Every middle-to-long distance runner, whether amateur or professional, must know the correct running technique to get to the finish line safely. Every human body is different and has a unique way of running, and the technique you have may not be applicable to the next person. It’s a matter of having your own running technique that you are comfortable doing as long as this is safe. Just remember that the head must be aligned with the neck, jaw, chin and shoulders must be relaxed and other body parts such as the torso, arms, feet, hands and knees are correctly aligned.
If muscular imbalances occur, core strength and endurance treatment and training are needed in order to correct the imbalances and promote greater functionality. Muscle balance must be maintained to prevent body injuries when running.
Opposing muscles and muscle groups must work together to gain strength and flexibility and for that to happen postural exercises and endurance exercises must be done to stabilise gait and promote good posture. Running doesn’t have to be a painful experience, however, experienced runners know that they can only improve the way they run but can never change how they run; changing it will only make them inefficient in running and can even cause injuries.
The components of good running technique include the following:
Good Body Posture
Poor body posture may impede blood circulation and can inhibit the oxygen suply to your brain, thus making the runner exhausted easily. Correct running technique is directly proportional to your body’s posture.
Upper and Lower Body Coordination
The upper and lower body parts must have equal workload during a run to spread work of running all throughout the body.
Body Flexibility
A Proper warm up and stretching routine is needed to keep your body flexible and ready to take on any intense activity, especially running. The high impact nature of running not only loads the musculature but stresses the ligament, joint and bone structure. Soft tissue flexibility assists with not only running performance, but with injury reduction.
Practice Good Leg Motion
When running, knees should be at a 90º angle (slightly bent). When running minimize over striding to reduce injury to the hamstrings and knees.
Be at Ease
Stay relaxed, stay focused and don’t forget your breathing while running. You don’t have to be an expert to know this; these are actually the basics of running. Proper breathing techniques makes the muscles contract and oxygen absorbs nutrients that can get rid of toxins out of the body.
Running is a good exercise when done the right way! They say running is the cheapest sport because it doesn’t need equipment. All you need to do is just grap a pair of good running shoes and hit the road to start your exercise!
If you want to know more about muscle imbalances and how to regain balance, please call us.
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