Good Form Running (GFR) is New Balance’s approach to “running easier, running faster, and running injury free”. In effect, it is their method of helping each individual become a more efficient runner in their own form.
New Balance advocate 4 steps to Good Form Running:
1. Posture
2. Midfoot
3. Cadence
4. Lean
Posture refers to the position that we hold our body in and originates from the spine. Good Form Running promotes a good posture by:
• pointing the feet straight ahead and keeping the knees soft
• stretching and reaching to the sky to elongate the spine
• relaxing the arms to the sides at a 90 ⁰ angle
• keeping the head level and the eyes looking straight ahead
• using compact arm swings that avoid crossing the body’s centre line.
Good Form Running encourages midfoot striking. Whilst heel striking is most common across the population, Good Form Running suggests that landing the foot softly and underneath the hip line encourages a balanced running position that minimises braking forces.
Cadence is the number of times your foot hits the ground in one minute. The cadence target recommended by Good Form Running is 180 steps per minute (90 per foot). You can calculate your current cadence by jogging for 1 minute and counting each time your right foot (or left foot depending on your preference) strikes the ground. Aiming for a cadence of 180 promotes a quick, short, midfoot strike.
A forward lean from the ankles without bending at the waist is also advised through Good Form Running. By keeping the weight slightly forward and staying flexed at the ankles, gravity helps generate forward momentum. Good Form Running suggests this can be achieved by resetting your posture and then leaning tall into a jog.
By taking these 4 aspects and analysing them in a way that is personalised to each individual Good Form Running states that everyone can improve their efficiency, run easier, and with reduced chances of injury.
The analysis for Good Form Running is carried out using video gait analysis; specialist software gives feedback on these particular aspects of an individual’s form to identify how they can make slight alterations to become more efficient; however you can download the Good Form Running app through iTunes if you would like to try out this cool new approach to running technique.
For more information please don’t hesitate to contact us on sales@alexandrasports.com