When runners prepare for their initial event by tying their shoelaces, they usually have a specific objective in mind, which could be as fundamental as asserting something like:
- “I’m going to run as far as I can today”
- “I’m going to run for 30 minutes”
- “My training plan says I have to hit 4 miles today”
- “This is a speed work day”
Form is an essential part of any effective training regime and often neglected by athletes, despite the significance of having fundamental time and distance targets.
Having good form should be a primary focal point in your training program, as it can assist athletes in their running performance.
- Avoid Injury (and miss fewer workouts due to injury)
- Conserve Energy
- Increase Speed without Increasing Intensity
Learning about proper form may be a new experience for most runners, as coaches typically advise on running times and distances rather than technique. If you are working with a coach, it may be worth asking for advice on form and even meeting with them in person for a closer look at your stride. Alternatively, consider sending your coach a video if you are working with them online. In addition, there are various resources available to help runners improve their form, such as the ChiRunning, POSE, or Good Form methods. Each program has its own approach, so it may be beneficial to do some research and choose the one that resonates with you. To ensure proper form, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
What is Ideal Posture?
In essence, perfect posture involves aligning the body’s various systems into a straight line. These systems, which consist of one or more bones and joints, such as the lower leg, thigh, pelvis, trunk, neck, and head, are separate from each other. Therefore, the concept of “alignment” emphasizes the notion that each system should stack up in a straight line.
Alignment comprises both position and angle as its two dimensions.
Repositioning
The position of each system, such as the ribcage, is determined by its alignment with adjacent systems. Specifically, whether the ribcage is stacked on top of the pelvis and if the neck is stacked on top of the ribcage.
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The orientation of each system is determined by its angle. Is the angle of each system neutral or is it tilted too far forward or backward? The optimal scenario is to have minimal forward or backward tilt in each system. However, the spine has two small extension curves (lumbar and cervical) that are offset by a flexion curve in the thoracic area. These curvatures should be minimal in an efficient state but may be exaggerated when inefficiencies occur.
5 Tips for Proper Posture
- Maintain a straight line between the ears, shoulders, hip joint, and ankles while in a standing stance (or in the recovery phase of your run as pictured).
- Core strength is key! The only tension you should feel while running is in your lower abs. By keeping your core engaged you’ll prevent yourself from folding at the hips. When in this position, you’re body will engage the psoas muscles to help lift the legs as you move forward.
- Keeping in alignment will help your muscles work less. When you’re in proper alignment your skeletal system will help support your body weight. This allows your leg muscles to be used for the sole purpose of helping you move forward (not for supporting your body weight).
- Check if you’re in alignment by setting your posture and then looking down and seeing if you can see your shoelaces. Or, you can check your posture line looking at a side view of your body in a full-length mirror. Either way, your shoulders, hips and ankles should always line up. If you’re not in good alignment you may notice that you experience some back pain, or tension in your glutes, calves, ankles or feet, as well as possible posterior neck pain.
- Imagine you’re being pulled forward by a cable connected to a giant parasail attached at the crown of your head. It lifts you up as it pulls you forward. Ensure you feel a very slight tension in your lower abs, and you’ll move in alignment.
Remember these tips for at least 50% of your run and you will be on your way to running with increased efficiency and without pain.
Poor Posture Makes Running Slow and Painful
The impact of positional or angle problems on running efficiency may seem minor, but the consequences are significant. While our previous article on posture argued that “poor posture leads to heightened landing impact,” it was only a small aspect of the issue. An orientation that is tilted backward, either in position or angle, shifts the body’s center of gravity backwards, making it simpler to over-extend. Over-extending will create excessive braking forces that the body must absorb.
The ability to propel oneself is greatly impacted by poor posture. One major way is through inefficient stacking which hinders the hips from pushing off effectively. When the pelvis is positioned too far forward on a backward-leaning trunk, it limits the hips’ ability to fully extend backwards.
In addition, improper posture significantly hinders the ability of the anterior core (abdominal muscles) to function effectively. Adequate activation of the core muscles necessitates proper positioning and alignment of the spine and pelvis. In the event that the positioning is incorrect, such as when the trunk is shifted away from the pelvis or excessively tilted, the abdominal muscles become overstretched and can lose their activation.
Having a dysfunctional abdomen is a major issue as the abdominal muscles not only assist in stabilizing the body during landing but are also crucial in enhancing hip flexion during running. The lower abdominal muscles, in particular, are vital in flexing the leg upward and ahead. In the absence of a properly functioning abdomen, the hip flexors will tire rapidly, making the stride feeble or causing an overextended, inefficient landing.
In conclusion, inadequate alignment of the trunk and pelvis can lead to difficulty in breathing. Specifically, improper positioning of the ribcage can hinder the optimal expansion and contraction of the lungs, resulting in inefficient breathing.
No matter how much physical training and mental strength one possesses, weak push-off, weak forward lift, and poor breathing cannot be overcome. Consequently, poor posture leads to slow and uncomfortable running.
Shore It Up: Find (And Maintain) Your Posture Neutral
Achieving a neutral posture is not as difficult as it may seem. To do so, just grab a full-length mirror and your two hands. Here are the steps to follow:
Sensation Test: Start by positioning your hand on your lower abdomen and the other on the center of your chest.
First, stack your hands vertically and then align your trunk and pelvis so that your lower and upper legs are directly beneath the pelvis.
To achieve a neutral bell position, adjust your trunk’s posture so that the ribcage bell is hanging effortlessly. If your trunk is leaned backwards in an extended position, the sternum needs to be relaxed considerably downwards towards the belly button. Conversely, for a forward and flexed trunk, the opposite is true.
If there is a significant change in the angle of the trunk, the shoulders and neck will also move with it. Therefore, position the shoulders in a neutral position on top of the trunk.
Finally, attempt to align the head and neck with the ribcage by pulling the back of the head upwards as if it is being lifted by a string. This typically results in a backward and upward elongation of the neck.
