Running regularly for a long period of time may seem effortless and even fun to you, but it may appear hard and struggle to others. Improving your running form can help you run faster, more efficiently, and comfortably, while also putting less strain on your body and lowering your risk of injury. Every runner’s running form is unique and is determined by their individual strengths and weaknesses. However, the good news is that there are several simple tips to improve your running form to feel lighter and more efficient while you’re running. You’ll appreciate this if you’re training for a race or trying to improve your performance
Go through the simple tips to improve your running form and choose which one to try first – there’s no need to attempt them all at once.
Simple Tips to Improve Your Running Form
Utilize these techniques to improve your form.
1. Look Ahead
Never look at your feet whether you’re walking or running. Your eyes should be focused around 10 to 20 feet ahead of you on the ground. This is not only a good running form, but also it is a safer way to run, as you can notice approaching obstacles and prevent falling.
Does your head extended over while you run? This exerts a lot of stress on the neck and shoulders that can lead to discomfort. In order to avoid leaning forward when jogging, position yourself such that your ears are directly above the middle of your shoulders.
2. Keep Hands at Your Waist
Make an effort to maintain your hands at waist level. You should have your arms bent at a 90-degree angle. Some beginners, especially when they are exhausted, have a tendency to raise their hands high above their chests and hold them there. By holding your arms in this manner, you may actually become more tired, and you may have tightness and stress in your shoulders and neck.
3. Relax Your Hands
Keep your arms and hands as relax as possible when you’re running. Avoid making fists with your hands. If you clench your hands, you’re creating tension in your arms and shoulders which over time can cause considerable pain.
It is ideal to have a relaxed fist. Assume you’re carrying an egg in each hand, and you don’t want to break any of them.
4. Check Your Posture
Maintain a straight and upright posture. Your head should be raised, your back should be straight, and your shoulders should be level. Keep your shoulders under your ears and your pelvis in a neutral position. Check list you’re not leaning forward or back at your waist, which some runners do as they get tired.
Once in a while, take a look at your posture. When you’re exhausted towards the end of a run, it’s natural to slouch slightly, which can result in neck, shoulder, and lower-back pain. When you’re exhausted towards the end of a run, it’s natural to slouch slightly, which can result in neck, shoulder, and lower-back pain.
In order to fight tiredness and keep strong, it’s crucial to maintain good running form at the end of your run.
5. Relax Your Shoulders
Tension in your shoulders, neck, or upper back might make it difficult to move your arms. You need your arms to balance, rhythm and power while you’re running.
As with your legs, the quicker you move, the bigger the arm motion should be. Running slowly, however, should involve little but nevertheless dynamic movement of the arms swinging from the shoulder. The pattern of movement remains constant; only the magnitude of movement changes. This will take you to become used, but when you get tired, keep your arms moving, helping your legs to continue to operate steadily.
6. Control Your Breathing
When running, your breathing should match the general rhythm of your body. It is very likely that the ratios with which you inhale and exhale will change depending on how intense your exercise is. Breathing correctly is crucial to your running technique and should be practiced so that you can keep your composure on race day.
Running with deep abdominal breathing, sometimes known as “stomach breathing,” is highly recommended. Lay down on your back with a book on your abdomen to practice belly breathing. Slowly inhale as the book rises, then slowly exhale as it falls.
7. Rotate Your Arms From the Shoulder
It is your shoulder joint, not your elbow joint, that should be responsible for swinging your arms. Consider your arm to be a pendulum that swings back and forth from your shoulder. Back your elbow and then allow it to swing back toward you.
As your arm comes back in front of you, your hand should be almost touching the rear of your hip. Arms should swing freely at your sides.
After crossing over your chest, they will begin to go up toward your shoulders, causing you to become hunched over. Hunching can make it difficult to take a breath. Make sure your arms are parallel to each other and at your sides.
8. Don't Bounce or Rotate Excessively
Running is a linear motion in which you move in a straight path ahead. Although many of the constituent movements at particular joints and segments require rotation to work properly, your body should not rotate from side to side excessively.
When you run and bounce, also known as vertical oscillation, your head and torso go up and down excessively, wasting a lot of energy. The greater the height at which you raise yourself off the ground, the larger the amount of shock you must absorb when you land, and the faster your legs will tire.
If you want to reduce bounce and conserve energy, run lightly and softly land on your feet. Run lightly and softly on your feet to reduce bounce and preserve energy. Maintain a low-to-the-ground stride and emphasis on swift stride changeover. As if you’re stepping on burning coals, take short, light steps. Consider your steps to be short and light, as if you were stepping on burning coals.
According to some experts, the most effective runners have a cadence of 90, which means their left foot contacts the ground 90 times per minute. Your cadence will increase if you shorten your stride.
Changes in your cadence and foot strike should only be practiced for brief periods of time. You don’t want to overdo it because they will feel weird at first. You’ll be able to do them for longer durations of your running session as they become more natural