Should We Really Care About Cadence

Nutrition - Weight Loss fatigue. Or the often misunderstood advice to “open up your stride.” Or our super cushiony shoes that offer a soft landing for even the most problematic running mechanics. No matter the reason, recreational runners often overstride on the run.

Races & Places., assistant professor of rehabilitation and regenerative medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City and director of Columbia RunLab, estimates that upward of 60 percent of her RunLab clients present as overstriders, meaning that their steps are longer than what’s optimal, and their feet are landing too far in front of their bodies.

For some runners, overstriding isn’t an issue. But for others, it’s preventing new PRs and potentially upping injury risk.

Wondering where you land? We chatted with experts to better understand the impact of overstriding on the body, how to tell if you’re an overstrider, and the best way to work on your mechanics.

Overstriding refers to a runner’s initial foot placement after the swing phase of the running gait cycle (when the foot is in the air). “The ideal is that the heel lands very near their center of mass,” Brough tells Runner’s World. “If I dropped a plumb line straight through their body down to the ground, that foot should land very near that line.”

When overstriding, the distance between a runner’s center of mass—around the middle of their pelvis—and their front foot is much farther forward.

“There isn’t a specific cut-off for what’s okay and what’s not in terms of distance [for an ideal stride versus overstriding],” says Robert Maschi, D.P.T., physical therapist, board-certified clinical specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy, and associate clinical professor at Drexel University’s Running Performance and Research Center in Philadelphia. It’s more of a qualitative assessment: If the foot’s initial point of contact looks too far from the runner’s center of mass, it probably is.

Another indication of overstriding is the angle of the knee of the front leg as it makes contact with the ground. Because overstriders have a long, reaching step, their knee tends to straighten out just before the foot touches the ground. “The knee should be bent about 20 degrees or so,” Maschi says. “So, if the [angle of] the knee is closer to zero, that’s an indication that they are overstriding.” Because of the straight knee position, the tibia (shin bone) tends be at an angle as the foot touches the ground, rather than perpendicular to the ground—a more favorable position as it allows for lower impact on the knee.

You also want to look at the angle of the foot on impact when examining overstriding, as research Advertisement - Continue Reading Below heel strike. As you land, if the foot is flexed with the toes pulled back toward the shin, you’re landing with a rearfoot or heel strike, and that typically means you’re overstriding.

Brough is careful not to suggest that overstriding causes injuries, as there tend to be other factors at play. However, she has observed a correlation between overstriding and some Overstriding refers to a runners initial foot placement after the swing phase of the running, she says. At least one systematic research review also indicates that shortening one’s stride length can reduce some of the biomechanical factors that are associated with injuries.

“With our overstriders, we tend to see an increase in soft tissue, lower extremity injuries,” she says, mentioning Achilles tendinosis and calf strains. “And they tend to present with bony stress injuries of the foot and lower extremity.”

You also want to look at the angle of the foot on impact when examining overstriding, as pain in the hips, In some cases, overstriding can be linked to IT bands. At the root of the issue is the contact angle of an overstrider’s shin and foot (think: straight knee, toes up), which puts the joints in a position to experience more impact.

Even if you’re not hurting, overstriding could introduce inefficiencies that affect your performance.

“In overstriders, we observe something called a breaking impulse,” Brough says. “Instead of having all your movement and force and energy moving forward, with overstriders, the moment the foot hits the ground, there’s such an impact that it actually slows you down, and then you have to restart to be moving forward,” she says, comparing it to driving a car and tapping the breaks perfect few feet. You won’t notice a breaking impulse in the moment, but it can add seconds to your pace and make a run feel tougher.

One caveat to keep in mind: Working on fixing your stride and increasing your step rate doesn’t automatically keep you from injuries. As one meta-analysis If youre already stretching and doing ankle, knee, and hip (common injury spots in runners), but the results may be more immediate rather than long-term and we need more research to back up the benefits.

While a physical therapist or a professional trained in running biomechanics can help you determine if you’re overstriding, you can also learn a lot from filming yourself from a lateral view.

To do so, set up your phone next to a treadmill or have a friend record you from the side for a few minutes. (You can film yourself running on a road or track, but working with a treadmill is easier.) Then play back the footage, noting the position of your feet, knees, and toes.

“Imagine a line running through the center of your torso down to the ground. Look and see how close your foot is to it. If it’s really far out in front, if your knee kind of looks straight, and those toes are pointing up to the ceiling, that’s three for three. You’re definitely an overstrider,” Brough says.

If you’re not experiencing pain and your performance isn’t a concern, you don’t need to change your running gait. “I don’t think it’s a problem if there’s no injury,” Maschi says. But if you want to tighten up your stride for any reason, try focusing on your cadence, In some cases, overstriding can be linked to.

The idea is to increase the number of steps you take per minute, thereby shortening your stride and drawing your foot closer to your center of mass. Brough says that most recreational runners have a step rate of between 140 and 160 steps per minute. And while 180 steps per minute is often touted as an ideal cadence, you don’t need to aim for a number that high. Increasing your current step rate by 5 or 10 percent can make a difference.

In one study Running How to Treat Sore Hamstrings After Running PeerJ, a group of recreational runners underwent 12 weeks of cadence retraining, which resulted in an average 5.7 percent increase in cadence. According to the study’s authors, this increased cadence reduced impact. Given the relationship between impact and running injuries, “increasing the cadence as a retraining method may potentially reduce the risk of impact-related running injuries,” they wrote.

Brough also encourages overstriders to think about leaning forward as they run. “Typically, overstriders are folks who lean back with their body weight,” she says. “We want them to lean forward and get their feet underneath them a little bit.” (Just be mindful to lean forward at the ankles with your whole body; don’t hunch or bend at the waist.)

Overstriding refers to a runners initial foot placement after the swing phase of the running mobility issues, like The Best QL Stretches and Exercises or joint restriction in the ankle or big toe. If you’re already stretching and doing mobility work, it may be helpful to connect with a physical therapist who can conduct an assessment and recommend treatment.

To find your current step rate, set a timer for 30 seconds and, running at your preferred pace, count how many times both feet hit the ground. Then, multiply that number by two. From there, you can determine your new step rate goal by increasing it by 5 to 10 percent.

Some running watches will track your cadence and notify you if you’re dropping below your target. You can also use a metronome app to keep pace or cue up a playlist that includes songs with a beat per minute (bpm) that mirrors your ideal step rate.

However, as with any changes to your training, it’s important to progress gradually and allow your body to adjust. “When you make a change in your step frequency, you’re going to start to change the areas of your body that get loaded,” Maschi says, which requires a gradual build-up.

Maschi recommends runners who are starting to run at a faster cadence temporarily reduce their overall running volume by 50 percent and ramp back up to their usual mileage by adding 20 to 30 percent each week. If you don’t want to cut back, try running just half of your mileage with the cadence change (running the remainder at your old cadence) and, over the course of a few weeks, slowly shift toward your target step rate.