What is Pose Running?
“Pose running?” you say. “Is that something for models?”
While I’m sure models have their own workout methods to stay in shape (which may or may not be called pose running), the phrase in question here refers to a dynamic technique for increasing efficiency in how you run.
Created in the 1970’s by Russian track coach Nicholas Romanov, Pose running is designed to offer runners the most effective running technique possible. While some disagree as to how effective it actually is, many trainers and coaches are using Pose running these days to boost the effectiveness of their students.
That means you!
Here is all you need to know about Pose running, in case you’re interested.
The Basics of Pose Running
There are three essential parts to your stride when you run: the pose, the fall, and the pull. This technique gets its name from the first part in the running cycle.
The pose occurs when the center of your body mass passes over your trailing foot. At this point, your legs will resemble a figure-4 shape.
The fall occurs right after. Your body literally falls through space – not by much, but enough for your body to use gravity to its advantage.
The pull is the last step of the cycle, during which your plant foot is pulling back before pushing to set up the pose.
What’s the point of all this? Well, Pose running focuses on a few key concepts:
- Running on the balls of your feet, instead of your heels
- Allowing yourself to “fall” in a controlled manner
- Depending on gravity, not your legs, for propulsion
How are you supposed to do all of this? Well, you basically learn to run all over again.
The Technique
To run with the Pose technique, you basically are allowing yourself to fall forward and let gravity pull you instead of pushing off with your legs.
To do this, lean forward more than you would normally. You should not be off balance, but should feel like you’re about to fall. Lean with your body, and don’t bend at the waist.
As mentioned above, make sure you land on the balls of your feet, not your heels. Really work on this, because it’s a natural tendency these days to use the heel.
You want to also make sure your feet land under your body, not in front of it. Putting your feet in front of your body causes stress on your heels, joints, and tendons, and is bad, simply put.
Finally, make sure you have a quick turnover, with faster foot speed than your usual form. Try to flick your heels towards your rear as soon as your feet hit the ground.
The biggest part of running the Pose method is practice. It takes time to reprogram your body to make it do what you want when running. But, correctly doing Pose running can help you withstand injury and run more efficiency for greater results.
Have you tried Pose running? Thinking of giving it a shot?
