How To Improve Your Running Form

[@Tekocy]

As a pro runner myself, i do a lot of core strength training every week, and that has helped me a lot with my technique

[@definit1on119]

This. Hanging leg raises for the win!

[@Lupo150]

today while doing my goal speed repeats I felt that core is burning, meaning that it's something I should work on more. Could you suggest some that are not classic ones like dead bug, planks etc since these are already on my list? :)

[@stevenlennie]

It’s my lower back I can feel going towards the end of marathons.

[@chucky1golf]

Do you work on sit-ups?

[@suranperera4620]

Any pointers on maintaining technique while running in zone 2? Moment I try and really hold form - I speed up.

[@jepulis6674]

Cadence has a lot to do with speed. Beginners always like to take advice from elite runners and Ive seen some weird bouncers out there trying to hit 185 while jogging 6:40min per km. It will likely be more strain to your legs to try and maximize the amount of the steps you take than keeping the length of the step reasonable for the pace.

[@alexkhouri2804]

Speed and Legs Length

[@deannemmer6742]

That’s what I thought. It makes sense. I’m a beginner and not focusing on speed until my fitness improves a lot more. I noticed my cadence is 147spm but I’m running at 10 min mile which is about a 6.20 min km. My cadence shouldn’t be at 180s at that pace right?

[@deannemmer6742]

And forgot to mention, I’m 6’1”. It makes sense taller people have lower cadence as well right

[@dailymotion101]

@@deannemmer6742 I am not so convinced here. If your cadence in slow runs is too low then you will train your muscle memory to a false pattern of movement. Try to concentrate on perfect technique in your slow runs. I would rather run at smaller step length than falling to a slow jog that ruins my technique where arms also move differently. Smaller step length does not mean you have to jump up and down at every step. But naturally it is easier to reduce bouncing movement when gaining speed.

[@theevildead96]

@@deannemmer6742 you are right and your height matters (leg length). If some one as tall as you would try to reach 180 spm with a pace like 6:20min/km, it would not just look ridiculous, you would do the exact opoosite of what we want to achieve, running more economically. You would exert more energy that way. Doesn't mean you shouldn't check your cadence, maybe increasing it from 147 to 155-160 may be a good thing, but none of us can tell that from our pcs without visual feedback.

[@misterbelll]

Hi Ben...Got your Marathon plan for my wife....she followed it & ran a very successful Sydney marathon.... she is Happy with that...a Life time best PB.... smashed it... Thanks mate.👍👍❤❤.

[@SantaCruzRunner]

Increasing my cadence was an absolute game changer for me last year. I did it after another Ben Parkes video and I haven't looked back since. Better pace and far fewer knee and ankle pain.

[@seekingUltraNick]

All excellent points to consider, Ben! Love the content, keep up the amazing work!

[@arikrishnan17]

Thank you @BenParkes , after watching many of your videos. , I slowly started running better . I am 50 years old and only picked up running last year . Today after running almost 48 weeks running at least 3 times a week , I managed to clock 29:59 for my 5km with better running techniques. Thank you.

[@me_meyou_youus_us]

This is your best video yet, Big Fan here, thanks a mil

[@nrjonesy]

Need these reminders in the middle of your HM training plan for some of those long runs where Im dragging my legs round the last few Ks!

[@DrSlipstream]

You can't talk about cadence without mentioning pace or height. 180 spm at 11 min/mi looks ridiculous. Taller runners generally have a lower cadence as well.

[@Vivungisport]

True, different cadence for elite as well.

[@avwie132]

Why does it matter how it looks? How does is perform is the question

[@gregariouslyme9492]

​@@avwie132 agreed. I'm okay with looking silly if it means better performance.

[@markosholiveira8663]

Great teachings! Thank you.

[@NicolasVERMANDE]

Great video Ben! I would have added strides. They really help with economy and biomechanics. It's a big one.

[@thegearboxman]

Run faster and your form will improve. The reason recreational runners/joggers don't move like the elites is simply because they aren't running even remotely close to the same pace! Form follows from speed, not the other way around. Get a friend to video you doing a 50m sprint as fast as you can (probably still slower than elite 10k pace) and you'll be surprised just how good you look 🙂

[@Raucherbeinknacker]

Nope.😅 I was also running approx. 21 min for 5k 15 years ago. But my technique was b b b b bullllsh....😣 It can work when you feel and understand what you are doing / have to do. Otherwise you just push hard but never learn. I was like that and yet today I understand how running really works.

[@thegearboxman]

@@Raucherbeinknacker My PB is under 21 as well (I'm 58 year old), but that's barely jogging compared to elite runners, hence my form is very different to an elite athlete. I can also run 100m in under 14 seconds, and guess what? Yep, I move just like an elite runner at that pace - high knee drive, pronounced forefoot strike, heels kissing my ass.

[@Raucherbeinknacker]

​@@thegearboxmanyep, I not completely disagree, I also believe you can learn the best from your body itself. And even tips and tricks you must understand and practice on your own. But me, I was running quite a little fast, and I also did faster intervals also. But my technique was crap. Crap from top to floor. Why? Because I tried the wrong but the wrong felt right😅 I could also sprint, I can still, but I will not be able to perfect it like a pro and maybe I won't even understand some crucial aspects of sprinting. I mean just running faster will not necessarily help you to refine your mechanics, it shows you another dynamics, you can adopt them partially but not completely. Some people find the right technique easier than others but everyone still has to refine.

[@thegearboxman]

@@Raucherbeinknacker There is an argument, to which I partially subscribe, that suggests that your body automatically adjusts to become the most efficient for that particular individual. The human body is very good at self-learning and protecting itself against injury. An absolute beginner probably won't run 'correctly', but someone who's been running consistently for a couple of years will already be running at *their* best in terms of form *for the pace they're going*. Trying to 'force' an unnatural movement is likely to result in injury. For example, if a runner is a natural heel striker (more than 90% of all runners) and then decides to force a forefoot strike (because they've read that's what most elite runners do) then this is a recipe for disaster. The biggest mistake that recreational (slow) runners make is too low cadence. If you increase cadence then other aspects of form tend to correct automatically.

[@Raucherbeinknacker]

@@thegearboxman If they're lucky. I used forefoot, midfoot and also heel. And I didn't have a hunch about what was still wrong. And when I found out and fixed these bugs point for point the cadence went from approx. 150 to 160 to 170 and finally with medium pace (fast for me) to 180. And I couldn't have made these fixes if I hadn't detected the issues. Although I varied with my footstrike and used midfoot mainly, although I had a good upright posture and the main load of each step was under my center of mass, there were certain things wrong, and I couldn't detect them by running faster or increasing cadence. First was a lack of recoil caused by landing on too much flexed knees. Indeed I cured this out by skipping down quicker to stiffen my legs, which resulted in a stiff and bouncy run I've never before experienced! From there I straightened my lower back yet a little more and my body could take full advantage of the elastic recoil. But I had to find the optimal recoil first, then refine my posture. Lastly I tried more hip engagement which took much strain from the legs and even let my heels swing up. The best method to hasten your pelvis rotation is to run like being pushed forward. It's kinda magic effect.😅 without this I'd never run with flying heels and freely moving without unnecessary muscle effort. And without stepping faster I reached the 180 cadence, only by refining technique.

[@SteveSalisbury]

I tried the spotify 180bpm playlists and they are very seldom 180bpm. Instead, I've created my own playlist based off what I know are 180bpm tracks. Obviously takes more work. Will definitely give the metronome a go but don't know if I could deal with that on a long run!

[@SageOfEchoes]

Run with chips you say? I’m in.

[@Raucherbeinknacker]

In my view cadence is a result of optimized technique and not other way around. If you correct your posture and stride the cadence will raise immediately without focusing on quicker or even shorter steps. I think mouse stepping cannot lead to accurate running form without understanding the details, and the details cannot be understood without knowing how running is working in general. People try to get their running feel right or look right, but almost everything you are getting used to will feel alright until you really do it right and than you feel and understand the difference. Also if you let it look right it may be wrong because you changed the wrong parameters and again you confused cause with effect.

[@Raucherbeinknacker]

Implementing the posture and landing tips alone shoul lead to a 170 cadence at least 👍 if not there must be some other fault or the tendons and muscles are too weak still to produce enough elastic recoil.

[@chindianajones3742]

Hmm i think i disagree. I think its more likely that form and cadence covary, so a change in one will cause a change in the other. Trying to run at 180 strides per minute will force us to correct our form to more efficiently sustain 180. And like you said, implementing a particular form can force a certain cadence. At the same time, i think trying to force one without adequately adjusting the other can lead to injury. All this keeping in mind that we all have a different natural gait and anatomical variations -- it's a huge balancing act with multiple approaches, some of which may be more or less efficacious depending on the individual athlete.

[@Raucherbeinknacker]

​@@chindianajones3742 Ever Change may result in injury or current structural overload, or maybe feel hard or wrong even if it's the best. Wrong things can feel very right and many faults you perhaps don't detect, don't even think of. Even running at high paces didn't help me to get to the proper high pace mechanics... I had to find the missing parts and mistakes, then, listen, then my cadence went approx. 10s/m up with each adaption! I used midfoot mainly, also forefoot (in former years extremely, but don't like it anymore) and resorted to heel also on parts of my runs. But even using midfoot and also with a quite upright fwd tilted posture and stride beneath c.o.m. and all that, I didn't catch the elastic recoil. I was running with a little to much bent knees, that was not stiff enough to provide elastic recoil. I also admit that I had to speed up my cadence for to fix that, but I had to speed it and change the movement in a dwd directed way and time it correctly. I knew how to try because I knew what I was looking for! When adjusted, I felt a recoil like I never felt before, that was the real deal then. The cadence went over 160. To really get full advantage of that new recoil I straightened my lower back yet a little more, it was only an inch of adjustment, but: Automatically my cadence went to 170. No bull. Later I tried how to apply momentum of hips and legs and that was crucial also. When using more hip momentum, my legs became a little easy and relaxed and my heels began to swing up freely. Before I would have to fight tense quads to bring them up. Dispensing more hip momentum will dramatically change the lower mechanics! An easy way to try this is to run like sb pushes you from behind, so your legs are pulling less and the pelvis is like hauling over. I think before I tried and applied this it was like my pelvis was the following part and the legs the leading part. But with more hip movement the impulse comes from the pelvis to the legs, and not other way around. This is changing the way your automatic muscle reflexes work. To be honest, by only making quicker steps, I wouldn't have made all these discoveries. But refining the technique led my to a dramatic higher cadence without sth like shortening steps or only hastening the gait. And the hip momentum, this is like a real subtle thing, many good runners maybe apply it the right way just by their nature without experimenting. But if there is a problem or call it a lack, then it must be identified as such.

[@Raucherbeinknacker]

​​@chindianajones3742 Ever Change may result in injury or current structural overload, or maybe feel hard or wrong even if it's the best. Wrong things can feel very right and many faults you perhaps don't detect, don't even think of. Even running at high paces didn't help me to get to the proper high pace mechanics... I had to find the missing parts and mistakes, then, listen, then my cadence went approx. 10s/m up with each adaption! I used midfoot mainly, also forefoot (in former years extremely, but don't like it anymore) and resorted to heel also on parts of my runs. But even using midfoot and also with a quite upright fwd tilted posture and stride beneath c.o.m. and all that, I didn't catch the elastic recoil. I was running with a little to much bent knees, that was not stiff enough to provide elastic recoil. I also admit that I had to speed up my cadence for to fix that, but I had to speed it and change the movement in a dwd directed way and time it correctly. I knew how to try because I knew what I was looking for! When adjusted, I felt a recoil like I never felt before, that was the real deal then. The cadence went over 160. To really get full advantage of that new recoil I straightened my lower back yet a little more, it was only an inch of adjustment, but: Automatically my cadence went to 170. No bull. Later I tried how to apply momentum of hips and legs and that was crucial also. When using more hip momentum, my legs became a little easy and relaxed and my heels began to swing up freely. Before I would have to fight tense quads to bring them up. Dispensing more hip momentum will dramatically change the lower mechanics! An easy way to try this is to run like sb pushes you from behind, so your legs are pulling less and the pelvis is like hauling over. I think before I tried and applied this it was like my pelvis was the following part and the legs the leading part. But with more hip movement the impulse comes from the pelvis to the legs, and not other way around. This is changing the way your automatic muscle reflexes work. To be honest, by only making quicker steps, I wouldn't have made all these discoveries. But refining the technique led my to a dramatic higher cadence without sth like shortening steps or only hastening the gait. And the hip momentum, this is like a real subtle thing, many good runners maybe apply it the right way just by their nature without experimenting. But if there is a problem or call it a lack, then it must be identified as such.

[@chindianajones3742]

@Raucherbeinknacker What a detailed report. There is a lot of great information here that could help others. It is, however, a logical fallacy to say, "This worked for me, hence this shall work for all."

[@lukepaulson3428]

Thanks!

[@rubarb1275]

Great video Ben, thanks for sharing! I use a simple technique, suggested by Mary from ThisMessyHappy, to relax hands by holding your thumbs in each hand. It prevents fist clenching whilst running and leads to relaxed shoulders, etc. 👍

[@Raucherbeinknacker]

During early 2000s I've started jogging until I could jog for 1hr. I was heel striking and I don't know if I had this bad backward tilt and heel stomping overstride, I guess I had. But I changed to forefoot running early so I must have run with a forward tilt, and sometimes I resorted to midfoot and heel, but didn't change posture. The issue was, and today I realized and fixed it: The posture was quite ok but my leg movement originated from the slow jog heel strike, which means I landed on a to much flexed knee, this is like a bit of a squat each step. This wasn't fixed by changing to fore and midfoot! It is like your body is in running mode and also both feet leave the ground, but legs still work similar to walking. The only fix was to skip faster into the ground contact than my body moved downwards and get that stiff and bouncy feeling and the elastic recoil. Now running feels totally different and much more efficient. I also fixed some other issues, fe I straightened my hollow back and gained much more elastic recoil and cadence immediately went up from 160 to 170! Another fix was to adjust pelvis rotation with leg movement. This can easily be done: Run like sb is pushing you from behind. The hip rotation will fasten and advance to the legs movement which completely changes the mechanics and automatic muscle reflexes so the legs, especially the quads get really relaxed and even the heels swing up freely by itself. Before my quads were to tense to let them swing high. I guess that my pelvis learned to just follow the legs movement before and with more hip momentum it went to lead the running process instead which makes a big difference of how the mechanical parts work together and forces and reflexes are applied. I admit that many good runners already have the right hip momentum, but many people don't, especially when they ask questions like why don't my heels come up.

[@TheJoelMccluskey]

Just did 10 mile Ben. My normal cadence is 165, 169 today after watching your vid 👍

[@Snerunseasy]

Great video Ben, thanks for sharing , let's go

[@edwardgo4070]

Hi ben. May i ask what watch are you using?😁

[@oliveuk]

As I was running and have my front foot sliding forward on a sandy road by the beach made me realise I was over extending the front leg and in reality braking.

[@2Latsabb]

Great video! I noticed you mentioned that arms shouldn't cross the chest but should swing back and forth. However, I've seen many of the world's top marathoners crossing their arms across their chest during races. Could you explain why there's a difference in technique between what you're recommending and what they do?

[@Starcrow999]

I don't think you should force the arms to move in a certain way, as long as you're no flailing your arms all over the place like a lunatic. Check out Fredrik Zilléns video "Hands in front of the body can be a good thing when running".

[@filipstepien634]

Hi Ben. I have a question that is not about the movie. Can you recommend any stability shoes with an airy upper? I'm currently running in Brooks Glycerin 21 GTS and it's terribly hot in them. Thanks for the super training plan!

[@Vivungisport]

Good advice Ben😊 OneQ: What shirt brand@3:40?

[@MichielCorryn]

One of his own. Check his site it is still there I think

[@adewb]

Does being tall make a difference with cadence? I am 6’4 with a 155-160 spm and I feel like I physically can’t increase it to 170+ without it feel like I’m scooting along 😂

[@chindianajones3742]

Yes, taller people generally have a lower cadence

[@OWS777]

At 8:25 I see you tested the Hoka Cielo x1, but I don't remember you posting a review of it - are you planning on posting a review of that shoe?

[@maxal2251]

Berlin- T minus 14 days!

[@tadejdanev5030]

Ben: where do you run that, near river etc? :)

[@carlocolombo3524]

For improving cadence I recommend running uphill! You are forced to reduce the length of the strides

[@nawainrukydnew]

Do you have a sibling relationship with Mark Goldbridge from The United Stand channel? Your voice, the way you speak, even your face looks similar to him

[@TimothyCheserek-d6v]

Hello Ben I'm your follower from kenya and will like to meet you

[@markoljustina]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@khaldonevans4295]

I think people needs to do an analysis of themselves to see where they are at and what issues they have.

[@knalliebar]

My legs are so crooked... X-legs... Supinated feet. I am not to be helped by changing Small things 😂

[@HS-fm9kv]

Cadence is worked out on pro's running marathons- which most of us aren't... so look to improve by 5% as you go.

[@charlietwotimes]

I run for joy. Nothing matters to me except the freedom running gives me. It's a philosophy, an ideology even. Its certainly a religion (you'll find nirvana out there - inside you). Running is a natural function.. the most "pure" running happens without heart rate monitors, watches, music, events, others. Sometimes you just gotta go run. Soul over analysis, joy before efficiency, simplicity trumps gadgets. Run just for the sake of running.

[@azizazhar]

2nd