Yngwie!! 🤘🤘

I am an 800m runner and did not understand this and thought it was confusing/BS. But it just clicked the other day on my run - if you dont understand think about it like this: when you are running, focus on moving your femurs forwards in order to move, rather than your lower legs. Putting the focus on "running with your femurs" in order to move will force your knees and heels to go higher, then you can relax your lower legs and trust them to catch you. My whole life I have been running thinking about moving my lower legs/feet forwards if that makes sense? I also did the new technique in a track session and had one of the best track sessions I have ever done (according to my coach who I hadnt even told about this). This is also true for walking to a lesser extent, and I have always had a short stride and quick turnover because of it. Now I feel I can get more power out of every step instead

Excellent explanation ❤

and some just have bad JOINTS and easier to feet closer to the ground.

I have a huge problem with hell striking and not lifting my feet up and bringing my legs to far forward what is the best tip to relax my legs into a better motion if I don't do it naturally?

Thank you SO MUCH for this tip! I was struggling to increase my cadence and brought my arms in, up, and swung them faster -- instant 180+ cadence without any thinking. Still struggling to maintain it on really slow, easy runs because then my pace gets too fast with a faster cadence, but this tip has been invaluable.

When I was still a beginner my heart rate increases more when I lift my leg higher compared to lower with the same speed. . But as of now it is the opposite. It is probably due to the muscles not yet developed compared.

Called tripod from a young age, I'm a well hung runner who maximizes thrust without too much lateral flop.

Really good advice. I have improved my time a lot when running. I had a bad habit to drag my feet when getting fatigued, you think it'd be easier to run but it's actually not.

i can't take you seriously if you are heel striking...

The elites at the end are all overstriding. Bekele never used to heelstrike or overstride back in 90s and early 00s but when he switched to roads the unhealthy cushioned shoes changed his form for the worst. Thabkfully they fixed that before his marathon PB. Even elites can overstride, some of the fastest runners in my town have the worst heel striking form I've seen, more heel strike than a bowling alley so we can't go by how fast someone is. Just take off your shoes and you will learn everything you need to know how to run efficiently.

Saw your item on foot lift rather than strike being important. Virtually every coach online talks about foot strike. Once again the experts are wrong. Congratulations. What you said is 100% true. Concentrate on the foot lift and your form improves straight away. It is instantaneous and so easy.

That treadmill demo was eye opening. I think I'm tensing up and wasting a lot of energy trying to apply all of the "rules" of proper form, instead of relaxing and letting my body do what feels natural.

I was half expecting him to go out running with a technique worthy of the ministry of silly walks in the end

Gah- shoes on the pillow! TRIGGERED!!! 😂 Another banger of a video, thanks! From someone with a broken circadian rhythm who simply can't sleep, so focuses on all the other details.

Finally... vindicated!! I have exercise induced asthma, so would often have asthma attacks after sprints. My go to position to recover was hands on knees, but people would always lecture me to put my hands over my head... which just felt AWFUL! And the self selected cadence bit was a relief too! Heck, it was all fascinating!

The reason people have bad running form is because of shoes. Running in shoes is like trying to play darts with a blindfold on. A coach can only show you what they 'think' is correct technique for 'you' but running barefoot provides the feedback necessary to learn how to run gently and efficiently. Your soles can teach you more than any running coach ever could and that is only their opinion on what is the best way for you to run. Running should come naturally as a spider doesn't need an architect course to spin a web they do it instinctively. Shoes interfere with your stride programming, we all should of learned from a young age under 10 how to run without shoes and programmed a natural stride but we can learn by taking our shoes off and listening to our soles. 10K barefoot running a week is all you need so that when you run in shoes you know and recall the correct gait patterns.

Fredrik! Hero!

I agree completely. In my case, with 90 kg, I came to the conclusion that for me the best thing to do is the opposite of what the elite runners do.

Spot on advice. More people need to hear this. Sleep Strength Run more Eat better

Please could you make a video of some exercises for preventing shin splints?

Hilarious outro. Thanks for your videos.

👏👏

Preferred cadence is a by-product of fitness level and environment (including changes in ground gradient). In essence, preferred cadence is determined by muscular contractions and center of mass relative to the ground. But, this preferred cadence may or may not be optimal. Like you noted in your example, shifting cadence for a runner based on "feel" can yield good results. However, that does not conflict with optimal cadence defined by the laws of motion that also aligns with optimal biomechanics. However, biomechanics frequently conflicts with aerobic ability (or in ultra endurance events it also conflicts with metabolism efficiency). Your example of a spinning skater is correct, but it also illustrates the difference between optimal and preferred rotational speed. While tucking the arms closer increases speed, extending them may be preferable if the athlete can't maintain the physical ability needed for a faster spin. In running this ability is called aerobic capacity. However, the key distinction in the skating example is that rotational speed depends solely on momentum, as force is applied only at the beginning. In contrast, running involves both momentum and repeated force application to maintain forward motion. This is an important difference when it comes to limits defined by the aerobic capacity of the athlete. Running speed (pace) is determined by two factors: 1) Distance covered per "push-off" (stride) 2) Steps per minute (cadence) To increase pace, you must increase stride, cadence, or both. STRIDE is primarily limited by LEG LENGTH (height), while CADENCE is constrained by FITNESS level and environmental factors, unlike a skater's arm position during a spin. Laws of Motions in Physics (not ability) define most of a skaters spin while physical ability plays a bigger role in running. In short, cadence and spin are not equivalents. Spin is force applied once while cadence is force applied repeatedly. Higher cadences are typically more optimal but may not be preferred if the runner can't sustain them. Targeting higher cadences can improve fitness over time, but it won't necessarily lead to more efficient running based on overall pace for an extended race unless the runner specifically trains at that higher cadence. This is no different than training at different paces to run faster and where increasing cadence is a more universal way to increase pace since leg length is fixed. The balance between efficient pace and efficient cadence varies for each runner. However, the optimal pace based solely on physics remains constant. Achieving this balance requires individualized training and adaptation. And, where cadence is most adaptable since stride is mostly a by-product of leg length. This is why increasing cadence over time as a goal is a more effective way to improve pace. In effect, this shifts the "runner's comfort level/feel" (i.e., aerobic AND biomechanical efficiency) toward a faster pace at a faster cadence (for most).

Previously focused so much on forced-consistency in performance that I’d actually trip over my own feet. Fredrik, thank you, you’re the first coach to actually help me find a more sustainable way of improving my cadence, so performance improves naturally.

8:20 You are probably right. But lines on photos are definitely overexaggerated. On left COM line doesn't go through hip, more like through TFL. On right COM line goes more over hip joint. Also on left she is touching ground already, while on right I think she is still fully in the air.

Thank you Fredrik! 🙏 I will put these exercises into practice as I rehab my calf. I now know why my calf probably failed thanks to you! 🙏

Conclusion: If you start with perfect running techniques, then the cadence will automaticly also be perfect ! 🤔

Excellent analysis. 15 years ago I was an over-striding heel striker and in more or less constant agony. My natural gait was definitely not optimal. Fixing the over stride adjusted me to a midfoot strike and I've been pain-free running ever since.

Do you need strong hamstrings to hold the leg in flexion (90degrees) for a good knee drive? How should you strengthen?

What are some of these angles and things to change to make you lighter and to naturally increase cadence?

Thanks Fredrik, I've benefited greatly from your videos! There are so many so called running form coaches giving bad and dangerous advice out in KZfaq land!

Very good, esp.foot down or foot up. Lawrence Van Lingren coaches 'don't run towards the finish line, run the finish line to you. Imagine you are spinning the world under you'. IMO this encourages the foot to linger a bit on the ground. I ask people to imagine they are running across ants but not hurting them. My 76yo wife said she preferred thinking about running across hot coals and onour run immediately went from heavy-footed 8:00 miling to flying 6:15 miling! Only for a few hundered meters but I was amazed at the effect (foot up instead of down in hert case and reduced GCT).

🎉

Tremendously helpful! Best running form tip!

Always very interesting videos! Thanks!

Fredrik! What an excellent video! You explain actually quite complicated biomechanical systems very clearly! Thank you so much! Many years ago I needed to learn how to run better and got sucked into the whole Pose/Chi/barefoot rabbit hole and only learned how little science they actually know. Great to see someone who explains in simple terms what we actually need to do to become more efficient runners. When I recover from injury I shall be buying your course. Thank you 🙏

I refuse to do anything else but run, strides for me over jump rope

and they say running isn't a skill...

😂

Heel off

😂

Haha this video made me laugh, I used to run in barefoot shoes with my toe pointing downward (plantarflex) before each footstrike but now since I run from the hips and allow my heel to kiss the ground my foot is level before impact.

You lean forward from the ankles when beginning your run, you lean forward in mid-stance, when both feet are off the ground you don't lean foward but once the first foot hits the ground in mid-stance you are again leaning forward.

Man I love the power of internet! And I'm thankful to have found your video!

DAMN, i run exactly at 7 min mile, for now.

Tack Fredrik. Ska kolla lite mer videos. Jobbar på mitt livs bästa form och fyller 50 nästa år. Konditionsmässigt kan jag glömma det men teknikmässigt absolut. Det blir nog något köp av dig i framtiden för det är du värd.

During yesterday's run this octopus was in the back of my head constantly. Ran more relaxed though.. But still I went into zone3. I always struggle to stay in zone2.

Consider arms amputation to run faster. Thought?

As always, very interesting and helpfull information! I am curious about the "seated position", do ultrarunners run like that? Or maybe the "elevated position" doesn't apply on multiple hour runs?