Enhancing your running form can assist you to run more comfortably, efficiently and faster, with minimal strain on your body and a lessened risk of injury. Good running form decreases your chances of fatigue and ascertains that you are harnessing the most from your run. Continue reading to learn the best tips for good running form.
Look Ahead
Don’t run while looking at your feet. Your eyes should be concentrated on the ground nearly 10 to 20 feet in front of you. This is not only the correct running form but also the safest method of running since you’ll be able to see what’s ahead and take the right measures to prevent yourself from falling down.
As your run, is your head protruding? This places a tremendous amount of stress on the shoulder and neck muscles, which can result in tension. To ensure that your head is not projecting forward while you run, lock it such that your ears are positioned over the midsection of your shoulders.
Envisage yourself as a puppet being maneuvered on a string while running, with your whole body held straight and long.
Keep Hands at Your Waist
Make a point of keeping your hands around the waist, right about where they are lightly brushing your hip. Also, try to keep your arms at a 90-degree angle. Some newbies tend to keep their hands at the chest level, particularly when they feel tired.
In fact, you may get even more exhausted by keeping your arms that high up on your body and you’ll begin to feel tension and tightness in your neck and shoulders. (Nevertheless, when sprinting, it’s more than likely that your arms will tend to push your hands up.)
Relax Your Hands
When running, try to keep your hands and arms as relaxed as you can. Don’t tighten your hands and form a fist. When you clench your hands while running, the tension will transfer from the hands, through the arms and to your neck and shoulders.
A relaxed fist is best: Just imagine yourself holding an egg in every hand and the feeling will come naturally.
Check Your Posture
Make sure to maintain your posture erect and straight. Your shoulders should be level, your back straight, and your head up. Position your shoulders below your ears and keep a neutral pelvis. Ensure that as you run, you aren’t inclining forward or back toward your waist, which other runners tend to do when they get exhausted.
Keep an eye on your posture every now and then. When you feel exhausted when you finish your run, it’s natural to slouch a bit, which can result in shoulder, neck, and lower-back pain. When you feel your body hunching, protrude your chest.
Keeping a perfect form at the conclusion of your run is essential for finishing strong and fighting off lethargy. A good pair of running shoes from Orthotic Shop will help you prevent running fatigue as they will cushion the impact on your joints as you run.
Relax Your Shoulders
Keep your shoulders laid back and square (facing forward), not slouched. Curling the shoulders too far ahead usually constricts the chest and inhibits your breathing. When your shoulders are in a laidback position, you’ll be able to inhale a lot easier.
Ensure that your shoulders are not shrugging near your ears. If they are shrugged up, press your shoulder blades together on your backside, like they are sliding doors that you are closing. Maintain them in that spot and permit your shoulders to go down.
Frequently look at the placement of your shoulders to ensure that they remain laid back. If you notice yourself shrugging again, repeat the shoulder-blade press technique.
Keep Your Arms at Your Sides
Don’t swing your arms side-to-side. If your arms cross your chest area, chances are that you are going to hunch, which implies that you won’t be breathing at maximum capacity. It’s important to be aware that shallow or inefficient breathing can result in cramps or side stitches in your abdominal section.
When runners are tense or get tired, their hands begin inclining up to their shoulders, decreasing the distance between the forearm and upper arm. If you see this happening, permit your arms to fall by your sides and shake them. Readjust them to a 90-degree angle with your shoulders laid back.
Rotate Your Arms from the Shoulder
Your shoulder joint should be the focal point your arms swing back and forth. Look at your arms like a pendulum swinging from your shoulder. Your hands should nearly be grazing your hip as your arm rotates from the shoulder. The arms will be swinging by the sides parallel to each other.