy run in videos it feels like he takes 20 steps a minute while running a sub 20 minute 5k

[@runningchannel]

A lot of training and practice!

[@walmartman31]

I listen to Spotify playlists w/ different bpm to try to keep a consistent cadence

[@runningchannel]

💪💪

[@sambarlow5449]

ran the welwyn half sunday just gone 185 cadence

[@KevinHowe1101]

My cadence is just over 200 which I always think is quite high for someone who is 5ft 11. I don't have a high backlift and it just feels natural to me to run at that cadence.

[@Justin-uc8sc]

Not much Kev, just taking a dump and watching some KZbin.

[@runningchannel]

Would you want to reduce it?

[@KevinHowe1101]

@@runningchannel I'm not sure. It feels natural to me and I don't suffer from injuries (touch wood) so I think like Mo says in the video, it's probably my body working efficiently so happy with it just now. Just always that little bit curious as to why it's higher than most other people

[@danieless4009]

mine has always been between 162-166. i have 800 pb of 2:02 (from 25+ years ago) and even now on 10k still in that range

[@adamk99]

This is something I really struggle with mines usually 150-160 but find increasing it with the same effort level is near impossible.

[@Senseigainz]

Shorten the stride length. Swing your arms faster(exaggerate) BIG TIP: point your big toe into the sole of your shoe.

[@runningchannel]

It takes a while for it to feel comfortable, keep at it 💪

[@joshuamoss9116]

My Cadence is 175-183 spm on the faster run and my slower run is between 164- 170 spm. One thing I found that made improved my cadence was moving the arms quicker and pretending that I'm running on hot coals.

[@runningchannel]

That’s interesting! Glad it’s worked for you 😁

[@lyndsaymaria]

Great video! Cadence is definitely something i am working on as a new runner! Do you guys sell running channel merch? Love your shirts in this video! 😍

[@runningchannel]

Merch will be coming soon we promise! 😁

[@lyndsaymaria]

@@runningchannel Yaaaaaay!

[@Victoria_Bryant]

My easy recovery pace ranges around 12 min/10 min per mile depending on how i feel, and my cadence sits around 168/169 usually. Cadence is definitely higher on harder effort days. I feel good with it. : )

[@geofftoscano6804]

I’m starting to realise that there must be an optimum cadence for every individual that, once achieved, is unlikely to vary much. People can perhaps spend years finding this ideal cadence. I think there’s a normal’ running cadence that will hardly vary over any distance or pace. Where there are significant short term variations it’s because you enter a different cadence mode, either walking or sprinting.

[@robiniddon7582]

I don't think so. There is data that shows elite runners varying their cadence from 170 to 220 spm in one 10km race. See Frederik Zillen's videos for details.

[@geofftoscano6804]

@@robiniddon7582 Wow that’s a huge range. My theory is obviously wrong.

[@runningchannel]

Do you know where that data is from?

[@geofftoscano6804]

@@runningchannel It’s a conclusion I’ve been reaching from personal experience, listening to others, and reading numerous articles on the subject. It’s interesting that so many articles on running now point out that the old benchmark of 180spm plainly does not suit all runners, but do refer to an ‘optimum’ cadence for individual runners. In other words, you may need to work on your cadence until you reach your individual optimum. Once reached you are unlikely to significantly vary this regardless of speed or distance, unless you change ‘mode’, namely walking or sprinting. There are obviously exceptions as a reply above pointed out, but I think the general principle holds. I might say that this channel is very much one of my reference points in forming my views.

[@robiniddon7582]

@@runningchannel it's from a study of the world athletics event in 2018 iirc.

[@jadeellis388]

I was thinking also running drills which isn't just strides?

[@kahooyama4355]

My cadence ranges from 165spm to 190spm depending on trainings. Easy runs tend to have much lower cadence such as 165spm. When I tried to improve my cadence on my easy runs, I got faster and my heart rate went up which I didn't want to. How can I improve my cadence while keeping my easy run as easy?

[@duftgestank8913]

It was the same for me, but then is started listening to music with the desired bpm. And I focused only on the frequency and steps, and it turned out that I was able to do more steps, but at a lower stride length. The music helped me to only focus on the step frequency, and not get distracted by the pace/speed.

[@tapir2k3]

My cadence is close to 140 🤪time to work on this and aim for 160 and see how it plays out..

[@lucasabrams9451]

My cadence is around 190 at 5'5. Naturally I have always had a high cadence which I don't think needs to change

[@runningchannel]

👏👏

[@MikeK01]

I’ve tried metronomes and fast music etc, but can’t seem to get my cadence over 155 on a good day! Slow runs can be as low as 145. I’m 6 ft 4 so could that be a natural cadence as a taller runner, or should I keep working on it? (Great vid as always guys)

[@runningchannel]

It's worth trying to get your cadence a little higher, but don't push it to a point where you're uncomfortable. As you are taller your cadence will be slightly lower than those who are shorter

[@MikeK01]

@@runningchannel Thank you. Maybe I’m being impatient as I’ve only been running regularly for 9 months. Hopefully it improves with time. Keep up the great work gang, cheers 💙

[@Senseigainz]

Point your toes into the sole of your shoe as your run. This will shorten the stride and increase the cadence around 10spm or more 💪

[@MikeK01]

@@Senseigainz will give it a go, thanks!

[@MikeK01]

@@Senseigainz Tried this on my morning run today. It made a big difference, even if it’s hard to keep up on every step. Cadence up to 160. Will stick with it. Thanks a lot! 💪🏻

[@EggsForDessert]

My cadence is around 180 but I find my stride length is pretty short. I’d like to extend it but that is risky.

[@runningchannel]

Doesn’t feel uncomfortable at the moment?

[@dna1238]

❤🎉 but have to greet those reindeers in the background 😂😂

[@runningchannel]

😂

[@bartb217]

My cadence is already above 180, even in zone 1 training and close to 190 when I race a 10K. My "problem" (to go faster) is my stride length, which is low compared to the runners I train with. I want to work on that, any tips?

[@daveg7894]

I'm no expert, but maybe throw in some strides throughout your runs? Running at close to 90% effort for 15 ro 30 second bursts. Helps with form, and I would think would lengthen your stride

[@runningchannel]

Have you checked out our running form video??

[@Leandra-vr8ts]

I really hope those two runners with the reindeer antlers keep showing up!

[@paulkillingley8031]

I'm OK with cadence, last run was 192 average. I just cannot increase my stride length, stuck at about 1m. Long or short runs, it never changes. Anything you could suggest to increase it?

[@geofftoscano6804]

If you’re stuck at 192 with the same stride length then that means your pace never varies. I average 188-190 but my stride length varies according to pace (by definition). Why not try sessions in which you try to vary your pace? My guess is that 192 is your body’s natural cadence, which won’t vary, and that increasing your pace will increase your stride length.

[@EggsForDessert]

Are you male or female? Tall or short?

[@runningchannel]

Have you checked out our video on running form?

[@robertstenhouse3880]

feels unnatural to me, to have a high cadence, when i'm 6 foot 1. I've tried it in the past and it felt harder for me, as i had to take a lot more shorter steps, than the longer more relaxed strides. Surely a longer stride length has its benefits?

[@runningchannel]

Longer strides can lead to injury as there's a higher chance of over striding

[@DavidPalmer]

I don't know why people continue to give such bad advice for running cadence. Jack Daniels has always said the 180 is in regards to elite runners at or near race speed. It does not apply to all runners at all levels at all speeds. To improve cadence is one thing but to say 180 is the magic number is bunk.

[@MartinEngelbrecht-ey3rl]

175 according to polar

[@runningchannel]

👏👏

[@of5458]

How do you increase cadence without elevating your heart rate?

[@tjalling1489]

I'm around 170 on easy runs and 185 for speed runs. Where is the footage of the last podcast, haha? 😁

[@runningchannel]

There wasn't a video of last weeks podcast, but there will be of this Saturday's one! 😁

[@tjalling1489]

@@runningchannel Ah, yes i figured out the real reason now 😂

[@thomasanderson9460]

1 do,, 155 cadence. calf injury galore :(

[@thomasanderson9460]

ouch and same !!

[@TheGamerDude701]

Let's goooooooo

[@seanmcdonagh6237]

My cadence is 180 according to my garmin, guess I’ll just keep it up

[@runningchannel]

👏👏

[@alicecourse559]

Blinding Light by The Weekend is how I get my cadence up. 😂

[@runningchannel]

👏👏👏

[@davidsalinas1628]

I never understood my cadence. No matter how fast or slow I ran my cadence was always around 201. FYI I am 5'5"

[@runningchannel]

What do you measure your cadence on David?

[@davidsalinas1628]

Garmin 245 Forunner @@runningchannel

[@vlogsbyakkas343]

Sarah looks like the older bow and arrow girl from Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe ....resemblance!

[@gazza2933]

No. I'm not. Thanks for this. 👍

[@RecrutaZeroW]

This is a tricky topic! I love the channel but it just basically keeps repeating what people have been saying without scientific evidence. In fact, there is more scientific consensus that "forcing" yourself to higher cadences or change your rear strike will cause injury. Although I agree that running form is important and should be worked on, higher cadence is a consequence of running faster, not the cause. There is a biomechanics specialist (Raquel Castanharo) that says that trying to increase the speed you run by increasing your cadence is the same as trying generate wind by shaking a tree. Your cadence will increase as you run faster.

[@runningchannel]

Could you send us the research paper you got that information from? We would love to have a look, as we have also been getting our information from running specialist

[@paulgodman-wf5lk]

Jack Daniels the spirt of running!

[@runningchannel]

👏👏

[@jono1457-qd9ft]

Jack Daniels also said that your prefered stride length and rate is also the most efficient. The explanation and demonstration of 'overstriding' is just silly. It's what people with no real knowledge of biomechanics say when they want to sound knowledgeable.🤷

[@AdamStuart1]

The lady presenter in this video could benefit from better arm form. Arms are going in circles and crossing the centre line of body. Too much horizontal movement. Good luck!

[@ivost6283]

Who are you?