Learning or re-learningto run, we have said it many times, necessarily goes through some of the
technical basics of running
same. One of these is cadence, with its
180 steps per minute myth
carried on for years and which actually dozens of scientific studies have shown is not then to be pursued at all costs, quite the contrary. Each runner has his or her own cadence and running style, and the most you can do is focus on the method and practice to try to improve it. Someone who is six feet tall will probably have-as is easy to assume-longer legs than someone who is six feet tall; therefore, even just during a walk, the number of steps of these two people will be different, and this will be even more true for running, where many other factors such as center of gravity, foot position, breathing, etc. also come into play. Assumed then that there is no one way to run, there are, however, exercises and workouts that help improve one’s cadence and that apply to every runner in the world. Whether you are a runner who maintains your cadence no matter what happens or varies it according to the pace you need to sustain, you can always make your running more efficient and thus tire less and run longer if you exercise the right way.
THREE EXERCISES TO IMPROVE CADENCE
A stationary exercise before running:
the
running on the spot with high knees
, increasing the speed and height reached by the knees in 30-second sessions (three or four). This exercise improves proprioception, stretches muscles and tendons, and strengthens foot muscles.
An exercise to do while running:
here you already go on the more complex and energy- and mentally-intensive, but I guarantee you that the results will be seen relatively quickly: the high intensity uphill running (preferably steep) alternating with moments of bland running, the celebrated flat-running, said so because it plays them for you (no, it doesn’t, but I couldn’t stop myself from writing it down). Running uphill, trying to reach maximum speed, automatically prompts us to shorten our stride and greatly increase our cadence, causing the gluteal muscles to develop and improve their ability to stretch.
An exercise to do after running:
touching your toes
cross-legged, trying to reach as low as possible with the head. How? You say it is a very trivial stretching exercise? Well yes, you’re probably right, but try it and you’ll see that it will help you stretch your muscles and relax them, stretching them progressively and allow you to have much more mobility and elasticity during your runs.
There are many other exercises you can do to improve cadence, from the simplest to those that are actual Chinese torture-like training sessions (huh? who said anything about 100 x 10 track repeats?), but already with the three you just read about you can get noticeable improvements.
An important tip, however, perhaps the most important of all, is that the cadence you should try to develop is one that allows you to run as well and as long as possible while still allowing you to work the face muscles that you need to the most important thing about running: smiling!
(Main image credits: lzf on DepositPhotos.com)