As a personal trainer, I watch people workout (even when I'm working out). One of the most used pieces of exercise equipment is the treadmill. You will make a tough workout even tougher when you "fight against yourself" as you run! What do I mean by this? You "fight against yourself" when you have terrible running mechanics.
When you are running straight ahead, you want to do so efficiently with nothing impeding your progress. If your running mechanics are bad, you make a tough workout even tougher and you are headed for running injuries.
I will cover two of the most common running mechanics errors that I see at health clubs.
1) Foot Contact
How your foot lands when it strikes the ground is important. Your foot will strike the ground toes-first, ball-of-the-foot first, flat-footed or heel-first.
If you over-stride, you will land heel-first. When you land on your heel, your leg is straight and extended in front of your body. This causes impact through your heel up to the knee and hip. You are also headed for many injuries of the foot, ankle, knee and hip. Shin splints is a common running injury caused by over-striding. You are also slowing yourself down (braking) when you land heel-first.
Toe-first foot strike causes an up and down motion and puts a lot of stress on the calf muscles. And to land flat-footed causes a choppy, rigid running style.
The ideal foot landing is on the ball-of-the-foot with your foot slightly rolling inward (pronation). This type of landing, which is directly under your hips (center of gravity), will help cushion your landing and is the most efficient. Excessive pronation of the foot is not efficient and should be corrected with the proper running shoe or consultation with your doctor. Excessive foot pronation can be caused by weak lower leg muscles or bad running mechanics.
2) Arm Position
Two of the most common arm position running mistakes are these:
A) You have little or no use of the arm swing while running. You should use your arms to help you run faster. Pumping your arms fast will help you run faster and more efficient. Also, when you get fatigued, a fast arm pump can help propel you to the finish.
B) Your arms are swinging across the body (flailing side to side). If you are running straight ahead, you will definitely be slowed down by swinging your arms across your body (fighting against yourself)! Use the shoulders (and not the elbows) to pump the arms as fast as possible. The hands should be relaxed in unballed fists with the front hand rising up to about nose level and the back hand passing the buttocks. Move each arm as one piece (straight up and down) with the elbow bent at 90 degrees.
As a personal trainer, I watch people workout (even when I'm working out). One of the most used pieces of exercise equipment is the treadmill. You will make a tough workout even tougher when you "fight against yourself" as you run! What do I mean by this? You "fight against yourself" when you have terrible running mechanics.
When you are running straight ahead, you want to do so efficiently with nothing impeding your progress. If your running mechanics are bad, you make a tough workout even tougher and you are headed for running injuries.
Read my post about running mechanics to see a full discussion on the topic.
I will cover two of the most common running mechanics errors that I see at health clubs.
1) Foot Contact
How your foot lands when it strikes the ground is important. Your foot will strike the ground toes-first, ball-of-the-foot first, flat-footed or heel-first.
If you over-stride, you will land heel-first. When you land on your heel, your leg is straight and extended in front of your body. This causes impact through your heel up to the knee and hip. You are also headed for many injuries of the foot, ankle, knee and hip. Shin splints is a common running injury caused by over-striding. You are also slowing yourself down (braking) when you land heel-first.
Toe-first foot strike causes an up and down motion and puts a lot of stress on the calf muscles. And to land flat-footed causes a choppy, rigid running style.
The ideal foot landing is on the ball-of-the-foot with your foot slightly rolling inward (pronation). This type of landing, which is directly under your hips (center of gravity), will help cushion your landing and is the most efficient. Excessive pronation of the foot is not efficient and should be corrected with the proper running shoe or consultation with your doctor. Excessive foot pronation can be caused by weak lower leg muscles or bad running mechanics.
2) Arm Position
Two of the most common arm position running mistakes are these:
A) You have little or no use of the arm swing while running. You should use your arms to help you run faster. Pumping your arms fast will help you run faster and more efficient. Also, when you get fatigued, a fast arm pump can help propel you to the finish.
B) Your arms are swinging across the body (flailing side to side). If you are running straight ahead, you will definitely be slowed down by swinging your arms across your body (fighting against yourself)! Use the shoulders (and not the elbows) to pump the arms as fast as possible. The hands should be relaxed in unballed fists with the front hand rising up to about nose level and the back hand passing the buttocks. Move each arm as one piece (straight up and down) with the elbow bent at 90 degrees.
Remember these tips the next time you're running!