HEEL-STRIKING IS THE WORST WAY TO RUN
 With
various running styles available these days, it is now common
to hear forefoot, ball of foot, midfoot (still can't digest
this one since midfoot is actually the arch of the foot and
it's not possible to land on it, but hey, I guess such mental
imagery can help some?) or flatfoot striking recommended over
the heel striking style. So, today, let's talk about what
we can safely call "the worst way to run" - heel
striking style.
Before we go any further, let's state what the problem with
heelstriking is. Majority of runners are heelstrikers and
running is associated with injures more than any other sport.
It is considered dangerous because of the jarring impact it
has on the body....if you heelstrike. It is also inefficient,
since landing heel first while running, actually produces
a braking effect....and here I was thinking that you want
to run? Then why are you acting like you're trying to stop
with every step you take?
Majority of runners have never learned to run because everybody
can put their shoes on and out the door they go... Whatever
training a few underwent was never technique oriented. Running
was never accepted or assumed to be a technique sport.
Heelstriking is wrong and is not good for you no matter how
you twist it. Plus there is no scientific research to back
it up. Just because some elite runners are heelstrikers doesn't
mean anything. They are human just like you and nobody taught
them any better. Have you thought about how many world records
could've been shattered, if heelstriking wasn't an issue?
First, let's see why is this referred to as the "natural"
way to run. What exactly does "natural" mean? From
dictionary.com one can get the following:
existing in or formed by nature (opposed to artificial):
a natural bridge.
based on the state of things in nature; constituted by nature:
Growth is a natural process.
of or pertaining to nature or the universe: natural beauty.
Now let's get a la naturale... take your shoes off and run...
99.9% of people will immediately run on any other part of
their foot, but the heel. If you're a member of the 0.01%
group insisting on "heel first" approach while doing
it barefoot, then I'd like to see what you have to say after,
say, mile 10... don't forget to pick up a first aid kit to
clean up your bloody tortured heels. The fact is, human heel
is not meant to bear such beating.
There is nothing natural about heel striking way of running,
as a matter of fact heel striking alone is responsible for
countless seriously injured runners - pro, amateur, everyone.
I bet you anything that every runner you know is or was injured.
Interestingly, there is not a single scientific study that
states that heel striking is good or bad for you. Strangely
enough, all the scientific studies carried out on running
were at best simply descriptive with collected data, but nothing
definitive was ever pronounced. That is until recently.
The only scientific proof that exists in the world of running
today belongs to the Pose Method of Running. Done by the top
level members of the "running community" such as
Timothy Noakes, the author of "Lore of Running"
and a famed exercise physiologist and others, the study showed
that runners' that use the pose method experience 50% less
impact on the knees. In a later article in Runner's World,
T. Noakes also stated that no other running style can offer
that. He simply said: "Nothing else does it."
50% less impact on the knees compared to heel striking and
midfoot striking. That fact alone should prompt you to question
your heelstriking ways and re-think your flatfooting or midfooting.
Heelstrikers have a whole list of running related injuries,
maybe it should be said "bad-running related injuries"
such as:
Heel pain
Shin splints
Achilles Tendonitis
Plantar Fasciitis
Various knee pains
ITB
Stress Fractures of shin bones and even femur bone (especially
women)
Lower back pain
Constant impact on the heel bone produces numerous implications
that like a domino effect spread through the entire body and
before you know it there are pains and aches that don't seem
to be related to running, but they are. Take for example back
pain. Did it ever occur to you that if you experience back
pain and you're a heelstriking runner that your back pain
could be eliminated by simply running better?
It is a fact that you can eliminate at least half of your
current running related issues by simply learning to run better.
Countless runners have already done so. The best thing is
to learn the Pose Method® Running since it offers the
most benefits compared to any other running style. And if
anyone wants to argue that heel striking is the way to go,
then please produce a list of definite and solid benefits
and a scientific proof of such. Until then...
Article by Dr. Nicholas Romanov
Composed by L. Romanov
Pose
running website
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