Run Faster with Less Effort, Less Impact and Lower Risk
What is Pose Running?
The Pose Method is a system of human movement and teaching based on determining the key pose in a movement complex and then working with the laws of nature instead of against them. This is achieved by using gravity as the primary force for movement instead of muscular energy. In simpler terms Poser running is learning how to position your body correctly so that you can make use of gravity to increase efficiency and speed while decreasing effort.
The Pose Method was developed in the 70s and first published by 2-time Olympic coach Dr. Nicholas Romanov in 1981 but it’s foundational principles are by no means new. Some of the foundational parts of the Pose running method are based on the principles of movement as studied and articulated by Leonardo daVinci and Nikolai Bernstein. In 1912, Thomas Graham Brown,a neurophysiologist who studied reflex movement and posture, offered the following description of the relationships among moving bodies, gravity, and work:
“It seems to me that the act of progression itself—whether it be by flight through the air or by such movements as running over surface of the ground—consists essentially in a movement in which the center of gravity of the body is allowed to fall forwards and downwards under the action of gravity, and in which the momentum thus gained is used forward, so that from one point in the cycle to the corresponding point in the next, no work is done (theoretically), but the mass of the individual is, in effect, moved horizontally through
the environment.”
The only thing new about the Pose method is it is the first running technique that directly takes into consideration the laws of physics, specifically gravity and economy of movement, for understanding how to run efficiently, using the least amount of muscular effort possible. Sounds like a win win situation to me.
How is it different?
The Pose Method is different from other approaches to running technique in that it is a systematic pattern of drills designed to teach the body to be in the right space, with the right timing, and to use the laws of nature to help with the movement. Once again its all about body position. Most Pose running clinics and coaches use video to capture and analyze your running form. By pointing out flaws in technique using slow motion you are usually able to correct bad form and see results fairly quickly.
5 Key Principles of Pose Running
1. Strike a pose
Holding the correct running posture will allow you to maintain better speed with less effort. Many runners lean
forward too much by bending at the hips, which actually pushes them back behind the general center of mass. The hips should be pulled forward under the chest with the head staying in alignment as well (the head
should not be forward of the
body).
2. Fall forward
If you just run in place by popping your heels up quickly you will notice that you start to move forward with just a tiny lean forward.You don’t have to be pushing out the back with your legs to move forward. If anything, the motion of pushing back is throwing your energy in the opposite direction of where you want to travel. Instead, try to redirect your foot forward after contact by allowing the ground reaction and muscle elasticity to pop your foot up off the ground after landing. This can only happen if you are landing under your General Center of Mass (GCM), not with your foot out in front of you. This will feel like you are running with a very compact, small step style, but in fact, your actual distance per stride may actually increase because your general center of mass will be traveling at a faster pace if you aren’t slowing yourself down with
each step by landing too far in front of the body.
3. Pull; don’t push
Once you are falling forward you have two option to keep moving. Either you can push your entire body weight off the ground or you can pull your feet ,which happen to be 2% of your body weight, off the ground. This keeps the form compact and quicker, while less prone to fatigue or injury because the full range of the
limbs is not being used. The knees should never fully straighten at any time while running. A mistake many make is to extend the leg out the back to get a full push-off, but since the general center of mass has already passed by this is a wasted motion.
4. Small and compact arm carriage
The longer motion that you are having to make with your arm the longer it is going to take, thus slowing you down. Your arms should be at least at a 90 degree angle (most competitive runners hold their arms at less than 90 degrees)
5. Fast feet
Good runners maintain a minimum of 90 and up to as much as 100+ cycles per minute (180 to 200 steps), so they can use the benefit of ground reaction forces and muscle elasticity to keep them moving with less effort and more rhythm. Runners who don’t maintain this kind of tempo absorb more shock through their body and must use much more muscle power to keep them moving forward. A good tool to keep track of your cadence is the Finis Tempo Trainer. With a setting of 1.0 the tempo trainer will beep once every second. To achieve the desired 90+ cadence rhythm the unit can be set to 0.67 or 0.60 for 100 times a minute. If you are concerned with maximizing your running efficiency this is a fairly cheap and helpful tool.
Notice that the legs make the shape of a 4 during the "pull." This is what you want.
In an attempt to help you nail down these concepts in your head; I propose a group activity
- Stand up and jump up and down on the balls of your feet just like you were jumping rope. Notice how you are bouncing off the ground with minimal effort.
- Next transfer your weight to your toes. Notice how much harder it becomes and the amount of tension added to both your feet and calves.
- Now jump up and down on just your heels. Notice how much impact this creates and how much more energy it uses.
- Finally jump up and down on the balls of your feet again and notice how little you have to lean forward (lean from your ankles and not your hips) before you start moving forward.This is a good illustration of what pose running accomplishes and how easy it is to move when using gravity to your advantage.
I hope this de-mystifies things a bit and give you a better practical understanding of what Pose running is and how it can benefit everyone in multiple ways. If you would like to know more about Pose running you should check out Dr. Nicholas Romanov’s Pose Method of Running. It is also available on DVD if you prefer to watch rather than read.
Much of the content in this article has been adapted from issue #64 of the Crossfit Journal and I do not claim all of the content here as original, although it is generously seasoned with my own thoughts.
