Table Of ContentImprove Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
ROY PALMER
www.fitness-programs-for-life.com
copyright Roy Palmer www.fitness-programs-for-life.com
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Improve Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
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copyright Roy Palmer www.fitness-programs-for-life.com
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Improve Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
Video & Podcast Instructions
This ebook is contains a number of videos and podcasts so you will need to be
online to get access to these extras. The videos require Adobe’s Flash Player,
if you not currently have this installed on your PC you can download it for free
from a link on the video pages.
The podcasts can be downloaded directly to your PC via the links throughout
this program. These can then be copied to your mp3 player and taken on your
run if you wish.
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Improve Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
Introducing The Program
Okay, hands up all those who were taught to run? Not many eh! If you were
seriously taking up golf, tennis or a martial art we wouldn’t consider doing it
without instruction. Yes I know most of us assume we can all run because it’s
just like walking only quicker, it’s only putting one foot in front of the other –
right?
Well you would have thought so, but from my own experience and from
working with many runners I believe few adults run ‘naturally’, that is, most of
us have at least one bad habit interfering with our running.
A poor running technique may not be immediately obvious but eventually the
aches and pains start to turn into irritating injuries and if you are not careful
these turn into great big injuries that stop you running!
What I hope to achieve with this program is to show you how to identify poor
habits that may be making your running harder than it should be. A good
running technique will not only dramatically reduce the risk of injury, it will
also help to improve your speed, stamina and most importantly, your
understanding and enjoyment of this most rewarding activity.
Right! Let’s get started.
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Improve Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
1. Running Technique
(or Falling forward with style)
Your running technique is very important. Get this wrong and you will severely
limit the benefit you get from running; it could eventually lead to an injury
that could prevent you participating in any physical activity – believe me, I
know this because I’ve done it! But get this right and running will become a
very enjoyable, rewarding lifelong activity – and not just from the fitness
angle. I hope that has got your attention because very few runners give this
enough serious thought.
I am not going to insist you run in a particular style because there is no one-
size fits all technique. The approach I take is to eliminate poor movement
patterns that interfere with all activities and not just running. Once you can
rid yourself of patterns that lead to poor movement your natural running style
will emerge.
Stop doing the wrong things and the right things
will take care of themselves!
Most people incorrectly assume that they know how to run; after all, we could
do it as children. But it may have been sometime since you last ran and do you
still have the same body? Years of sitting at a desk, dealing with a stressful job
or being inactive will have changed your body shape.
We will start by looking at the basic building blocks of running so we can break
down the action. Perhaps your current experience of running is not a happy
one. Perhaps you are suffering from recurring injuries or your times and
distances are static, well now it’s time to move on and see what can be
achieved with a completely new mindset. (Yes running technique is not all
about the physical stuff!)
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Improve Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
I want you to think of running as the movement of your limbs to push the
ground away in order to propel yourself forward at a speed of your choosing.
Get your technique right and the movement will feel free and light and
consequently a real joy.
Much of the activity during running requires little or no effort relying instead
on the momentum from earlier activity, the location of joints and the contact
with the ground. Many runners can benefit from learning to let go at the right
time to reduce interference, save energy and develop an efficient style.
The following activities over the page will help you to appreciate how to
reduce effort in your style. You may think that surely the whole idea of running
is to use effort and burn calories. However, for the majority it is misapplied
effort that causes injury and prevents them from staying active! Not a good
way to keep in shape. When you are more experienced you can exert yourself
more but an efficient running style is essential if you want to keep on running.
We want to focus on the joy of running and not the effort.
See next page for the first activity.
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Improve Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
Activity #1: Pendulums
I mentioned earlier that much of the activity of running requires less effort
than you think. One of these is the leg swing, a movement that makes up a
considerable amount of the action.
1. Sit on the edge of a table so the whole of your upper legs down to the
knees are in contact.
2. Bring back your left leg until it is underneath the table and then let it go
so it will swing forward. It is important to let it go and not to swing it
forward yourself.
3. Let alternate legs swing with minimal effort (just give them a little
nudge) and think of each leg as a pendulum. If you are experiencing the
need to make them swing by using your hamstrings or quadriceps, think
of the space at the back of your knee joint and let go from there.
Let’s try a similar experiment with you arms.
1. Stand and think of a line from the tip of your shoulders through the
biceps, down the arm to your thumbs. Or just think ‘long arms’.
2. As with the legs, see if you can get your arms swinging straight and by
your side with a minimal effort without lifting your shoulders.
3. Now let you arms bend at the elbow, place your thumb lightly on your
index finger, keep your fingers relaxed and again swing your arms
without the shoulders lifting. Your hands should be relaxed, nether
clenched into a fist or fingers held straight. These actions of your limbs
will help to propel you forward whilst running but require less effort
than most runners use.
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Improve Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
Activity #2: Backs to the wall
This is a very useful procedure to help you swing your legs from the right place
to prevent excessive twisting of your pelvis and lower back when running, both
actions reduce the efficiency of your technique and lead to injury.
1. Stand with your back to a wall with your only your shoulder blades and
buttocks making contact. You will need to stand with your heels away
from the wall, the distance depends on the tone in your gluteus
maximus! The back of your head does not touch the wall and should be
resting on top of your spine – remember the nodding donkey.
2. Allow yourself to stand tall (just think this, don’t do it) and appreciate
the floor pushing back up. Be aware of the location of the hip, knee and
ankle joint of your left leg.
3. Imagine a thread attached to your left knee and allow your leg to
release from the hip and ankle joint and allow the thread to pull the
knee forward.
4. Roll onto the ball of the left foot without taking the weight off it. Your
pelvis should neither drop or lose contact with the wall – but don’t push
back. If you have pulled forward or dropped the pelvis you are not
releasing from the hip joint.
5. Hold this position for a few moments and be aware of the contact with
the floor and wall. Focus on the support you are getting from the right
foot and think up from the sole up through your right leg, up your back,
right to the top of your head.
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Improve Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
Use the wall only as reference to whether you are moving the pelvis to
move your leg. You should not push back or lean against the wall.
6. Slowly let your knee come back so your left heel returns to the floor and
be aware of the responding push that comes as your shin bones
straightens and pushes back up through your thigh bone.
Repeat on the opposite side and when you are able to do this without swaying
or losing contact with the wall, start to increase the speed until closer to
walking speed. This activity is very useful for running as it allows you to
appreciate how to all your legs to swing without undue movement of the pelvis.
See btw_video for a video of this procedure.
Okay. Let’s start moving – see next page.
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Improve Your Running Technique: Reduce Injuries & Enhance Performance
Activity #3: One small step
The objective with this procedure is to practise a simple movement without
using unnecessary effort to carry it out.
1. Stand with your feet below your hip joints and
let your arms rest by your side.
2. Think of taking a step forward but do not start
to move. Observe what you want to do to get
ready to step forward. Do you lean to one side?
Are you starting to fall forward or hold your
breath?
3. Now think about light coming from your centre
and flowing along your arms, up your spine and
through the top of your head as in the previous
activity.
4. Keep this thought going and release your knee
forward away from your hip and imagine falling
up as you step forward.
This is about appropriate timing and minimal effort.
To take a step forward you have to release and allow
the movement to start with only the slightest effort to
let the knee bend and lift. It’s like a car on a hill releasing its brake. Just as
with the Pendulums procedure this will help you to let your legs swing when
running.
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