Proper Running Form: 4 Essential Tips and Techniques

Ever feel like there is an endless loop of things you should be doing to get better at running? Like improving your running form?

So much so that you throw your hands up {not in the party way} decide to ignore it all and just go run?

Me too.

After nearly two decades of running and coaching, I’ve digested the assorted recommendations, eliminated the quacktastic one’s and settled on a few tweaks for running injury free without added stress.

One of the most important is proper running form! Paying attention to your running gait will allow you to run longer distances at a greater intensity while experiencing less pain and discomfort.

Don’t we all want that? Time to summon your inner child and get ready to be a STAR performer.

In this article, learn everything you need to know about how to get a good running form using proper running techniques.

Should You Change Your Running Form?

Correcting your running stride shouldn’t be a massive overhaul, that’s too much for your brain to handle.

These simple tweaks do not require you to change your stride, pick new shoes or add time to the workout. One of the issues I have with so many running form recommendations is they want you to stray from your natural stride.

We all run a little bit differently and it turns out that’s ok.

“Many people are advocating for various ‘optimal’ running forms, but this study (in the International Journal of Exercise Science) shows even novice runners shouldn’t try to run any different than their body naturally does,” study co-author and USA Track & Field consultant Iain Hunter said in a press release.

Enjoy running, and worry less about what things look like.”

Basically the study proved that when you try to lengthen or shorten your stride to fit a “perfect ideal” you end up using a lot more energy.

Instead of focusing on how far to move your legs, let them flow and think about these little running mechanics instead.

How to Improve Running Form to Proper Running Technique

During each run, spot check your form using these 4 running form tips. To help you remember them better, I’ve created the acronym STAR.

• S: Shoulders
• T: Tall
• A: Arms
• R: Relax

Let’s look at each of these in more detail and trust me by the time you’re done reading this article, this acronym is going to come in handy every time you want to improve your running form!

1. Relax Your Shoulders

For most people one of the first places to noticeably feel tension is the shoulders, if yours are beginning to resemble earrings it’s time to relax.

We tend to sit at our computers all day, which leads to a natural posture of rounded shoulders.

In the same way, we tend to round our shoulders while we’re running and feeling fatigued. And what happens because of it? You close off your airways.

To correct this start by:

• Take a deep breathe and sigh, you should feel your shoulders drop immediately
• Throughout the run do this to eliminate energy wasted in shoulder tension
• Dropped shoulders will open your chest up for better breathing while running
  

2. Stand Tall

As we begin to fatigue our natural inclination is to slouch thinking that we are letting our body relax.

This curved body position makes running harder because you’re not engaging the core, tightening the lungs and effecting you mentally. Try just slumping now for a second, it immediately makes you feel less energetic!

A good running posture is much like good posture the rest of the time! You want shoulders down, head high and core tightened.

• Pull up from the top of your head
• Stretch your arms diagonally up to help you stand tall, chest forward with just a slight lean from the ankles
• Chin parallel to the ground look forward, not down at your feet. You want to gaze straight ahead, instead of looking down at the ground or at your watch.
• A focused, forward gaze will also help you maintain a proper posture by keeping your neck in proper alignment with your spine
• Standing tall increases energy through better breathing and a body feeling that creates confidence

3. Efficient Arm Movements

As a run coach, I’ve noticed many beginner runners hold their arms against their sides, up to their chest while running. Interestingly, this actually requires 12% more energy than letting them naturally swing.

Long-distance running form, such as the kind for running a marathon, is different from the form for sprints.

While sprinters need to pump their arms fiercely through a full swing, distance runners are conserving energy with small movements (see video).

Being an efficient runner for long-distance running is essential, you need to conserve all the energy you can so it can go to your legs.

Here are a few arm movement tips to keep you from swinging across the body or too hard, both of which can lead to IT band and other injuries.

• Imagine holding a butterfly wing or potato chip between your thumb and pointer finger
• Hands in a light fist with palms facing towards your body
• The thumb tip is thus pointed forward and the thumb knuckles towards the sky
• This hand placement helps to prevent cross-body arm swing, which is an injury magnet
• Arms should stay bent at the elbows at a roughly 90-degree angle, forward and back

4. Relax Your Body

How can you tell when someone is really concentrating? Their eyes narrow, their brow furrows, and maybe even their lips purse…

All of this might be great for communication, but on the run it’s lots of wasted energy that could be used for propelling you forward and farther

• Say to yourself “relax, let go” a few times during a hard effort
• Muscles you didn’t realize you were tense release, and the effort becomes much easier
• Relaxed muscles respond with an easier turnover, better stride, and less wasted energy

A video demo of the tips for how to correct running form that are detailed above.

Other Notable Tips for Good Running Form

A Note on Running Stride

Running stride is not about lengthening your stride, rather it’s about quickening your turn over so your feet land right under you.

Learn all about how to evaluate your running gait >>

Don’t Bounce

Don’t bounce. To do this, imagine the ceiling is an inch above you and you don’t want to hit it.

Every time you raise too far off the ground your sending energy upward instead of forward.

Keep Your Feet Flat

You want to keep your feet flat. Don’t run like you are wearing heels, aka up on your toes.

It can help for a while to imagine flexing your foot and landing on the whole foot. This is going to help you stop heel striking if your are landing in front of your body, because you will have to pull your foot closer to land with your full foot and get the most power out of your stride.

Aim to land with control by using a smooth and even foot strike.

Have a Slight Lean

Have a slight forward lean. This is one of the harder things for runners to master and why we teach techniques around it in the course.

You do NOT want to lean from your waist. The movement starts at your ankles and your body remains in a straight line.

Pay Attention to Cadence

Aim for a cadence of 180 footfalls per minute (more on this in how to improve running cadence).

While 180 is often toughted as ideal, it’s not. Definitely read the article to understand where you should be and understand how it’s going to help you run faster and prevent injuries. Faster running is about the faster turn over, not striding out.

Notice How You Feel

Pay attention to how you feel while running; if there is something wrong with your form, you’ll likely feel it.

Pain during or after running is a sign that you likely have a mobility or strength issue somewhere in your body.

Mobility in Hips and Ankles

Speaking of mobility, it’s important to pay attention to flexibility and mobility in your hips as well as your ankles. This will reduce the chances of injuries in your lower back and knees.

Strengthen Your Glutes

This is a must. Not a nice to do.

Often issues come from weak glutes or really tight quads and hips, which will decrease your range of motion and power.

For proper form, it’s necessary to strengthen and activate your glutes. This should be something do you prior to every single run in your warm up and something you focus on during your strength workouts each week.

You can find my favorite moves in the 30 Day Core Program.

What about Foot Fall?

While I don’t want you to get too in your head with running form, I know this is an area with a lot of questions. Is there a best running form for how we strike the ground?

Yes.

Is it on the ball of our foot, instead of the heel?

No, not exactly. Running up on your toes is going to create different issues.

This is a great visual for how your foot should land while running.We’ve figured out that heel striking is a no go, that’s the one running technique we know leads to injury without a doubt.

When you land with your heel first, it acts like a brake sending a shock all the way up your leg and through your spine. Imagine doing that thousands of times in a single run and you start to see why it could result in knee, hip and back pain.

In fact, heel striking when overstriding is probably one of the biggest reasons people swear they can’t run because it hurts.

Yeah, it hurts when you’re doing it horribly wrong. People are generally heel striking because they’re stretching their legs out super long with the idea that is how you run faster.

It’s not.

What is cadence?

Side bar to explain the whole reason we want to increase our foot speed.

Running cadence is how quickly you turn over your feet. We often talk about the ultimate goal being 170-180 for most runs and possibly faster when doing sprints or shorter races.

You run faster by picking your feet up off the ground more rapidly and leaning slightly in to your forward motion. AH HA. Instead of braking, you being to take advantage of gravity.

A new study actually showed a 10% INCREASE in your step rate can decrease knee pain!!

Let’s make this a more visual learning session with a new video on the best foot strike for running!

All right, back to your foot fall. You DO NOT want to be running on your toes, in other words trying to land on the ball of your foot and keeping your calves engaged for the entire run.

• Land with your foot directly below your body (practice marching in place to see how that feels)
• You will use your entire foot for the most force (think of it like pawing the ground)
• It can help to think about flexing your foot initially to get to a more natural footfall instead of heel or ball
• Eventually as that becomes comfortable you will start to land around your mid-foot which is ideal

Some people refer to this idea as ChiRunning, which is a whole concept of relaxed running that honestly can get a little convoluted if you dig in to it too much.

Overall, you want to find a way to run that’s relaxed and eliminates some of the key twisting or striking motions that can cause injury.

Still Struggling to Get a Proper Running Form?

This is an area that you will not and should not change over night. You’re going to make little tweaks to see improvements without throwing everything off.

Here are some ways to help you get on track.

Get a Gait Analysis

If you’re still struggling to achieve a proper running form, the best option is to get a gait analysis done by booking a session with a run coach or joining a virtual running club (we have connections with a PT who is offering them virtually at a ridiuculously low rate).

Sometimes getting someone else to see your form via picture or video can help you adjust those little things that make a huge difference.

Invest in Yourself to Get the Correct Running Form

As a certified running coach, I’ve seen hundreds of runners make mistakes that slow them down and even cause injuries. Having a proper running form is crucial for every runner and something that’s worth investing in.

Cadence, form, speedwork – all the running lingo can get really intimidating and overwhelming. These are all things runners are aware of, but not entirely sure how to implement or fix.

After a decade of working with runners, I designed a complete solution for you in the Running Technique Program.

You’ll receive a calendar with follow-along videos, that’ll provide you with the exact drills that will improve your form which will:

• Prevent injuries
• Run faster with less effort

It only takes 10 minutes a week to get the correct running form! To learn more, check out my Running Form for Beginners Program here.

How often do you think about your form while running?

Have you ever tried to change your running form?

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