When it comes to finding the perfect running stride, a new study suggests your best bet might be to find what is most comfortable to you.
According to the study, both experienced and beginner runners tended to settle into a stride pattern that they found most comfortable. That’s not all that surprising, but researchers noted that tinkering with this stride pattern was unlikely to serve much benefit to the runner and it could actually make running more difficult.
Find Your Running Form
For their study, researchers recruited 19 competitive runners and 14 athletes who participated in other sports where not much running is involved – mainly swimmers and cyclists. Each volunteer ran on a treadmill for 20 minutes at a speed they found comfortable while having their oxygen intake monitored by researchers.
On their second lab visit, volunteers began by running at the same pace they had originally chosen. Using a metronome, researchers asked runners to match their stride to each metronome strike while keeping the treadmill speed the same. This required runners to alter their stride lengths to maintain the same speed.
After looking at the data, researchers found that volunteers running at their preferred stride length had better oxygen economy than when their strides were altered. After their stride patterns were changed, oxygen intake efficiency declined, which in turn made running more physically challenging. The findings held true among the competitive runners and the inexperienced runners.
This led researchers to conclude that beginner runners instinctively choose their most efficient stride and pace, and attempting to change that can make running more difficult. Iain Hunter, a professor of exercise science at BYU and overseer of the study, said a person’s most efficient stride is our “built in” stride.
So regardless of whether you’re thinking about taking up running or you’re trying to improve your mile time, odds are your current stride length is the optimal one. Trying to adjust this can throw off your rhythm and make running more difficult, so find what’s comfortable for you. If you have any questions about running injuries or anything running related, don’t be afraid to reach out to Dr. Silverman.