I agree with a lot of the others here. My heal striking caused me a lot of ankle, knee and hip pain over the years. When I finally decided to shorten my stride and focus on a mid-front strike, it was amazing. I ran further and faster with much less joint pain. I definitely think being conscious of your stride while running is important.
Heel striking felt natural to me at first, but it caused me shin splints. Been forefoot/midfoot striking since then and those issues pretty much went away over night
For me, learning to land on my fore foot was like an epiphany. No more joint/knee pain at all and it honestly felt like cheating running like that. My calf muscles took some time getting used to it, but I'm so glad I learned this technique.
Dude, thanks for ur comment, I was thinking I was tripping cuz of how tired my calves were….during my training I’ve been working on forefoot striking and my legs feel it. Been a heavier set heel striker for life so it’s taking time lol but I’m glad I’m changing it - I noticed running on my forefoot increases my pace naturally which is nice
After my second major hip surgery on the same hip I went to a rehabilitation specialist and he created a gym program to assist me change from a heel striker to a midfoot to forefoot runner. I used the gym program, ballet steps, reformer Pilates and an Anti G machine to practice. No injuries since. I was 41 when this happened and I am now almost 51. Chi running also helped. Thanks for the show.
Personally, heel striking was wearing away my knee cartilage and changing it improved my life and I no longer need surgery or pain meds. Relearning to walk in barefoot shoes was a very conscious thing.
@A Soviet Onion I was a heal stricker and was overweight. Knees and shins hurt after every workout. I trained myself to be a front striker across about 2 or 3 weeks on the treadmill. Light jogs building up to sprint works. My advice: Buy thick foam shoes like HOKA to support your feet and ankles in the beginning. Trail running is another great way to stay on your toes, light on your feet without pushing a fast pace.
@A Soviet Onion Everything on a very easy pace but: I started with zero drop shoes (Altra lone peak). The unnecessary heel cushioning will only make it easier for you to heel strike. It's possible not to heel strike with the super shoes coming out recently as can be seen with the real professional runners, but they are professionals, just look at Kipchoge. I did short runs on barefoot running shoes (Xero Genesis) Other than that, take slow paces. And keep it slow but up your distance after a while. Don't worry too much about increasing speed at first. Try to also focus less on your feet and think more about your knees and hips instead of planting your foot, let you foot drop beneath you.
I started running at 27 and (without thinking or realizing it) I always did heel striking. After I got new shoes in a good shop (at 35 y.o.) the guy did an analysis and recommended I tried forefoot running for a shorter contact time and for injury prevention. The first couple runs were really hard as I kept trying to focus and "override" my tendency to heel strike (and I also had a lot of sore muscles from places I did not used much before), but slowly I got used to it and now it's natural running between forefoot and middle foot. One fun thing you mentioned happened to me: When I was at the last couple km of the cross triathlon I did last year, I went back into heel striking, because I was too tired to keep the forefoot technique! At the time I remember feeling a bit guilty by it, but thinking "it's just the last couple of kilometres, my knees will survive and I just want to finish strong". Now I know that it's not as bad a thing as I thought, thanks GTN! :D
Hey, runner here, how long do you think it took for you to adapt to the new style of running? Do you have any tips? I’m a major heel stricken and it’s causing me a lot of pain.
@@lovleyrea3334 I don't remeber precisely, but I would say it took me about 6 months, maybe a bit more, but I also was not running very frequently. One tip is to run a flat and known path, so that you have less distractions and can focus on the running style. Also make it a relatively short run, you can only focus on it for so long and it is a new kind of movement for the body, so it will be more tireing. And streching the calves after every run, because they get very sore from the new effort and absorbing yout impact on the ground! :P Else there is not much more than just keep doing it and don't be too hard on yourself when you realise you are back to heel striking. Just try to go back to the proper running technique and think of it as a process, not as a switch. One day you will notice that you don't have to think about it anymore :)
I am exactly like you because I have been noticing that my knee got injured after completing my running. I just recently realized I is about landing posture. Just more questions, can forefoot striking cause any further injuries on our muscles? like (just guess) Calves.
Go run outside barefoot for 1 mile. You’ll stop heel striking real fast. I actually went from heel to fore foot, but, I also ran sprints in high school track so my body just pulled out what it knew, my Achilles adapted and I’m now forefoot.
I actually run barefoot a lot and still I run either heel or middle foot. The really important thing I learned over time, is to think about running as a controlled movement. You don't want to hammer your foot to the ground.
I used to run a lot and this was always on my mind if I am running correctly or not. Thank you GTN Team for these small issues that no other people explains in this much detail. 💙
Very interesting. Last November I undertook a biometric analysis with a running coach as I knew something wasn't right as I kept getting right knee injuries and it stopped me from enjoying my running which I did only in winter as an alternative to cycling. I'm 66 years old and in my peak "running days" in my late 30's was able to run 19-30 for 5k and 1 hr 34.for a 1/2 marathon. The analysis showed that my right foot was heel strike and left was midfoot - so clearly there was an imbalance. Since then I've worked on striking midfoot on my right leg and a few other things like running more upright and increasing cadence. The evidence was already on the soles of my walking shoes where the right shoe was much more worn at the heel. Interestingly for 3 years before the biometric analysis I had bought a pair of Vivobarefoot shoes for walking and the wear on the soles of both shoes was symmetrical and even. Since I've switched to midfoot on both sides I'm glad to say that I have had little to no right knee pain and I feel good after each run. I've also made the decision to continue running through the summer as well as cycling. I haven't gone as far as trying barefoot shoes for running, just keep them for walking.
About 5 years ago I switched to front foot after years of heal strikes. Took more or less a year to fully adjust. Now I do all my runs from 6km to 60km all on front foot. I did the change over my 30yo mark due to knee problems-I was said to stop or would have to undergo a surgery.
Great content as usual. That comment about running style changing with fitness was spot on for me. I went from a dedicated heel-striker to a consistent mid-sole strike once my fitness improved. In turn, that has definitely helped out my knees and hip joints.
There are foot strikes that are more efficient than others, but there is no right or wrong. Perhaps its better to say there are better foot strikes for the type of running you do. For example, as a trail runner I do run down hill for many miles over uneven ground; roots, rocks, you name it. My foot strike and body position change to optimize my running down hill off road vs on asphalt, etc.
Very informative, I was told the heel strike was wrong and it’s my natural foot strike. Good to know I’m not doing it wrong, I just need to slow down slightly and work on my form.
at the ripe old age of 61 finally went to a sports physio who put me on a tread mill did a proper analysis of my running watching a slow motion video of just how uneven my foot strike was was awful, but have managed to change and even myself up, difference between running an average 25mins for 5kms to running an average 22mins so well worth having someone pro have a look.
I was heel striker when I started running. Of course I didn't notice or worry until I started upping my mileage and always ending with minor injuries. So I started working on my overall technique: position, where I land my foot, breathing, hips, shoulders, arms, all. You cannot address all at once, so of course I didn't progress that well either 😅 . Instead I focused on only one thing: slowly increasing my cadence by doing shorter steps. After some weeks working on that I was now mid-foot landing and it also promoted a better overall posture. This worked for me, but not everybody is the same. In any case don't try to change too much at once, it will not work.
“this worked for me, but not everyone is the same” True, BUT, read the comments on this video: your story is far from unique. If people are having joint pain when they run, it's their heel strike, almost 100%.
Higher cadence and leaning your torso forward a bit are great cues. This will naturally reduce over striding and move you away from a heel strike and towards midfoot. I prefer midfoot, but when I get slow and tired I have to consciously lean forward to increase my cadence to avoid sloppy heel strikes. I think it really is all about cadence.
Low gear mid gear and high gear as far as I’m concerned. I use all three. Just like that. Heel strikes for up or down hill. Mid strike for distance and endurance. Toe strike for sprints and hill RUNS. If I’m just on a slow hike up and down and winding around, heel strike all day long. If I’m walking I flip between mid and heel. Just depends how my foot feels. I’m trying to developed balanced muscles. So I wouldn’t pick one method and throw out the other two. I use all three. What do I wear? Whatever. Something’s are better than others but everyone has different preferences. I’ve done barefoot toe shoes. I dig sandals. A nice cushioned shoe for heel striking sounds nice but the closest I’ve gotten to that so far is work boots or hiking shoes.
I was a heal striker then I started getting shin splints so I switched to forefoot and I don’t feel any fatigue. I had great endurance but I couldn’t beat the shin splints but thank god I fixed that issue alongside with some different running shoes.
Those Kenyans are from the same tribe (Kalenjin): they aren't just random black people from Africa. I'm not Kalenjin, and you probably aren't either. My body was not evolved to run the way they run. I'll bet yours wasn't either.
@GrowRich-si6qy That is certainly my experience: my knees were killing me: after about 5 miles my knees would be inflamed and locked up and I'd need to take a week off. I ran that way for 20 years, making no progress, before taking a year off to relearn my stride and switch to forefoot (did skipping rope all winter to build my calves and Achilles, then spent the rest of the year dialing it in. Almost instantly (after 20 years of zero progress, just one year relearning my biomechanics... that's instant to me!), I was able to run 20+ miles by the end of my first season before my knees would give me trouble: the last few miles of a marathon is still no fun, but the difference for me was not just "Anecdotal evidence", it was a night and day difference between a constant cycle of running and being injured, and running up to 4 times the distance before being injured. It's why I'm so passionate about it now.
I changed the way I strike a couple of years ago and it was a couple months of issues and injuries, but now I mid foot strike without thinking about it.
I’ve always been prone to running all the way up on my toes, which isn’t so great when your goal is looong runs. So I habe to consciously work on bringing myself back down my foot a little and giving my calves that break by letting my heel “kiss” the ground. Thinking back, when I was a kid I ran around my yard barefoot from when I could walk until I started running in shoes which I guess explains the forefoot strike…!
I run on the balls of my feet but when I recently had a shin splints flare up I changed it to the mid foot - hurt a little less and let my body rest and repair while I was still training
Nice video, as always:) The only thing I'm missing here is the health aspect of foot strike. I've read a couple of studies at one point (unfortunately I don't remember where that was) and it was proven there that the force created and transferred onto knee (and further up - to hips and spine) is much higher and "sharper" in heel strike. This was explained to be the result of the fact that we have a lot of small bones and joints in the foot (around 25% of all bones are there). This leads to a lot of force created during strike to be "consumed" or rather dispersed by all those joints before it reaches the knee. Yet I'm not an expert on this so I would happily see some more stuff about this aspect of foot strike in your channel:)
I just started running a few months ago. Was miserable with the heel strike. But my thinking was, "who wouldn't want nice, long strides?" As soon as I changed to a front-mid strike my running has become so much more enjoyable.
I suffer from shin splints, a lot. As a heal striker I feel I may be over-striding and need to lean more, switch to a mid strike-and increase my cadence. Don’t know, need to go out again
The hoka and on users need to stop being taken seriously, this is not an 'it depends' situation. The only people that don't benefit from avoiding a heel strike, are ones with weak calfs and windlass mechanisms, which can be trained.
The more I hve run I have naturally transitioned to a forefoot strike over time as it puts less pressure on your legs which makes sense since I have added more miles over time.
Heel strike in zero-drop wide toe box shoes feels best in my case, trying forefoot strike in so-called "barefoot shoes" only caused me plantar fasciitis and peroneal tendonitis. And heel strike with positive drop narrow shoes I find messes up the knees and causes IT-Band friction syndrome in my case.
Heel striking goes against like all biomechanics though. It slows you down and causes most impact to be absorbed straight up through your ankles to your knees and everything beyond. Unless your skeletal structure is weird mid foot striking is the most optimal form of running not only for speed but for longevity of your joints.
Also barefoot runner here. I think it is the only real right way. A barefoot runner can feel if it is the right way. Lightly forefoot will run like a gazella and give you a nice spring. Midfood is okay, but you are not load that spring effectively. Heel first, is running to the ER very quickly 😂
Going from heel strike to forefoot strike I run injury free in terms of joints. Even my form and performance has improved. Unfortunately changing my running style caused me a permanent calf injury.
I got my fastest mile and half time at 9:15 using heel strike, when I switched to mid foot my time increased to almost 10minutes and more. Although I believe it’s because I wasn’t running as much and my V02 max fell which effected my time
I used to be more of mid/forefoot striker. I remember leaning forward a lot and heel not landing first. Nowadays I’m bigger and slower and my heel lands first. And pronation mess 😢
If you love running and just enjoy running, I would advise you to read Owen Anderson's book Running Form. Its discouse is backed up by scientific research so its an absolutely trusted source, and by doing so you will develop a systematic checklist to check your running form each time. But if I am to summerize the whole book for you in a single phrase I would say "cadence of 180 and mid-foot strike".
Knee strike will only f up your knees and make you never able to run. It’s not the way human legs supposed to work. No matter who tell you, DO NOT KNEE STRIKE!
Went to forefoot after wieght loss and increased speed when I got up to 25 mile run weeks, now I'm transitioning to mid due to foot pain after I've reached 30 mile weeks
After years of studying functional anatomy and clinical practice, I can say for sure that forefoot running is optimal at running speed. The slower you go the more “mid foot strike” is ok. So a lot of mid foot strikers are actually joggers, not runners.
I do not know how I run but when I wear barefoot shoes I notice my heel does not touch the ground for most of the time just like when I walk with out shoes on. But when I have shoes that are not barefoot I see it is more of a mid strike or sometimes a heal strike. Also noticed if I try to do a heel strike it hurts the knee. I remember a video by a foot doctor that said that it is best to walk mid strike to keep from hurting you knee.
“You didn't choose how you run” No, you learn from those around you: children who have a parent with a limp will often learn to walk with a limp. Doesn't make it right. “...should we even think about it?” YES! YOU SHOULD! For 20 years (middle school to 35) I tried to run heel strike: coaches kept telling me it's perfectly acceptable, all the best runners do it (20/20 hind sight, I'm not “all the best runners, and I'll bet dollars to donuts NEITHER ARE YOU!). I kept hitting a barrier around 5k where joint inflammation would stop me from going any further. 5 years ago I STOPPED heel running and went to mid/forefoot. It took me a year and a half to develop those muscles to the point where I surpassed where I'd been stuck for TWENTY YEARS, but just 5 years since switching, and at 40 years old, during the summer, my long run is over 20km, and I'm putting on 40+km a week; during the winter I've been running 7-8km EVERY SINGLE DAY (I've been taking food to a couple feral puppies to help them through the cold 😉), NO INFLAMMATION. The reason I'm SO PASSIONATE is that not a single coach said “heel strike is what's causing your inflammation: in relearning running you will lose a season and a winter on either end, but after that you'll be on your way”. I feel cheated of 20 years of my life and especially of my youth.
Ya, but generally, the viewers of this channel aren't top athletes: those people aren't average in any way and trying to run like those freaks will just get us mere mortals injured.
What about heel striking in combination with under- or overpronation? I guess since your body will do whatever to compensate, but wondering if there are combinations that make one more prone to injury.
i would like to watch this video, because im confused i donot know how to run now, some say tiptoe some say mid.. i get also a lil pain under the knee on the front side legs while running. Im 154cm tall.
Seems like when I midfoot run I find myself shuffling more under my feet, which is good for long distance runs. If I want to do a tempo or even sprint, I have to move to a forefoot strike to open my gate
Ya, I don't even agree that “midfoot” is its own category: I think anything ahead of the ankle is “forefoot”, and “midfoot” is just a subcategory of “forefoot”. As you go faster you end up more on the toes, and as you slow down you end up more on the middle, but to me, both are part of the “forefoot” range.
It's amusing to see that if you look at the elite medium to long distance runners, the Olympians and world record holders, you can see heelstrike is quite common, but you still hear people say you shouldn't do it, it's not good. And this isn't the only thing you can see from elites that people parrot others saying it isn't good, but what do the best runners know?
Please give me advice. Whenever i run, my feet position never land stright. If i saw my inner foot line from above, it's always croocked open to the side dome degrees. So my foot never land stright position, always slightly open croocked. Is that ok?
The foot strike all depends on your posture, speed, and grade of the ground you are running on. Just get stronger, do some sprinting, and focus on your posture. Marketing tries to short cut everything and makes people focus on the wrong things. Your feet will do what they need to do.
"if you get tired you will change to a more efficient style" doesn't make sense. If you have strong heal strike muscles and switch to mid strike you will get tired much sooner because your muscles are not set up for mid strike, and will often cause injury or pain if you were to run with a perfect mid strike. That is why its so hard to change to a different style or even minor adjustments.
Isn’t heelstrike completely unnatural and kinda universally prone to injury though? I don’t see how, even on long distance - especially on long distance, it won’t be detrimental to your body. I feel like for those who haven’t been injured yet, it’s just a matter of time. And in any case, they could run much more efficiently on a midfootstrike or toestrike
GTN: Is There A Perfect Footstrike For Running? Me: Yes! The one that does not incur injury and gets you to the finish line faster than your competition!
Everyone is different. Land wherever that feels best at your given pace and terrain. All these bs abt where you must land and all that must stop. Shoe companies also started the bs about overpronation.. then some people started bs about cadence.. All bs..
Lean forward at the waist and imagine a vertical line from the ground to your forehead and land flat footed with your toes not going any further then your forehead and count 12345678 and every time your right foot hits the ground it should be a even number left foot odd number
Lots of misinformation SMH. Heelstriking has braking (and breaking) forces, more load & time on support, etc. so how’s it more efficient at any pace? Your info’s inconsistent. Pose Method my friends…
