Tag Archive | running biomechanics

Running Biomechanics: Do you sit all day?

May23

Practice does not makes perfect. Perfect Practice makes Perfect!!

Check how you’re sitting, right now. Is your posture not so perfect? Are you also hunching down?

Your body gets used to this form and this becomes your normal position/posture. Your core gets week, your glutes disappear, etc. There are many studies that conclude that sitting is one of the worst things you can do for your health.

If you work in an office, get a standing desk if you can. Or schedule a 5 minute walk and stretch every hour.

I like to lower my desktop (I place it on a stool) and squat a few times a day for a bit. Or just get up and walk often, sit back, and make sure you do a few drills to straighten up before your run, or your all-day-slouchy-form will catch up with you, literally.

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Running Form: top 10 at Healthy Kidney’s 10k in Central Park

May11

Video from Mile 4.

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

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