Running Techniques to Improve Body Posture – Part 1
Today I’ll talk about the importance of having a good body posture while you run. Running may be a very basic human activity but we learn bad habits and bad postures over time. Correcting this is essential to help you run more effectively.
While running we involve the following body parts.
- Head & Face
- Torso & Shoulders
- Hands
- Hips
- Legs, ankles and feet
In this article, we will first discuss about the head, torso and hips.
Starting From Head to Toe
Head
Your head weighs approximately 13 pounds. Swinging your head from side to side or up and down is certainly not a good way to run. In addition to that, looking down all the time while you run puts unnecessary strain on your neck muscles, causing straining. If you are running for the first time, experiencing problems like this can be a big turn off to run the next time. Looking down while you run also drags you with gravity pulling downwards. Experts advice all runners to look forward and straight ahead when you run. The emphasis is to keep your body erect and avoid getting the extra weight of your head dragging you down while you run. Even if you want to look down, use your eyes instead. Another obvious thing to do, is to relax your facial muscles and your jaw. Allowing it to swing about while you run.
Torso and Hips
Your torso and hips play an important part in running especially with regards to stability and your running phase. Ideally, your posture should be straight or slightly tilted forward. If you are beginner, maintaining the straight position is best. Slouching or curving your back while running can cause backaches and unnecessary muscle strains after running. Keeping this posture also helps you to take in more oxygen which is essential as you want to maintain your aerobic reserve as much as possible.
Your hips maintain stability because it is the centre of gravity when you run. Maintain a straight erect posture without tilting sideways. Having a good straight posture maintains keeps your hip close to your centre of gravity thus maintaining stability and unnecessary muscle strain.
Part 2 to Continue. Alternatively please check the link at the Runners Link on the Navigation above.
