Pose Method Running: How To Improve Your Running Form
Updated: Nov 1
Pose Running
So, you have started to realise how much proper running form can improve your performance, from helping to prevent injuries to running faster and conserving energy. But what does the optimal running form look like? There are many aspects of running efficiently, however, the basics of good running form can be learned with pose method running. This will teach you the fundamentals of everything that a great runner does in their form.
We are born with good form, so what happens?
We evolved throughout time as runners. Why would we have such a problem in this day and age with runners getting injured from bad form? You wouldn't spot a monkey that struggled with the basics of climbing, a fish having to re-learn to swim more efficiently, or a slow cheetah, that could be faster if it had learned to run more efficiently.
Proper running form is something most of us are born with and then slowly lose the ability to do as we get older, this is due to things such as wearing shoes and having to sit down for 6-7 hours a day at school. This causes our hip flexors to tighten, our glutes to become lazy and our form to become very sub-optimal.
You can learn how to reset your body and improve your running with the 'ATG Program'. Read about my personal experience of the ATG Program here: ATG Program: How it Transformed My Running.
If ever you see a child running, they often run with the type of running form, which if you had you could probably smash your PBs. You see the East Africans who instead of sitting would rather rest their legs in a deep squat for an hour, they have amazing running form and some want to put that down to genetics- an absolute myth. You see runners with amazing form without African heritage such as Galen Rupp, Keeley Hodgkinson, and of course Adam Fogg. So, it's not down to genetics and I am sure these runners went to school and grew up wearing shoes, so what is going on here?
Well, if you analyse these runners, you can see the basic principles of pose method running in their form and you have to say it looks effortless, doesn't it? Runners who, whether they know it or not, run with pose method running look like they are not even trying and they also happen to be the faster ones among us- not a coincidence. Faster runners don't have better running form, better running form makes runners faster.
Great Book To Read: Born To Run.
How does running form affect performance?
We all know a runner with at least slightly odd running form, legs all over the place, arms that look like they are in a fight and the whole thing looks a mess. Now think about the amount of energy that the runner is losing with every single step. For comparison think of a runner like Eliud Kipchoge, if you looked at his upper body only you would barely be able to tell he is running, his legs turn over in a cycling-like matter and he seems effortless.
Running form is better understood when we call it running economy. Imagine your running form is like running a car, if the car is not efficient then it is going to use more fuel to go the same distance as an efficient car would use. So, now viewing your running form the same way you view the efficiency of a car, you would want to run more efficiently so you could run faster and run for longer.
Check Out This Blog From Boost Physio: Is Your Technique Holding You Back.
What is the pose method running?
Pose method running is a simplification of the overall method of running, it separates the whole running stride into 3 parts. So, the pose method is here to get the basic principle right first before you start to optimise your form with all different types of drills and cues. You should get the pose method nailed first before you go on to worry about how to get your form perfect.
This method of running was created by Dr. Nicholas Romanov in 1977 and it helped to improve running form all around the world. Now his techniques are growing with running becoming more popular, there are people providing online courses to help you achieve your perfect running form and there are great books created around this method that can be used as a guide to better form.
Read This Blog For PoseMethod: What Is Pose Method Running.
A great book that can help you learn 'Pose Method Running' is 'The Running Revolution' written by the creator of 'Pose Method Running' Dr. Nicholas Romanov and also Kurt Brungardt:
Part 1- The Pose
This is where you have the ball of one foot planted on the floor and the other foot is pulled up underneath your bum. You should be leaned forward ever so slightly and your ankle, hips, and shoulders should all be in a perfect vertical line. Your shoulders should not be falling forward, instead, they should be held in a nice position to open up your chest to allow you to breathe freely.
This is a strong position to be in when running. What you would instead usually find is a runner who is leaning too far forward, whose hips are in a weak position falling and the trail leg is far behind you requiring even more effort and no momentum to bring it back to take the next step.
Part 2- The Fall
Now you are in the perfect pose position of the running stride, with your body in a vertical line, your foot pulled up under your bum, and all of your weight on your forefoot- it's time for the fall. This is where we allow gravity to help us run (remember that slight forward lean), well which is going to help us fall forward as we allow our foot (which is not trailing behind us but is tucked underneath our bum ready for the next step) to hit the floor.
As you can imagine this is where we start to become efficient, the amount less effort this requires in comparison to a runner whose trail leg is behind them and does not have their body perfectly positioned to make the most of what gravity can do for us when we are running.
Part 3- The Pull
The pull part is where you can move more efficiently by avoiding heel striking. You can see runners heal striking often, in fact, one study observed a marathon and found that 93% were heel strikers.
However, heel striking is not efficient, for starters if your heel hits the ground first then this means that your heel is acting as a braking force slowing you down and sending a shock through your whole body- asking for injuries! Also, heel striking means that your foot is landing in front of your centre of mass, meaning you have the burden of getting your whole body weight over where your foot lands.
Whereas, when you focus on pulling your foot under the body instead of striding out in front of your body you can naturally increase your cadence, use your momentum, and land on your forefoot. Be sure to focus on pulling your foot underneath your bum instead of over-striding and heel-striking with one foot and leaving the other leg far behind you.
Learn how to improve your form with drills: Warm-Up Drills To Improve Your Running Form.
How do I learn the Pose Method Running?
You can start by focusing on the cues that help with pose method running such as having a slight forward lean, holding your body in a good position, and pulling your foot underneath your bum. Focus on these cues for part of your run when you are jogging slowly see how it feels and try to run like it for longer.
One which can help the transition to pose method running is by doing drills that can help you get into the correct position like high knees, also do some drills that can help you focus on leaning forward like having a partner hold you whilst you lean forwards and then letting you fall into a run.
For me, I found that adding strides to the end of easy runs and before warm-ups was a great way for me to be able to focus on my running form to try to implement some of the lessons from pose method running. Strides are short enough to be able to focus on the cues and you can even record how you are running so that you can get feedback on how your form is developing.
Read This Blog From RunnersWorld: Why Form Matters.
Final Thoughts On Pose Method Running
Pose method running is the fundamental basis for developing your form, but once you have nailed this method your form development should not stop there. You should still try to establish a better knee drive, and heel recovery and try to waste less energy in your upper body. All of this should be worked on in the gym with running-specific exercises, running plenty of strides, and performing running drills.
Many runners may go to look for specific shoes to fix their injuries which they are struggling with, however by simply implementing this method they can save money, fix their injuries more permanently, and begin to learn to run faster.
You may also like: Gym workouts for runners.
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