Don’t change the cadence by changing the cadence when running

[Applause] hello and welcome my name is Frederick zilm and I'm a running technique [Music] specialist no it is not true that 180 steps per minute is the optimal Cadence for runners there are several factors that can determine which Cadence is better or worse for a runner like the distance the surface how fast you run how your body is constructed and there are studies showing that while many Elite Runners have a Cadence above 180 it can also vary a lot but I have already made a video out the Cadence so you can check that one out if you want to know more because this video is about another topic it is about that even though you don't have to have a Cadence of exactly 180 steps per minute many recreational Runners have a Cadence that is far too low for their own good too low Cadence means that you have to move your body up and down more which cost you unnecessary energy many Runners know this and probably including you which is why many Runners have tried to run with a higher Cadence than they normally do however this doesn't usually work out as well as many Runners find it quite difficult to increase their Cadence in a way that is sustainable and feels comfortable and costs less energy I often meet Runners that says that they have tried to increase their Cadence but that their heart rate immediately goes up and it became difficult to maintain in the long run in the long run I'm funny this is usually because Cadence is largely dependent on and a consequence of of how you move in large part you have the Cadence you have because it fits the way you move but if we change just a little bit on some angles in your joints we can instantly increase or decrease the Cadence without you having to think about it but before I tell you exactly how you do it we go to a short [Music] let's compare running to figure skating if you do a pet in figure skating you sp spin slowly if you keep your arms straight out like this and if you want to increase the speed you don't just use more Force to increase the number of revolutions per minute you move your arms and hands close to your body then their rotation speed increases by [Music] itself slow fast slow fast the same with running if you keep your arms and hands a bit away from your body your Central Mass or you create long pendulums by having your hands a bit far down it is very easy for the movements in your arms to become slower compared to keeping them closer to the body and if the movements are slower in the arms the Cadence drops and that's why many of the top runners in the world have their hands very close to the body and at very sharp angles in their elbows [Applause] I have also made a video about the nonsense that you should have a 90° angle in your [Music] elbows and you can take a look at that video also if you want when you're done with this one so sharper angles closer to the body and if there is not enough movement in the shoulder joint like this which is not the case for many Runners then something else has to balance the movements of the leg in the upper body which means that you start to rotate your body like this instead of having the movement in the shoulders a lot of people think that they move their arms in the shoulder joints but they actually just do this not much movement in the shoulder joints right now compared to now and it takes more time and energy to move and rotate the upper body like this compared to this and which can also of course lower the Cadence and the same thing with the legs how much your feet lift off the ground is very much related to how fast you run the faster you run the higher your feet get however if the feet are moving relatively close to the ground they create a longer pendulum that takes longer time to move causing the Cadence to drop you can see how you can get your feet up at no extra energy cost it's just about relaxation in another of my videos the position of the hip can also affect the Cadence quite a bit if you have a bit a little bit too far back the Cadence is usually slow lower than when you have your hip more on top of your feet more on top of your feet instead of too much back like this as I've mentioned in other videos I have probably done at least 10,000 tests of Runners Energy Efficiency with my 3D cameras it is quite common for runners especially men to have a slightly too low Cadence for their own good to those Runners I usually don't say well increase your Cadence it's too low I make sure that they find a good movement in the shoulders and the right angles in the elbows and everything else in the knees and the hip is in place and then the Cadence increases more by itself it is not uncommon for runners who at the first test might be taking I don't know 160 steps per minute to suddenly in a second test take 175 or maybe even 185 steps per minute after just small adjustments that I have them to make then I normally ask them well did you think about having a higher Cadence and usually the answer is no it just happened by itself and that is because your Cadence is a consequence of how you move and that's why it can feel so unnatural and forced if you try to have a higher Cadence by just taking more steps per minute just like it's hard to spin really really fast in a perod when when figure skating if you hold your arms out here so today's take-home message is if you want to increase your Cadence don't just try to take more steps per minute make sure you have the right angles in your joints and keep your hip in the right place and move and be relaxed in your shoulders and your arms really tight close to your body the Cadence will go up by itself but if you want more details about how to do this you find it of course in my online course which you can find more information about in the text below thanks for watching make sure to subscribe so you don't miss my next videos and may your running forever be light effortless and Instagram friendly [Music] [Music] are you really hope you like the video and if you did you please click the like button and maybe also the subscribe button so you don't miss any more videos here on my channel and if you are interested in my online course you find all the information about that one in the description below

Channel: Fredrik Zillén - Running Technique Specialist

Views: 33,004

Keywords: running, running technique, running shoes, trailrunning, trail, running biomechanics

Id: oAf304yDXW4

Length: 9min 21sec (561 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 31 2023