Beginner’s Guide to Running with proper technique
By the end of this article, you will be convinced to put on your shoes, that you bought in the last sale, and go for a run.
Well..What if I am not able to do? Then, you can try reading the article again, unless it is raining outside.
Running looks to be amongst the easiest exercises to start into.
After all, you only need to do to begin running is put on your shoes, leave the house, and get moving.
Yes, technically. But let's first make sure you're rocking the right running form before you set out if you want to assure a pleasant and injury-free jogging streak, especially when you're just getting started.
Starting from the top, we'll work our way down while providing hints.
Why bother concentrating so much on your running form, to begin with? Isn't it enough that we have running skills from when we were young?
Unfortunately, a lot of lifestyle factors—both in our daily lives and while we're on the go—influence how we hold and move our bodies.
Your posture, mobility, and running form will all be affected by things like hunching over your phone and spending hours sitting still.
These less-than-ideal patterns might make it harder for you to swing your arms, put strain on your lower back, and change the stride of your feet into a shuffle.
But that doesn't mean you have to continue with this. You may build a proper running form that will keep you moving effectively and jogging injury-free with a little practice.
Head Position
When working on having proper running form, the head is our initial point of contact.
It's become natural for us to slump a little in our daily lives since we spend so much time at a computer or on a phone.
However, running with your head rounded or slumped over will harm your entire body, therefore it's crucial to maintain proper posture as you run.
Try this trick to be sure!
Make a tripod for your head by placing your pointer finger, middle finger, and thumb across your collarbone.
Your pointer finger should rest directly beneath your chin. If it doesn't, make the necessary adjustments and try to hold that position for the duration of your run.
Beginner Running Technique: Shoulder Position & Arm Swing
Shoulder tension is another factor that contributes to the slouched posture. Fortunately, it's a simple repair!
Simply remind yourself to relax and roll back your shoulders while jogging, frequently checking in to see whether they have crept up since the previous time you looked.
Beginning runners frequently let their arms swing across their torso, which diminishes the strength of the swing!
Instead, keep your arms on the sides of your body, swinging forwards and backwards, with your head up and shoulders back.
Beginner Running Technique: Hips
Our hip posture greatly influences stride length and shape.
Your hips must be straight, with your hip bones facing front, for a healthy, long stride. As if your hip bones were automobile headlights, they should constantly be blazing ahead!
Maintaining an upright pelvis allows for a longer stride and activates the hamstrings and glutes, resulting in a more uniform distribution of weight on the legs.
If you are running along a line on the ground, keep your feet equidistant from it the whole time, or just imagine you’re doing this if there is no line.
If your feet start to drift closer to your center as you run, chances are you’re collapsing into your hips as you land. Periodically check in and make sure there is adequate distance between your knees.
Beginner Running Technique: Legs & Feet
Start by concentrating on how your legs lift off the ground when practising leg technique.
Our running stride should ideally fall exactly in the centre of a "high knee" and a "butt kick."
To avoid the run appearing too much like any of those workouts, try to bring your feet up directly behind your pelvis.
Let's now discuss our feet! You're not bringing your feet up high enough off the ground if you're scuffing the ground as you run. Focus on the pulling technique suggested above to counteract this.
Try to pick your feet up a little bit faster, generating a rapidity and lightness in your run, if you're landing too heavily on your feet and sort of stamping on the ground as you land.
Beginner Running Technique: The Workout
Now, if you are wondering if we have completed then think again!
It’s just begun.
Time to put on your shoes, remember those that you bought…in the last sale, and have been waiting to go out of your home.
Let's combine everything, shall we? Go for a 30-minute run on an easy course to do this. Save the killer hills for a different day!
Before trying to incorporate all six elements for the entirety of your next run, we’re going to break it down into smaller chunks. Observe what your body is already doing, then make adjustments.
You will run as usual for the first three minutes of those thirty minutes, which will be divided into four-minute intervals.
Spend the fourth minute of your run concentrating on one of these body areas after every three minutes of running: head, shoulders, arm swing, hips, legs, feet. That’ll account for the first 24 minutes of your run.
Finally, allow everything to come together for the last six minutes of your run while focusing on the body areas that require the most adjustment mid-run to work on running with the best form you can.
Whew! It might take a lot of work to get into ideal running form, especially in the beginning.
Don't feel as though you need to get everything right the first time. Even just beginning to make your form more conscious will help you move in the correct way.
On the other hand, try to refrain from performing this once and then abandoning it.
Try to include these activities into your training runs on a regular basis, much like you may perform hill intervals once per week.
The development of good running form needs time and practise.
The more you do it, the more natural it will seem, and the more powerful you'll feel when you run!
Let’s Kriyate!
