There’s more to mastering proper running form than meets the eye.
Am I breathing deeply enough?
How much arm swing is too much?"
Additionally, running with proper form willrelieve any pain you might associatewith the cardio exercise.
Here, experts share five major elements of proper running form.
“You want to think about keeping your ears over your shoulders.”
Aim your gaze about 15 to 20 feet straight ahead.
give a shot to avoid a forward-head posture (aka jutting your chin forward).
It can put a strain on your neck, back, and shoulder muscles, says Sharma.
That said, maintaining the right running posture involves a slight forward lean.
“So lean in, just a little.”
Think of bending at your ankles rather than your hips, leaning forward about 10 degrees.
All the more reason to take ankle strength and mobility seriously.
A lot of people tend to overstride, says Sharma.
If your stride is bouncy, that’s a giveaway.
Rather than leaping forward, think about directing force into the ground and behind you once your foot lands.
“Slower runners average around 160 steps per minute.”
So if you’re taking far more than that, you might want to lengthen your stride.
It’s not always easy to self-correct your running form, particularly when it comes to stride length.
Even elite athletes aren’t necessarily adjusting their footstrike pattern to favor the front or middle of the foot.
All that is to say, you do you.
Is the running efficient?
Are you getting injured?
If so, that’s when you might want to consider making a change."
“Strive to keep your elbows around a 90-degree bend, swinging alongside your ribcage,” advises Beck.
And resist the urge tooverswing.
Remember to keep your shoulders down and swing your arms forward and back, not across your body.
Photo: Getty Images
You want to have your wrists and hands brush against your hips as you run.
Breath
Your body uses oxygen as fuel while you’re running, says Beck.
However, there’s no exact science to breathing for proper running form.
“Everybody’s a little bit different when it comes to breathing,” says Hoffman.
The idea is to relax and breathe in an efficient manner."
For more specifics, learnhow to breathe while running.
