Tips 1. Strides. Striding exercises 2. Hip flexor stretch. Lunge with knee touching the ground 3. Downhill long strides repeats 4. Drive knee up and out, drive knee up and in 5. Yoga / flexibility motions
I found this video very useful Ben. Aged 20 in 1986 I ran a 10k in 41:20 and aged 54 in 2019 I ran a 10k in 62:49 so I'm needing all the tips available. Thanks so much.
I think I've become obsessed with your channel in a good way of course! Quality content. These tips have really been helping me improve my runs!! Love from Trinidad
This is so true. I would like to add that high knees and butt kicks drils help tremendously too to teach the legs how to open up the stride front and back. Tq for this video Ben.
I think stride length is definitely underdeveloped from a coaching/general information standpoint. Getting your cadance to 180 is the big talking point but you can get that point and then plateau due to stride length. I'm at a point where I actually want to lower my cadence in races to try and facilitate that longer stride. I do a daily routine of bodyweight hip, etc work but don't know if that's helping more than just running more and consistently. My cadence and heart rate is dropping during easy runs at the same speeds as previous, so it's working.
Completely agree Bradley. Hence making the video.. as there is a lot of information about the magic 180.. but without working on a longer stride length.. we are not going to get any quicker! Hopefully there were some good pointers for you in the video.. good luck with your training!
Downhill strides make a lot of sense. Even as a warm-up before a race, if it helps get your mind and body acclimated to a larger stride goal for race....
Great advice. I do though think that you should come with a warning that this advice is only for experienced or young runners, because for the average new runner, this way of running will surely be linked to a higher risk of injury. No matter how you put it; long strides will result in higher stress on the foot, leg and knee.
Thanks! I’ll add open/close the gate. I do one more also. For the push off I try to fully straighten/extend the leg like Kipchoge and his pacers. (Retracting the leg in the recovery will then increase cadence) Thanks again for all the inspiration!
Great video. I have stride length issues. I have tight hips. So all tips are very helpful and will begin to use them all immediately. Thanks heaps Ben.
Regarding the hip flexor stretch: It would be more effective if you are doing static stretch instead of the dynamic stretch you showed, if your goal is to physically stretch those muscles and tendons out. Dynamic/ballistic stretching is great for warming up but not so much for physically stretching the structures.
What should your stride length ideally be? I'm 1.83m tall and my Garmin watch says that my stride is 1.06m, with a cadence of around 165 steps per minute (which I'm already trying to bring up to 180). Am I overstriding?
Mr Ben.... informative as always ! At the moment, I’m trying to improve my cadence, but struggling being tall... would it be more beneficial to improve stride length rather than cadence?
Hey Richard! If its was me, I'd try and improve my cadence first. I'd suggest downloading a metronome app on your phone (there's loads of options) and set it at 180bpm. Then try and run keeping in time with the beeps. That's how I started and managed to get my cadence up to 180 pretty quickly. Just a few minutes here and there through the week and your body adapts over time!
@@BenParkes for cadence, what effort range / heart rate % should you be in for the 180 target. My 5/10km hard effort does get to 180, but drops on slower runs. What should my easy / MAF runs be at? - considering i find trying to have higher cadence highers my heart rate by maybe 5 beats/s.
@Ben Parkes... you are right! cadence is definitely something to work on.... repeated two previous runs... got my average cadence up to 172 (from 162)... and improved my run times by 30 secs per km... found the cadence field on my garmin 235, so can check during the run, which helps a lot ... Thanks for the advice... and thanks for an informative channel 👍🏼
@@ashleyhayes-ie The 180 has nothing to do effort; you should be able to do 180 in place. Why would you drop your cadence on easy runs? Sounds like you need to practice 180 spm at a slow speed which is what training is all about.
Thanks for this Video, thats fitting in my Routine very well. What would you suggest to focus on - stride length or - increasing Step frequency from 160 to 180 Please dont say both 😅
I'd work on bringing your cadence up to around 180 naturally. Then start to focus on stride length afterwards. Although strides and the opening /closing the gate drills are good to always be doing from this video. Good luck Thomas!
Hey Julie. I can't see any sense in reducing stride length.. you'd just end up going really slowly. If you know if any videos where that's the case then feel free to send them to me and I'll take a look!
@@BenParkes I don't want to rat anyone out :p theres 2 channels in particular with 100+k follower's. They say to increase cadence and efficiency you should do shorter stride lengths and make sure you land underneath your center of mass. Shorter stride lengths means you reduce the chance of heel striking and increase your cadence. When I personally try these techniques I feel like I'm shuffling 😂
Landing under the centre of mass is important.. and yes, if you shorten your stride length and have a low cadence, then your cadence will increase. But that doesn't really achieve anything.. you'll still be moving at the same speed! My advice to anyone wanting to increase their cadence is to simply download a metronome app on your phone and set it to 180 bpm and run in time with the beeps. That's now I started. It takes time and does feel weird to start with. But your body soon starts adapting to running around that 180 bpm mark. Then you can work on the exercises I've put in the video here to increase your hip flexibility and then your stride length will naturally increase. All the exercises here will help your running overall, not just stride length.. so good to incorporate anyway. It is a confusing world out there, lots of different opinions on what works. But hope that explains things a little better for you. All the best Julie!
@@BenParkes I've done that totally works! As he said not easy but if you're down in the 160 range (like I was when I started) well worth it (if you really want to go faster).
Hey Jason. You need a Garmin that's comparable with run dynamics. I'm afraid the 235 isn't. A list of the comparable watches is here buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/p/561205#devices
Hey Ben, nice video! Have you noticed your imbalance on your downhill runs? Your right foot is going very high and in a good form while your left foot barely reaches a horizontal line. Keep up the good work!
My running is going great. Two days ago, I ran a 5k in 19:58 in humid weather. I have been focusing on high cadence and I think that longer strides will help me get even faster.
Now man I think you got it wrong. Quick cadence is what you need for distance and long strides is needed for sprints up till maximum of 800 m. I think quick cadence with a medium stride length is what you need for the 5000 m.
@@alansamuel2454 say that to Kipchoge's 2m+ strides; it's a balance between training your body to be able to support that level of cardiorespiratory strain and the economics of a good form.
@@MalditoSeasEstadoDelsrael Ok what makes you comfortable should be implemented in your running form. What I mentioned is what I find common for most athletes I know, there are obviously exceptions.
Aloysius Xavier Lilius Pendergast endurance is key this only helps sub 17 pace 3:20km strength training always helps with strides but it is not the main focus that is miles longruns threshold and Vo2 max
@@MalditoSeasEstadoDelsrael and his cadence is 190-200 as well. If you're going faster you need the higher cadence to reduce the impact of a slower stride. 190-200 is perfect when pushing harder, then adjust stride length.
great video. I've been struggling to increase my stride length. I always feel like I don't lift my hips and knees enough in each stride. Same goes with my trailing leg, I feel like I haven't stretch my trailing leg enough when I lift it forward. I tried, of course, but always end up clumsy and unnatural. thanks for the tips. definitely going to try the strides after my easy runs, plus the lunges drill you've shown.
respect bro! dont even know a lot of 60+ yo peoples who knows how to use internet and u running too! Keep it going! i may dont see u in real life but remember im not only one whoo look on older peoples like You with respect when we see u still doing exercising on that age!
On an "easy" run you need to breath just like you breath when you walking, totally relaxed. When going 100%, you need to find rythim with your steps. Relaxe yourself to slow your heart rate (it works !) and don't forget to expire efficiently to avoid asphyxia (too much CO2).
Loving your videos. Been trying the techniques from your last video (lunges, straight leg running, hills and sprints) finding it really helped. Just did my first run sub 5m/km (4:48 so happy with the progress). Thanks for the great content
I was a runner. I stopped for 3 years and I tested myself without any previous training or prep.: Average Stride: 93 cm Cadence: 177 15 K Is it a good start?
Great video Ben, will try and implement these into my running. How would you recommend your check your running form and stride length, to know how and where you can improve these elements?
I actually reduced my cadence from 180 down to 170ish again to increase my stride length, which has increased my efficiency, i.e. lower HR at same pace, greatly. I think 180 steps/min is too high for recreational runners like myself who crawl along at 5:00-5:30 easy pace. There are studies that showed that the metabolic cost of 180+ cadence outweighs the benefits of a reduced impact. What do you think of Altra's pace "thresholds" for cadence: 165 plus: 10:59 min/mile to 9:00 min/mile 170 plus: 8:59 min/mile to 7:00 min/mile 175 plus: 6:59 min/mile to 6:00 min/mile 180 plus: 5:59 min/mile and 5:00 min/mile? (source: www.altrafootwear.co.uk/run-better)
Totally backwards. Decreasing your cadence will never make you more efficient (less time on the ground is more efficiency). Those 'thresholds' make no sense you should be able to use the same cadence at any speed, if you can't then your form is wrong. 180 to 170 is no big drop but improve your form and you can be back to 180 with the same effort. This video is misleading in that it gives the impression of just focusing on stride length will make you faster. Nothing could be farther from the truth. But everything mentioned is for improving your form which is where everything is. I think the one thing missing here is leaning- most people who are plateauing are simply running straight upright which will never give you speed so you need to add at least a few degrees of lean when toeing off. Stride length is the result of speed not the other way around. Creating a falling movement through the stride generates speed. Chi running and Pose running both do this. I used to overstride and it never worked only created injuries. Focus on your cadence then add a lean when you are ready.
@@jpsullivan4845 You can't be overtriding at 170 and 5:00 to 5:30 Overstriding is doing 4:20 at 158 for 10 km (that's me) Do you know that some elite runners are closer to 170 than 180 ? Mo farah for exemple and he is running 27 minutes 10km, an insane speed.
I recently started running and I pretty much suck. I have a decent stride rate - around 170 steps, but my stride length is absolute garbage. Will definitely try your tips to improve this.
I think I've already been doing some of these without thinking about it which is good to know. I'll probably start doing strides instead of just one final sprint at the end of my runs, and might start going to a yoga class instead of just doing the videos, my ability in pilates has improved a lot by going to classes. Great video, thanks!
My 5k PB is 19:42 I had stride rate of 166, stride length of 1.52m and heart rest average of 166bpm. I am 17. Do you think it’s just a coincidence that my heart rate and stride rate are the same as eachother for every run I do?
Do you use an optical heart rate sensor? There's a phenomenon called cadence lock which means that the oHR sensor picks up your cadence. It was very common when the whole technique was new for consumers but it happens from time to time with the latest sensors as well, especially when you're not "made" for optical HR readins (dark skin, hairy, buried vessels, heavy sweater).
Something to work on in 2021. I’m slow af and know my stride is very short partly because of an old hip injury from childhood where they are imbalanced. I’m pretty flexible and lift as well so we’ll see what happens.
Thanks Ben this is fantastic. Certainly gonna try the Yoga and Hip flexor stretch. I hate going downhill so perhaps will take some time for this. I have now unlocked the ability to run consistently at a cadence of 180. If I improve my stride length, I think I'm gonna get some major breakthrough. My Garmin tells me my usual stride is about 0.86 to 0.9m. What's the desired length ?
I can get mine to about 1.7m when running at 5k pace.. there’s no real desired length.. it’s just about gradually improving it and becoming more efficient over the distance. Great that you’re measuring it and can keep track of it over time!
You're a gem so glad I found your channel I predict large surge in subscribers please keep it up we like and appreciate your efforts! Needless to say subscribed to both your youtube and instagram accounts!
Hi Ben. I've started running and I try to run 3 times a week. I want to increase my distance and better my time. Do you think doing 2 interval sessions and one long run is good? Or should I do an easy run, interval run, an long run? Thanks. Keep putting out awesome videos.
It needs to be said that 180 cadence is when at race pace! Obviously when training at less than race pace either the cadence or stride length needs to reduce or both. I have my own opinion but what do you think Ben? I.e. When doing a Zone 2 / recovery run you're going (say) 40% slower so is that 20% less stride length AND cadence or more one or the other?
In an ideal 'perfect' world, the only thing that should change is stride length and cadence stays roughly the same. My Marathon pace cadence and easy run cadence are pretty similar.. the only change is the stride length. On shorter races my cadence does go up to 190 on a 5k... which is ok as I can sustain it for a short time, but of course you just burn out after a while. That's my take on it!
@@BenParkes I think the Vertical Ratio (as Garmin call it) is pretty key. Keeping that under 7% or so. That is how 'high' you go for how 'far'. It dictates that your cadence should drop to 180 for shorter efforts. That 180 figure came from watching elites in world champs races. Even they admit they train at 160 cadence.
I would say replace the downhill strides with uphill because A. It feels better for the knees and B. Your body will appreciate you. (So like this 50-meter stride/sprint uphill and once you reach the 50 you walk back downhill and repeat. Our coach tells us to do about 12 reps of this it helps us a ton.)
There is an add at the beginning.. Didn't want to put too many people off by having more than that when I'm trying to grow the channel. Might try on the next one and see what happens. Thank you David!
This is super interesting as I had a discussion with a friend who picks up injuries when adding speed work... and our plan of action to return to it was strides. Either as a session on their own, to begin with, or after an easy run.
Personally wouldn't do them on their own as think you need to be pretty warmed up to do them properly. But after an easy run, then are great and you can do them a couple of times a week. Will really help. Plus try some Fartlek runs if you're struggling a bit with dedicated speed sessions. All the best!
Good tips would you consider coaching subscribes prehaps helping us runners who watch you get faster with a training plan for speed or some meeting/1 on 1 coaching??
Hi Tommy. I have training plans available on the website. www.benparkes.com and do host some runs and coach a group in London. I haven't done 1-2-1 coaching in person, as purely from a business perspective it takes a lot of time. There is a lot of information on the blog and on my Strava Spring Marathon training club as well!
