Tag Archive | BIOMECHANICS

Running Biomechanics: Watch Yourself!!

Apr4

Until you get your form analyzed, you really have no idea what you are doing.
We all think we run like Kenyans or Ethiopians that win marathons or 10ks but we just need a little tweaking.
But until you see yourself in video, you really don’t know.

That is why I like to start my coaching sessions asking clients to tell me what they think their form looks like. And then the horror shock comes around. I even had the occasional kenyan get really upset when I what his form looked like, and was so disappointing to learn perfect form does not come naturally to everyone. The truth is, we all have a very romantic idea of what we look like. And it doesn’t always pan out that way.

Make sure you get some video, and have an open mind about it. There’s free apps like ubersense, or SloPro you can use to film yourself and slow it down and compare.
And it’s always better outside, on the road, the treadmill forces an un-natural gait.

Running Biomechanics: There are ONLY three human forms of locomotion

Mar29

– Walking
You “land” on your heel and roll to the ball of the foot, with a load of just your body weight for every step.

– Running
You land on the ball of the foot first and then put down the heel. Because of the swifter movement, you’re now hitting the ground with two times your body weight. And because of this added weight on each footfall, you have to be careful and make sure you’re doing this right. (Or else)

– Sprinting
You land on the ball of the foot, and there is no heel touching the ground. Now it’s three times your body weight and because it is faster there is no time for the heel to come down and the elastic recoil takes care of the forward push.

All other combinations are just non-efficient mutations. Like the one where humans combine the heel to toe form (from walking) with two body weights (from running)… that’s what Ron Burgundy would call “yogging”. Don’t do it!

Running Biomechanics Tips – What is Proprioception and why is it important?

Mar26

Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense its movement and position in space. The lost sixth sense.

Imagine running blindfolded. Or with numb feet. (done and done!)

Most of your sensory information during a run comes from proprioception.

Your visual and auditory senses will help you guide your run, but 70% of what you need to know (where to land, how much force to use, when to push forward, etc.) comes from your feet. SEVENTY percent.

That is why what is on your feet is so important: it is the one thing between the world and your brain. It could really dumb your senses down a lot.

What do you think you would do better with, a blindfold or numb feet? Would you want to test it out?

boy_blindfolded_running

or

images

 

More on Running Biomechanics

Running Biomechanics Sessions

Mizuno’s BE, my new training (NOT running) shoes

Dec8

A few weeks before Berlin I got these lovely shoes… Let me shoe you (ha, pun intended!)!
 
 
 
The sole is super thin and bendable. The insteresting part is inside… your toes are pretty much, hanging out, literally. The way Samurais did it years and years ago.
 
 
See? I know, it’s hard to understand… Here is the Mizuno version
 
Before you say anything, THESE ARE NOT FOR RUNNING!
 
You wear them around the house, or to work (??) (I do!) or wherever. But Mizuno is very clear that they are not for running. NOT RUNNING.
 
So, this idea is based on the Waraji sandals the Samurai and Japanese foot soldiers wore. 
 
They are supposed to develop your muscles and tendons by engaginging your toes.
Anway, not wanting to do anything crazy before my marathon I started wearing them when I came back. Ha, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to walk around much with my toes hanging out, like they  were about to jump off a cliff or something. And I was quite aware of it all for the first minutes every time I got up. Then I’d forget. And so on.
 
I felt the soreness the day after. Which I loved, so I kept wearing them more and more.  After a couple of days I wore them without even a second thought! Not only I didn’t feel anything weird with  my toes, but my toes really got used to moving around.
 
I really like them. They’re super light weight and a great tool to make your feet stronger as well as challenge and engage them. I am not sure I can tell you how much they’ve made my feet better but I definitely feel they are a lot more active these days.

Mizuno’s BE, my new training (NOT running) shoes