A fair number of people run awkwardly without even realizing that they could be putting themselves at risk for an injury or at the very least compromising their ability to get the most out of a workout. Subtle alterations to the way you run can allow you to move faster and make it farther than you would have previously imagined possible, and thankfully, a new report has offered a few insights into how you could improve your exercise in this regard.
A lot of runners take either too few steps or too many, when what you want to strive to achieve is a middle ground. Having the right gait can keep you from expending an excessive amount of energy.
Therefore, don’t leap with every single step you take. You want to propel your body forward naturally, allowing yourself to be carried through a run, but that doesn’t mean that every single step should feel like you’re setting up a long jump. By the same token, you don’t want to shuffle your feet too close to one another, as doing so inhibits the momentum you’ve built up and requires far more energy than simply letting loose. Try to find a comfortable interval for your steps.
Possibly even more important than how often your feet hit the ground, though, is what section of your foot is making contact. Again, the middle path is perhaps the best way to run. If you put too much pressure on the balls of your feet, you could be straining the arch of your foot unnecessarily, leading to excessive soreness. But if you’re bringing your heels down first, you’re going to wear away at the pad of your heel and send impacts reverberating throughout your body.
You want to distribute a potential impact throughout the entirety of your foot, and the best way to do this is to try to land in the middle with as much of your foot as possible. This can take some getting used to, for sure, but if you can strive to master such a technique, you could find that soreness in your feet and legs after a workout gets reduced dramatically.
Runners also want to get out of the habit of something that might be depicted as roller-coaster running. Basically, you don’t want to be thrusting your legs forward like you’re doing the limbo, as this puts excessive pressure on your legs. Similarly, you don’t want to move with your head charging forward, as this can place an unwarranted amount of strain on your lower back.
Instead, try to get your back perfectly straight and let your legs remain beneath you as you run. That way, you can rest assured your posture will be optimal and your strides will work for you rather than against you.
There’s more to be gleaned for the ideal run, so be sure to click the link up above for more information.
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