I changed from a heel striker to a mid/forefoot striker back in 2010 and it was the best thing I've ever done for my running. Shin splints, knee pains, and hip pains are completely gone for more than 9 years of relatively consistent running. The distances I could run greatly improved and I haven't felt beat up after a run since the switch. The only down part was the transition. Took about 6 weeks to fully adjust and get my calves used to being engaged in a new way. Also, minimalist shoes for the win. The times I do use a non-minimalist shoe, I also run in Altra because I did the zero-drop soles.
Nice work on a successful change. It does take commitment and patience but the good news is that anyone can make positive changes in their run form if they want to!
I have always been a heel striker and had a lot of knee and hip problems. This past year i started forefoot/midfoot striking and my knee and hip pain is gone.
Careful ! That's how I first felt when I switched, but Forefoot brings other sort of injuries like pain in your Achilles, plantar Fasciitis, Soleus, feet stress fractures etc. You might not feel anything for the first year or two, but if you train long enough, you will experience some of the problems I listed. If you're interested, I talk about foot strike in my channel and how bad a Forefoot strike is.
This was an interesting video. I am typically a mid-foot/fore-foot strike runner. I just ran the Chicago Marathon yesterday and about the last third of the race (after mile 16 or so) I started "running" with a heel strike. I use the word "running" loosely because I was running really slow and my legs were on fire and in intense pain along with bad running posture really affected my stride. I could really feel the impact of each heel strike shoot up through my legs, knees and hips. Your part about hip extension and the fact we sit all day at a computer in an office really makes sense. Thanks for this video, I hope I can make changes for next year's Chicago Marathon.
I was in the Marine Corps back from 1994 to 2005 Oct. 31 Honorable discharge and there was a point in my physical training courier where I studied how to get the most exercise with less impact on the body where I could avoid future wear and tare on the body that would show in our old age. I WISH THIS VIDEO WAS AVAILABLE THEN!!!! Now I can take the experience that I’ve accumulated through my military courier and combine this with my current training in avoiding wear and tare on the body!!!🙏🙏👍👍👍
This was a very revealing video - I'm an ultra runner and after 100 miles my heel striking is so damaging to my poor feet that my heels are a bloody mess. My shoe wear is very heavy on the outside heel and the symptoms of tight hips and quads certainly come from my long days of office worker sitting. Have subscribed and plan to check out more of this great series. Thanks Coach Nate.
Yes. It's so bad. I used to careless about my running form and probably didn't notice that I heel striking at my first 2 years of running. I went to 10k races and still felt nothing but once I hit half races I start to picked IT band after the race and even before the finish line. Now I fix my form with mid-fore foot with all that heel pull behind the hips and I'm IT band free. I do a 30k long run twice a month and feels like nothing 😊
Been watching your videos and trying to apply the techniques to my workouts, I have been seeing improvements but it is taking some time to change a lot of bad habits, it's no wonder I hated running so much over the years because I've always been a serious heal striker to the point I didn't consider it running, but more like stomping. But now that I make a conscious effort to keep a proper form, I'm starting to actually enjoy running
Things to clarify. Heel strike is not the same as overstriding. The term strike doesn't refere to the part of the shoes that at first enters in contact with the ground, but to the part of the shoes which initially transfers the majority of the impact to the ground during the landing phase. So one can just at first scratch the ground with the heel and be nonetheless a midfoot striker, if most part of the impact is transferred when his midfoot hits the ground. Real heel striking is always a bad thing, especially when done overstriding. Period.
From personal experience, I found that running barefoot really helps on running on the mid/front. It has really helped my trail runs and street especially in a sprint.
Are there any good videos on exercises to do at a desk? Recently gone from a walking job, to a sitting down for 12hrs job. Definitely noticing the difference in my hips.
Heel striking is only possible if you're wearing shoes with a lot of cushioning. If you try heel striking with a hard sole it will feel really bad, while midfoot or forefoot running is fine with a hard sole. Heel striking while walking may be normal in modern society, but it's not natural, it's learned behaviour that is made possible by shoes. Lastly, it's not the case that force on the body stays the same with heel, midfoot or forefoot strike, but just changes location in the body. The force is actually lowest with a forefoot strike because the impact is spread out over a longer period of time.
I'd say for a super long distance director you wanna go small stride length and save energy (aka jog) cool I guess.. but to actually run. A running pace, heel strike is inefficient
The ankle is a natural spring, relieving the knees and hips of pressure when you're not heel striking. Frankly, there's no room for heel striking in running...people need to train their bodies to run properly, otherwise you'll do more pain than gain.
I’ve noticed when I run, I get a ton of pain in my forefoot, whether I heel strike or forefoot strike, though it is definitely far less when I heel strike. I’m starting to get more into running and I am so confused 😭
I remember my coach told me midfoot and forefoot move different muscles. So if you recently changed from, I would assume you are putting more load on a weak muscle that need the improvement. So maybe feeling sore is a good sign. Give it sometime to recover, massage and stretch and try again. Of course see a doctor if it's a bad pain.
Make sure you take time to recover and your calves will be stronger because of it. I went from bad heel striking straight to minimalist footwear forefoot striking. That soreness goes away after a few runs/recoveries. Cheers!
Osaretin Ukponmwan YES your calves will get quite sore when you switch. But remember it’s important to change your technique slowly over time so your body adjusts and adapts. The body does NOT like big drastic changes esp if you’re trying to keep your mileage uo
Yes of course your calves will get sore because they will never rest. Why make that change? Perhaps better to allow the heel to kiss the ground and unload the calves?
I can't believe people think you arecsupoo to heel strike. Try run barefoot. You won't, the jarring shock will hurt without the cushion of the thick shoe.... Run mid-fore... Easy. Your lower leg is a springy shock absorber
Heel striking causes me discomfort and puts on the breaks. It makes me less fluid when I run. I started landing midfoot and got a faster, the discomfort stopped, and could run longer.
I dont gey why the "beneficts of heel strike" seccion is there. It makes your injury risk higher, shouldnt this fact be suficient for not wanting to do it?
Hi Lucas - we merely mean to point out that there are situations where heel striking is ok, or not nearly as bad as previously thought. We also want runners focusing on the real causes of their issues, which often times is related to things that are harder to see - posture, breathing, and hip position.
The most interesting part is that the force doesn’t go away, so if that’s the case the shoes foam isn’t really absorbing the shock as advertised. If that’s true the best we can do is spread and direct that force to our advantage as much as possible, both of which is difficult when contacting the ground w the heel. It seems the foam is more of a mental crutch than physical. People think the shoes are like a pill that will make them run better without concentration on form and relearning correct running
@@sixtus9559 shoes definitely absorb some the pounding Similar to a boxing glove, the hand can deal with the force but excessive striking will bruise the knuckles
Arm swing vs torso rotation for forward propulsion ? Thoughts ? I feel that if it rotate my torso and somewhat throw my shoulders into the run i have an easier time breathing and stride.
Yes! It's important to remember that pronation is a natural and important motion of the foot. "over" pronation can be problematic, but either way it's improved when we strengthen the feet, ankles, and hips. Spending *some* time in a minimalist shoe can help develop that strength. We prefer to start making a minimalist shoe your everyday shoe, and gym training shoe to start things off...
To reinforce your points, Shalane Flanagan is a very efficient heel striker. It's hard to tell until you see her stride in slo-mo. It looks to me like the heel strike is so fleeting that she takes maximum impact on her mid-foot. She rolls and pushes off really fast. www.runningshoesguru.com/2017/03/video-shalane-flanagan-running-form-learning-from-elites/ I was surprised to see this.
I'm a heavy 25 yo boy. I'm very stalky. 5'11 - 205lbs. I like to run but I always heel strike hard because my legs are heavy and I don't like to lift them. I'm not fat. I lift weights and wear a size 32x30. My Dad is Mexican and my mother is white and I just gonna got a wammy of her metabolism and his stalkyness. I'm glad I got some tips from you because my knees are killing me rn. I ran 3 days in a row now and it's been rough so maybe I can help mitigate that knee pain by changing my form. Like my knees are giving out WAY before my cardio is even considering it. My lungs ain't even stressing but my joints, are you feel me?
Instead of buying and use a lot of time adapting to a minimalist shoe, try use a cushioned shoe and use it for a long time. Eventually the cushioning in the midsole weakens and your legs have to adapt to less cushioning. This will take some time and your legs will have a lot of time to develop strong leg muscles.
Are you asking about ground reaction time? One way to think about it is the less time the better but it really changes depending on your running speed and your current level of development. Sometimes as runners we are not quite developed, strong, and adapted enough for that faster spring off the ground, which is ok!
Heelstriking isn’t bad. If your feet land in front omg your body, that’s bad. You lose momentum. If your feet land directly under you but on your heel, you are okay.
Just make A Skips and B skips and other Drills. You then Automaticly get the right foot strike after Time. It's hilarious how less recreational runners make Drills at all.
Hi. I’m new to running and have tried to adapt to a mid foot strike but have developed terrible shin splints. I’m trying to keep my pace to 7.5 mins per km and would say I’m doing more of a shuffle/jog than a run. Would it be better for me to heel strike instead with this low speed ? Would it improve my shin pain?? Thanks
When I had growth pains, I couldn't walk very well (my entire right leg was constantly on fire), over time it spread to both of my feet forcing me to start walking on the balls of my feet It mitigated the majority of the pain, I still walk on the balls of my feet/toes to this day
