Running Form Basics - Lower Body Mechanics Part 1
Hey! I’m Coach Andrew Simmons Head Running Coach at Lifelong Endurance. I’ve spent the last 6 years honing my skills and developing a method to help athletes unlock free speed by working on their running form.
Taking the time to focus on your form allows you to simultaneously build fitness, run faster, and stay injury free. On average 67% of runners will see at least one running injury, 56% will see more than one injury in the next 2 years. What was the biggest factor that if improved could lower a runners risk? Improving their running form and mechanics.
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Lower Body Mechanics Explained
Knee Drive |Mid-Stance| Heel Return
Respect your Center of Gravity
Understanding your center of gravity can be a bit tricky - it’s sometimes described as your internal balance point. As athletes, we are constantly using our limbs to keep ourselves in balance as we move through space. As we change the position of our limbs (figure 3) we can see how our Center of Gravity moves, this is critical to understanding the lower-body mechanics of a runner. As in our previous blog post we discussed counter-rotation and counter-movement - the same rules apply below the waist but now we have to integrate our relationship with the ground.
It’s well known that when we run we absorb 6-7x our own body weight (force) with every foot strike. These forces are known as ground reaction forces (GRF) and like most objects on earth are constrained by Newton’s 3rd Law - “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. Simply put, what we put into the ground we take back up into our body. Lucky for us muscle, tendons, and bone are really good at taking up reasonable and regular amounts of force. Excessive and/or repetitive force in abstract directions is when we can run into over use injuries like Stress Fractures, IT Band Syndrome, and Runner’s Knee.
This becomes really clear when you start to think about your joints and feet - especially when you disrespect your center of gravity. In Figure 2 you can see how the heel is striking in front of the runners center of mass, only to be made worse by the limited use of the foot and a knee joint at end range of motion. Joints aren’t intended to be compressed at the end range of motion and you can only imagine how the ankle and knee feel after 22,800 foot strikes in a marathon. There is a lot of controversy around how the foot should land in relationship with the ground. Heel First? Forefoot? Mid-Foot? Honestly, it doesn’t really matter - I’m not concerned about where you land on your foot as much as I am concerned about where it lands in relationship to your center of gravity. Respect your center of gravity.
Knee Drive/ Front Side Mechanics
I have always coached my runners that attend my clinics to think of their knee drive as a way of “making room” in their stride so they have more time to get their legs underneath their center of gravity. The distinct upward drive of the knee in combination with the upward drive of the opposite side arm we is what creates the “flight” phase of a runner, without a distinct drive of the knee runners have to accelerate and extend their lower leg resulting in a knee at end range of motion landing heel first.
A distinct drive up and forward of the knee also requires that the pelvis is in a neutral position, an anteriorly (forward) tilt of the hips will limit your ability to lift your knee in drive phase. Focus on cueing good up right posture and a lean from the ankle to help avoid an anteriorly rotated pelvis. Anterior Pelvic Tilt shown in Figure 4 shows that it’s not just the hip flexors that can be impacted - numerous runners injuries can be associated with pelvic tilt - IT Band Syndrome, Low Glute activation (and pain), Piriformis/ Psoas Pain, and “back pain” that is likely a result of a weak gluteus medius/ minimus.
Knee Drive is only one part of the equation - the momentum for knee drive is created by the heel closing the gap between your hamstrings and heels.
Exercises to consider
Heel Return/ Backside Mechanics
The concentric contraction that brings your heel to your hamstrings Figure 5(a) is prominent in sprinters and most professional distance runners this is prefaced by proper hip extension as seen in Figure 5(c). This combination is what creates the momentum to easily carry and drive your opposite knee while you are in mid-stance. When we dig deep in to Figure 5(c) we can see that the extended hip is facilitated by a strong left elbow all in sync with a great push off with the right foot. You can imagine that his next foot fall will be directly underneath his center of gravity. So how do we build in better heel return?
Landing
For this post we’re keeping things simple as we will cover this in a future post. You shouldn’t worry about how your foot lands on the ground. Your concern should first be on where it lands in respect to your CoG. Under your center of gravity, not in front! We’ll talk more about this in Lower Body Mechanics Part 2.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
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Resources
http://www.thehealthygamer.com/2013/06/04/nasm-chapter-12-speed-agility-and-quickness-training/#:~:text=Improved%20frontside%20mechanics%20is%20associated,hip%20extension%2C%20and%20neutral%20pelvis
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Rehabilitation_of_Running_Biomechanics
https://coreadvantage.com.au/blog/2017/front-side-vs-back-side-mechanics-what-makes-better-sprinters
Lifelong Endurance is a team of endurance coaches located in Denver, CO. We specialize in creating a custom and comprehensive coaching programs for athletes centered around the individual goals and needs of each athlete. We believe in educating you with the tools you need to succeed from day one. Our services include in-person and virtual coaching options from running form to strength training, triathlon coaching and group strength training, we're focused on your success every step of the way.
