For what they are worth, here are my personal Vibrams views.

They are not universally cool (yet) and as Graham discovered it’s quite possible to parade up and down in front of your girlfriend and be greeted by the words “gawd, I can taste sick in my mouth.”

There is a little way to go before be-gloved toes gain public acceptance.

Apparantly, according to Ken, if the police pull you over while driving and notice you are wearing them, they’ll caution you. I’ll have to check this. But I’ve trained with Ken for a while and I’m sure he would not lie to me about something so trivial. So don’t wear them to drive. My most recent pair of  Vibrams still have a cycle incident tear in them’  from when I caught my foot between the pavement edge and the pedal. Steven managed to break three toes while doing a gymnastic-ey bar thing while wearing them: so we should caution against driving, cycling and gymnastic-ey things while wearing them.

But we can , of’course, recommend them for going barefoot.

Urm, no not really.

Most people heel strike, with their foot out in front of them. Sure barefoot and Vibrams quickly stop you doing that, but most people convert to a ball of the foot “in front of you” strike that will screw your calf muscles very quickly. So I have to recommend that you learn a natural way of running be it POSE or Crossfit Endurance first (actually a plug opportunity: I’m qualified in both of those things) before you start running in Vibrams.

If you fancy strollling about in them as an alternative to flip flops,  oh why not. You can get in on all that “back to nature” stuff… you will feel the Chi flowing

They are easy to clean (bung them in the washing machine) which is just as well, as they quickly stink (it’s that rubber sweat combo).

It’s a pain getting the right size. Vibrams are mainly an internet phenominan so you need to know your own shoe size, and check up with the supplying company what their return  terms are. I own two pairs of Vibrams. Both are too small. Couldn’t  be bothered to return them (What? Repack them, queue  up in the post office, wait  in for couriers….but some people love this sort of thing).

There is much sizing advise around that includes one size less then your “normal” shoe size,  foot diagrams  and charts…do a mix and guess.

If you intend to lift in them, you had better have excellent ankle flexibility.

The biggest draw back is this: unless they fit perfectly, the chances are they will tug on your big toe. Not too awful you may say. But, if you go to our adult gymnastic classes (gosh, another plug) Amelia will,  if she see you struggling with an arabesque, tell you to lift your big toe up. This makes you supinate, which means, among other stuff, you get more stability. The problem is that most natural running styles rely on you harvesting  ground reaction forces (among other stuff). If your feet are forced to supinate because your big toe is being pulled in/up,  the opportunity to get ground reaction is very diminished. This is a bad thing.

So are they the best thing since sliced bread, No. Will you probably buy a pair? Probably yes, especially as prices are coming down, and alternatives are appearing.

Related posts:

1. The Barefoot Journey…oochie, ouchie!
2. Running, pose, Chi, Barefoot , Biomechanics and stuff
3. Vibram Five Fingers

But as a warning, even though the skin on your feet toughens up, it is no defence against stones, glass, nails or needles or extremes in temperature . I found running in Vibram’s to be a challenge over these last few winter months. My feet were bloody cold! ( I mean really)

I thought this warning was worthwhile repeating

Runners with poor sensation in their feet are particularly vulnerable to damage or infection when barefoot. Peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. if you have diabeties, dont go barefoot  Actually, make diabetics wear shoes/trainers (ACSM/ADA, 1999; ACSM, 2000).

Over all the proposition is this, feet quite like the feedback they were built to receive. The more you cut this feedback off, the more chance of injury you have.

It  has an ok-ish reference list which is a useful start to your barefoot journey

American College of Sports Medicine and American Diabetes Association (1997). Diabetes mellitus and exercise: joint position statement. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 29(12), i-vi

American College of Sports Medicine (2000). ACSM position stand on exercise and Type 2 diabetes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 32, 1345-1360

Anthony RJ (1987). The functional anatomy of the running training shoe. Chiropodist, December, 451-459

Bergmann G, Kniggendorf H, Graichen F, Rohlmann A (1995). Influence of shoes and heel strike on the loading of the hip joint. Journal of Biomechanics 28, 817-827

Burkett LN, Kohrt M, Buchbinder R (1985). Effects of shoes and foot orthotics on VO2 and selected frontal plane kinematics. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 17, 158-163

Clarke TE, Frederick EC, Cooper LB (1983). Effects of shoe cushioning upon ground reaction forces in running. International Journal of Sports Medicine 4, 247-251.

Flaherty RF (1994). Running economy and kinematic differences among running with the foot shod, with the foot bare, and with the bare foot equated for weight. Microform Publications, International Institute for Sport and Human Performance, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

Frederick EC (1986). Kinematically mediated effects of sports shoe design: a review. Journal of Sports Sciences 4, 169-184

Hafner J, Burg G (1999). Dermatological aspects in prevention and treatment of the diabetic foot syndrome. Schweizerische Rundschau fur Medizin Praxis 88, 1170-1177

Robbins SE, Gouw GJ (1990). Athletic footwear and chronic overloading: a brief review. Sports Medicine 9, 76-85

Robbins SE, Gouw GJ (1991). Athletic footwear: unsafe due to perceptual illusions. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 23, 217-224

Robbins S, Gouw G, McClaran J, Waked E (1993). Protective sensation of the plantar aspect of the foot. Foot and Ankle 14, 347-352

Robbins SE, Gouw GJ, Hanna AM (1989). Running-related injury prevention through innate impact-moderating behavior. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 21, 130-139

Robbins SE, Hanna AM (1987). Running-related injury prevention through barefoot adaptations. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 19, 148-156

Robbins SE, Waked E, Rappel R (1995). Ankle taping improves proprioception before and after exercise in young men. British Journal of Sports Medicine 29, 242-247

Robbins S, Waked E (1997). Hazards of deceptive advertising of athletic footwear. British Journal of Sports Medicine 31, 299-303

Siff MC, Verkhoshansky YV (1999). Supertraining (4th ed.). Denver, Colorado. Supertraining International

Stacoff A, Steger J, Stussi E, Reinschmidt C (1996). Lateral stability in sideward cutting movements. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 28, 350-358

Stefanyshyn DJ, Nigg BM (2000). Influence of midsole bending stiffness on joint energy and jump height performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 32, 471-476

Webb P, Saris WH, Schoffelen PF, Van Ingen Schenau GJ, Ten Hoor F (1988). The work of walking: A calorimetric study. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 20, 331-337

Yessis M (2000). Explosive running. Illinois, USA.  Contemporary Book

Andrew Stemler is a barefoot runner

Related posts:

1. Barefoot running: Sorting the problems (part 2)
2. Running, pose, Chi, Barefoot , Biomechanics and stuff
3. Vibram Five Fingers

• Foot cuts,
• Fat youth
• Super glue

Which, as we all know, are the central issues of all barefoot running…(!)

Foot cuts

So, I managed to get my first nasty barefoot injury as predicted by, er, just about everybody.

“You’ll cut your feet!”

“‘Ere, bruv! Are you mad, bruv?”

But in my defence, it wasn’t really a running injury; I taught this month’s i-Course barefoot. It was great! No-one dared to comment, but during a mini break outside, having, as I always do, checked for glass, snakes, acid (yes I watch too many films…) I managed to swing my foot into the edge of a drain cover and sliced some of it off. No-one noticed the blood…I think…so when going barefoot, watch out for…er…. everything!

sliced some skin off my foot...urgh

Fat Youth (or is that yoof…?)

Especially ones that smoke drugs and waddle, will  get involved in your running and offer useful coaching tips like, “You’ll cut your feet!” and ”‘Ere, bruv! Are you mad, bruv?”.

So barefoot run and make new friends.

Super glue

Your feet can get a bit tender, so build up the vulnerable bits of your feet with super glue. No danger, apart from the risk of cynide poisoning (so don’t do this unless you have checked with a doctor) and glueing yourself to the floor.

No matter what the pack says, superglue can still be tacky five minutes after application. Don’t glue your toes together, or your fingers to your eyelid, penis, etc. Well, not unless you are a very fast talker in casualty…

DD NOT USE SUPERGLUE ON YOUR FEET: ONLY MAD PEOPLE DO THIS

But it’s a useful layer of skin protection. I do it because I’m insane. Ask anyone…

Watch out for ‘POSE and Foot Mechanics’, coming soon…but in respect of my distance, I’m now up to 30 minutes steady state running, with no achilles pain, which has reminded me about how much I hate running. Well I suppose it’s better than direct self harm.

My relatives and fellow directors cannot get a sectioning order quite as easily…!

Related posts:

1. The Barefoot Journey…oochie, ouchie!
2. Running, pose, Chi, Barefoot , Biomechanics and stuff
3. Barefoot Running: sorting the problems Part 1. Achilles Tendinosis

Three elements got me back on my feet.

1) effective stretch and strengthening regime for my achilles tendon.

2) An understanding of the POSE running technique

3) Going barefoot.

This article is how to sort your Tendinosis in 8 weeks

I began  using ice and , stretching,

Here are my two favourite stretches

the world famous tree pushing stretch

the not so world famous.. hold the top of your foot keep your knee straight and feel your calf being ripped off the bone, stretch

but I  also employed  ”eccentric loading exercises” ( the lowering part of  a calf raise, for you body building type)

• Get the balls of your foot on a block or a step
• and use  both feet  (handsupport) to get you above the block.
• then lower down with the weight on the injured side.
• I found being on a staircase with a handrail helped me control the load.

Here is a handy “You Tube” clip

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTyDsEg-8d0

After that, it was  3 sets of 10 reps . How awful the pain is suggests the amount of load you can work with in the early stages.

This was inspired by some ideas from crossfitter Philip Holbrook ( and his physio) and this report….

Eccentric calf muscle training for the treatment of chronic achilles tendinosis

by Toros Tsermakian, Ioannis Mitsakis, Christos Lyrtzis, Ioannis Tsartsapakis,  Menelaos Mitsakis, Christos Papadopoulos,  and Georgios Nousios,  who sort of observed/discovered the following

• Overuse injuries involving the Achilles tendon are common, especially among runners.
• The majority of Achilles tendon overuse injuries occur in men,
• higher rate in middle-aged athletes than do most other overuse injuries.

So,  they studied the effect of eccentric calf muscle training in 18 athletes with chronic Achilles Tendinosis with a long duration of symptoms despite conventional nonsurgical treatment. Calf strength and the amount of pain during running was  measured before and after the study.

At the start of the trail,  all patients had Achilles tendon pain so sever that they could  not run. There was also   significantly lower  calf muscle strength on the injured side.

At the end of the study. Almost everyone was cured. It bloody well worked for me.

for a fuller report visit here http://www.jssm.org/suppls/11/posterpresentations.pdf

• In the early stages i used ice after the exercise to help with the swelling.

coming soon,the magic of Barefoot and POSE

Related posts:

1. Barefoot running: Sorting the problems (part 2)
2. Barefoot Journey…nice to have alternatives…well, possibly!
3. The Barefoot Journey…oochie, ouchie!

Well obviously the flatter you buy your trainers, the less bounce and “fluffy” pillow effect you get. So everyone is beginning to look at shoes with less and less support, hence “Five Fingers“ have become very popular. The only unpopular bit is the price. And yes I know all the  ”blah, blah” you get what you pay for, but let’s face it, what could be better than inexpensively delivering what you need?

So I started looking at flatter shoes like the pair featured above.  Solid rubber soles I thought.

Nah…

Hidden padding...the bastards!

Even this cheap and nasty pair had a built in “aero-pocket running facilitator” with a high squidge (this may not be a word!) factor. So try and find a back up pair of shoes to compliment your barefoot running for those days when you don’t fancy going unshod.

I am experimenting with a pair of  Rucanor Albufeira Aqua socks (£5), and we will let you know if they are ok.

Related posts:

1. Running, pose, Chi, Barefoot , Biomechanics and stuff
2. The Barefoot Journey…oochie, ouchie!
3. Barefoot running: Sorting the problems (part 2)

My first strategy was to go out in light plimsols. Find a quiet area, and slip them off. When I built up the courage to leave my secluded circuit  to run home, it seemed more acceptable to have a pair of shoes slung over my shoulder – at least I could prove that I was wealthy enough to own a pair of shoes.

Still, I’d been out barefoot in the metropolis – only for 5 minutes (after a 20 minuted shoed jog)- but my feet had been naked in public

On the second run, I plucked up courage to do the whole thing barefoot. Ten minutes of very cautious padding about round the back of  Stratford shopping centre, up the service ramp, round the car park, back down, round to the Mall entrance (without being seen!), back around the service route, and back to the flat.

So what are the early barefoot  lessons?

• Darkness is your friend while you build up your confidence , but you need to see the ground in front of you.
• Experiment with your foot placement
• Some pavements are soft
• Some pavements are hard
• Tarmac can be hard, but some can be smooth
• Tarmac can be very nobbly and painful
• Watch the road in front of you for glass, stones and stuff that could stick in your feet.

As to the actual running lesson: make your early runs modest, say 1000m at most. Stay close to home, experiment with your foot placement. I felt this time lifting my toes a bit, and trying to put the whole foot down (perhaps with a slight ball of the foot lead) felt right, rather than heel-striking (out of the question) and staying on the balls of my foot (which felt to0 nasty on my achilles) Maybe I was POSE running, but I found myself running through some of the guidance given by  Gordon Pirie.

Getting back home, you cannot take dirty shoes off, so you need to either brush your feet off, and get to the shower.

Watch out for the next instalment of this nude foot experiment

Related posts:

1. Barefoot Journey…nice to have alternatives…well, possibly!
2. Running, pose, Chi, Barefoot , Biomechanics and stuff
3. Barefoot running: Sorting the problems (part 2)

For the first time since we moved in to Bethnal Green we ran a whole WOD outside. Amongst the unexpected things that we had to deal with:

• The sun
• Fresh air
• The lack of trains passing overhead

Today we had just the single objective: RUN FAST

Sprint Surprise

• 5x 40m sprints
• 4x 10m/40m shuttle sprints
• 3x 10m/40m backwards shuttle sprints
• 3x 40m “Catch-me-if-you-can” sprints
• 3x 40m sprints

Alex and Becca race

Temi and Rosie sprint to the finish

Sophia and Amelia get off to a flying start

Ruairi and Aaron get set for another epic battle

Efe, Lauri and Warren take off

Great effort folks! More photos on the CrossFit London Flickr page.

Related posts:

1. WOD 31 Jan: Handstand push-ups/pull-ups & Beginners
2. WOD 4 March: “Nate” & Kettlebell Hell (and Heaven?!)
3. WOD 3 Mar: Heavy Thrusters & weighted pull-ups

with LEE SAXBY ( POSE Coach level 4)

Sunday 7th February 12.30 to 3.30

£35

This is a fantastic opportunity to get to grips with the basics of the POSE RUNNING METHOD. In 3 hours Lee Saxby (POSE Level 4 coach), from Zoo Human will take you through the basic drills you need to begin to practise the POSE method.

This could be a turning point in your life as a runner. At the moment, accepted running styles injure 85% of runners (shin splints, knee issues, etc.) This could  be  your chance to run injury free.

The controversial POSE technique, designed by Nicholas Romanov, has already been adopted by the official triathlete body in the USA. This masterclass could be an ideal stepping stone for you  to begin to practically understand the technique

Book your place by hitting the Getting Started button, above.

Related posts:

1. Running, pose, Chi, Barefoot , Biomechanics and stuff
2. WOD 7 Feb: Roly-Poly before “DT”, Beginners swinging and poseurs POSEing!!!
3. Good luck, Efe! [CrossFit Level 1 Cert]

The following article has been reproduced by kind permission of the author, Matthew Barreau, who is a USATF Level II Certified Endurance Coach and highly respected.  It is an analysis of the phases of the running stride focused primarily on the action of the lower body. Included are details of running drills and their benefit as they relate to particular aspects of stride efficiency.

For more information, you can email Matthew on  riaarunnerboy@hotmail.com

THE 5 P’s of Running

There is no clear place to begin talking about the running stride, as the success of each phase is ultimately a product of how well the phase before it was performed. As will be explained later, I believe the recovery phase to be the most important of the running phases. Therefore, I will begin this discussion with the phase immediately following recovery, and build up to that crucial phase of form. That way, any errors in the recovery phase, being a product of things happening before it, will be able to be detected more easily.

I have separated the running stride into the Five “P’s”:

• Preparation
• Propulsion
• Push off
• Pull Through,
• Percussion

The first four are actual phases of the running stride, while the percussion is more of a tool of self-check.

Preparation

The preparation phase begins after the foot has swung down from its recovery phase position close to the upper thigh, and come into the position it will hold until impact with the ground. This will be described as the time when maximum knee lift has occurred (this depends on the speed of the run, where faster running means more leg lift). The foot should be in a dorsi-flexed position, with the mid to forefoot falling directly below the knee. As the knee is a support mechanism in running (detailed later), it makes sense that it should be directly above the contact with the ground as the time of impact. The dorsi-flexed foot will minimize absorption of running energy by the calf muscle. If the foot is plantar flexed, then as gravity pushes the body downward, the calf will be forced to lengthen in order to provide a push off role (see push off phase for more details). This eccentric contraction of the calf is extremely costly, as this type of contraction is the most straining on the body. Landing on the mid to forefoot will also minimize “braking” and trauma on other joints. By landing on the heel, impact forces are transferred up the legs, and can even reach the back.

After the leg has got into the position described above, it begins the downward swing to the ground. Muscularly this is caused by the extension of the hip muscles (glutes, upper hamstrings). Because of this extension, which will continue throughout the running motion, your foot will actually be moving backward upon impact. Therefore, you want the foot to land slightly in front of the center of mass (COM), so that by the time it becomes “useful” it will be directly under the COM , if not slightly behind. (The moment the foot touches the ground, it has merely made contact, and has not yet become a supporting mechanism. Since your body is travelling forward this entire time, the COM will move ahead of the foot strike by the time it becomes a supporter.) If the hip extensors are called into action while the foot is in front of the COM, then they are becoming active in simultaneously pulling and helping support the body’s weight, which is a great strain on the muscles and can eventually lead to great hamstring difficulties, including overuse injuries and premature tiring. Should the foot fall in front of the COM, a “braking” effect will occur. Tired quads can be a product of over striding, as it causes the quads to support the body’s vertical and horizontal components simultaneously. Conversely, if the foot should fall behind the COM by too much, an inefficient falling motion will occur.

The knee must be slightly bent upon impact. This will allow the mid to forefoot to position itself directly under the knee and the supporting system of the body. A straight leg will not only negate much of the lower legs power potential (quads), but it will also cause a greater strain on the hamstring and calf muscles when they are called into action to unbend the joint; moving any joint through a range of motion is significantly easier than the initial unbending of the joint itself.

Drills

Heel walks – By concentrating on keeping the toes off the ground, you are strengthening the anterior shin muscles. This will help in keeping the toes up just before the foot’s impact with the ground, minimizing “absorbing” by the calves.

Toe walks – This exercise strengthens the calves. These are mini-plyometrics, as each step produces a small bouncing motion. During the preparation phase, it is important to have strong calves to resist absorbing energy at the point of impact.

‘A’ mechanics- The focus of this drill is to bring the leg as quickly as possible to the position it will be in just before it begins descending toward the ground; the knee will be at its highest point, and the toe will be positioned directly beneath it.

‘B’ mechanics – From the ending position of ‘A’ mechanics (knee up, toe up and beneath the knee), this exercise is about bringing the leg down and backward (clawing action). The foot will make a “scuffing” sound while moving down and back upon contact with the ground

‘C’ mechanics – This is a range of motion exercise that mimics ‘A’ mechanics, but also includes repeating the motion with the knee pointing out to the side. This helps hip mobility, while maintaining ‘A’ form.

Propulsion

For the most efficient stride, all of the energy of motion must be direction in the motion of travel, which, in the case of running, is forward. Any alternative motions are merely wasted energy. The COM should remain at a constant height to eliminate the use of energy in any vertical component of forces. In analyzing the forces in the running stride, a vertical component is present due to the need to counter the forces of gravity. However, to be most efficient, the forces supplied by the body will be just enough to counter the gravity, and not superfluous to that; in other words, no net change in COM height.

The forward motion is caused primarily by hip extension. In order to maximize each stride, the range of motion of the hip must be adequate enough to allow for maximal hip extension. Obviously, the farther one can push with each step, the longer the stride will be (frequency and stride length are the primary components in overall running speed). If you merely extended your hip without changing the angle of your knee or ankle, you would lower your COM. So, while your hip extends, your knee must extend simultaneously, also. The ankle comes into play at the end of the stride, which will be examined in the next section.

Drills

Walk-through lunges – This motion exaggerates the propulsion phase. Catching the weight on the landing foot will help strengthen the glutes for support while running, and the walk through motion strengthens the glutes for their role in propulsion.

‘B’ mechanics – The benefit for this phase is merely a continuation of the last phase: in teaching the foot to be moving backward upon impact with the ground, the glutes will be able to provide more of a propulsion effort to the stride.

Push off

The push off phase is actually a continuation of the propulsion phase, but deserves special attention, as it can help determine whether you run forward faster, or run with more of a bounce in your stride. Seemingly more than any other phase, this final push off will be the cause of wasted energy. The two major components of the final push off are near-maximal knee extension and a plantar-flexion of the ankle joint. As previously described, the knee is primarily a height maintenance mechanism in running; as the hip extends, so must the knee. When the hip is at full extension, the knee has yet to completely extend. Hence, as there is no more extension of the hip, there is no need to further extend the knee. Doing so will only cause a greater vertical component to the running stride, and give the sensation of leaping or bounding with each stride, rather than running. As previously discussed, completely straightening the knee joint will require an undue stress on the hamstrings and calves in order to bend it for the recovery phase. Additionally, it will take more time to get the lower leg into the recovery phase, which will create more upper body twisting. Excessively tired quads can be a product of having too much of a vertical component in the running stride. The final aspect of the movement aspect of the running stride is the toe-off. After the hip has been fully extended, the ankle joint is the last chance to add horizontal movement and with it, length to the stride. And with virtually no added time cost to this toe-off, there is clear benefit to the motion. (I say virtually no added time because a small time component is present. For the toe-off to be a horizontal component, the leg must be as far back as possible. The timing of the toe-off also coincides with the beginning of the recovery phase [pull through] of the leg to minimize the extra time of contact on the ground.) To gain the greatest force from this toe-off, the principles of plyometrics must be heeded too: a loaded muscle will provide a greater response than an unloaded one. When the foot first strikes the ground, the added weight of the body on the calf muscle becomes the loading. If landing with the ankle in a plantar-flexed position, the loading will be too much and too slow, and the golgi tendon organ (responsible for muscle relaxation) will win out, canceling any potential load-fire coupling benefits. Additionally, any extra strain on the calf from the landing will tire the calf, naturally decreasing its potential to give back energy through the toe-off. Strong quads are then also important for a proper toe-off, as they will support much of the load of the body, leaving the calves available for propulsion rather than support.

Drills

Walk-through lunges – As you complete the walk-through portion of this drill, placing an emphasis on the extra push with the toes teaches the body to do the same during the running motion.

Toe walks – If done with a little bounce in the stride, the plyometric effect of this drill will give the calves extra strength for pushing off. It is important to focus on the quickness of the bouncing in order to desensitise the golgi tendon organ, which causes muscle relaxation. This would diminish the calves’ abilities to provide extra inches to stride length.

Pull Through

When training the body, it is said that increases in performance come during the recovery phase, rather than during the actual training session. The same principle can be applied to the running stride; the increases in stride efficiency will come from the recovery phase of the stride, or how fast you can get the leg through in order to begin the next preparation-propulsion-push off cycle.

The pattern of movement for the pull through phase can be classified simply by the pneumonic “heel up, toe up, knee up.” This, again, emphasizes the need for a toe-off motion in completing the propulsion phase of the stride. The “heel up” begins with the toe-off creating the heel to rise, and continues with the need to get the heel to the upper thigh as quickly as possible. This will shorten the lever that needs to be brought forward, creating a faster pull through phase.

The toe up and knee up basically occur at the same time (keep in mind that all three of these events happen nearly simultaneously, as the goal is to have them occur as quickly as possible). As the heel is being brought to the upper hamstring, the knee is already being driven forward. As the foot swings through, it is then dorsi-flexed (toe up), and placed in the position it will remain in until contact with the ground. This flexing of the anterior shin muscles also helps begin the flexing of the knee.

Bringing the knee up is almost a misnomer, as it gives the illusion that the goal is to create a vertical component of movement. However, the primary thought behind “knee up” is in allowing the lower leg a slight amount of extra time to fall down into position for the landing. In essence, this is merely a slight pause in the motion of the upper leg while the lower leg uncoils.

Drills

Carioca – The major action in this drill is the quick raising and lowering of the rear leg. The emphasis on quickness and raising the leg will greatly involve the hip flexors, which are the primary movers in the pull through phase.

Walk-through lunges – When beginning the walk-through motion, the pattern of movement mimics running. The need for getting the leg through quickly is important in this drill because if you do not you will fall; essentially the same as in running.

‘B’ mechanics – Especially when doing drills such as continuous fast leg, these drills can place an emphasis on leg recovery. To focus on the pull through phase, begin with the hip fully extended, and do heel up, toe up, knee up as quickly as possible.

‘A’ and ‘C’ mechanics – Both of these drills are involved with this phase of running because of their involvement with strengthening the hip flexor muscles. For best results, focus on quickness of hip flexion.

The reasoning behind bringing the leg as close to the body involves more than just creating a shorter lever for quicker movement. By bringing the lower leg up against the upper leg, the hip flexors (a traditionally weaker muscle) do not need to exert as much force during the pull through phase. Instead, the hamstrings help support the weight of the lower leg during this phase. Raising the leg higher will also make the legs less of a rotational force. Because of this, the upper body does not need to counteract as much rotary movement, allowing for a more forward-focused movement. A strong core will assist even more with this process, as it will provide additional inhibition of rotary movement through its stabilization properties.

Percussion

The final “P” of the running stride is percussion. This is merely a means of self-check in the absence of technical coaching and/or video equipment. Looking in a mirror does not provide great feedback, as a head-on mirror will reflect too small an image and not allow adequate time to get to a cruising speed (when a patterned stride occurs). A mirror on the side requires a turn of the head, which is not a natural part of the running stride, and will therefore provide inaccurate assessments of form. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it merely changes forms during its existence. One of these forms is movement, and another is sound. Optimally, while running, the goal is to put complete energy into movement. This, then leads to the assumption that the most efficient stride will also be the quietest (assuming all other things are equal). The sound produced by your feet hitting the ground is a transfer of energy your body is producing to the noise you hear, and is a result of the vertical component of force you place into the ground (and it conversely gives back to you). In a gravitational environment, some vertical component will always be necessary, so some sound will occur. The goal is to simply minimize it.

Drills

Running – From one thing evolves another, and such is the whole of the running motion. As running is a cyclical pattern, an error can compound itself many times over. Ultimately, the most basic test of form is the sound the foot makes with the ground. Any noise is a transfer of energy in a downward motion, rather than the forward motion of running.

Upper Body action

What to look for in a runner’s upper body:

• Minimal rotation of the upper body is the goal, so a strong core is necessary
• The abdominal and lower back muscles must be of sufficient strength to absorb as much rotational forces created by the lower body as possible
• The arms, shoulders, and neck should be in a relaxed state, to allow for a greater freedom of motion
• Tightness in one area of the stride has been known to affect other aspects of the stride, as everything is ultimately one interconnection motion
• Elbow angle will range from slightly less than 90° at its forward most point, to 90° as it passes the side of the body, to slightly more than 90° as it swings behind the body
• The range of motion will be greater and more forceful as the speed of running increases.
• The head should remain in a neutral position above the shoulders
• Overall, there should be a slight forward lean in the body to help utilise gravity’s forces to assist in the running process

Related posts:

1. Running, pose, Chi, Barefoot , Biomechanics and stuff
2. The A-Z of Pull-up Training: Part 1
3. Vibram Five Fingers

But we  at Crossfit London are moving to support London runners by reviewing the various methods of running, and combining them  with  some decent training ideas, based on the notion that running can, and should be, injury free.

Whilst its popular to want to talk about the POSE method of Running ( by Nicholas Romanov) or Chi Running ( by Danny Dreyer) we will also look at respected sports scientists like  James Hay and seeing what they have to say about the biomechanics of running. We are fortunate to have  useful links with The University of East London and so  we will be picking some of the brains of the leading lecturers their as well. Above all we will have a regard to the past runners like Gordon Pirie and get to re-learn what clumpy running shoes and shoddy fitness instructors have stolen from us

For me personally, it has meant  ditching the  built up training shoes and hunting down shoes that let me feel what my foot is meant to be doing. Its surprising how fast you stop heel striking when you dont have a built up heel.

I think barefoot running will be part of our and your journey, but don’t throw your trainers away just yet, but, think about getting access to a pair of flatter shoes  ( remember those old deck shoes) or five finger vibrams.  Don’t start running jacked up on the balls of your feet either! Sure its possibly part of the solution, but  like everything, it  needs to be trained in and conditioned.

So your drill tonight is to walk around your safe flat/house /room in barefoot ( ie the one without broken bottles, needles and  rough stones) Dont make a fuss about it or people who know you will think you are a tree hugging hippy, but just think about  how much your feet can feel. Just for 5 minutes.

more drills soon.

Related posts:

1. Barefoot Journey…nice to have alternatives…well, possibly!
2. The Barefoot Journey…oochie, ouchie!
3. Barefoot: some pathways