Final week I uploaded a brand new video to my YouTube channel, evaluating the operating methods of two age group triathletes I work with right here within the UK.

When observing and assessing operating kind, I at all times prefer to see what occurs when the athlete is operating underneath fatigue. This exhibits a much more insightful view of how an athlete’s biomechanics start to interrupt down because the physique is positioned underneath duress. Very similar to on race day, or throughout a long term.

This footage is not any totally different – I filmed Andy and James spontaneously over the past quarter of our Monday morning Oregon Circuits session – a tricky exercise to say the least!

The explanation why I made a decision to movie these two is the distinctly contrasting operating types that they show, at what was a fairly related tempo.

Which Does Your Working Extra Resemble?

As you watch the video and take into account the variations between the 2 athletes, ask your self the query: which am I extra like?

Most of the variations in kind originate from how the hip/pelvic area, a pure cross-roads within the physique. As I say within the video (a quote I usually use) – “the foot can solely go the place the leg places it”! Given the cyclical nature of operating biomechanics, the way in which the foot initially contacts the bottom is dictated by the way in which the leg swings via underneath the physique instantly previous to the foot assembly the bottom.

With Andy, the athlete within the Yellow t-shirt, we will see that the swing leg is pulled up right into a place the place the knee and hip are each deeply flexed because the foot passes underneath the hip throughout swing section. Compared, on the identical level in gait, James runs with a protracted swinging leg with much less knee and hip flexion. This lengthy lever acts in an identical approach as a protracted pendulum, each swinging slower than a shorter pendulum would, and requiring extra torque from the hip flexors to tug it forwards via swing section. This locations better calls for on the hip flexors who tend to develop into dominant inside the motion and generally get tight.

With this tightness within the hip flexors, we frequently see the posture that James shows – anteriorly rotated on the pelvis and ‘sitting again’ as he runs – basically sticking his butt out behind him and arching via the decrease again to stay upright within the torso.

Not till we will enhance pelvic place, via a number of hip flexor stretching and glute activation and acutely aware cues round ‘holding the hips excessive’ and enhancing the flexion sample of the swing leg, will we see a noticeable change in James’ posture and the place his foot strikes the bottom.

As a easy purpose, we’ll be trying to get his foot to a place the place it’s making contact with the bottom underneath a flexing knee, relatively that forward or a extra prolonged knee as it’s at current. That is best achieved by bringing the hips and pelvis forwards, and this the middle of mass normally.

For extra details about operating kind, check out our On-line Working Method Course (50% Low cost – Click on Right here).