Posture in running is a very important aspect to keep on adding miles as we get older, to lower the risks of injuries and to improve your performances. For instance, opening the rib cage and letting more air filling the lungs will feed more oxygen to the muscles through blood. Posture while running will also reflect on our every day usual posture, so we might as well make the following good habits now to avoid ending up with shoulders curving in, round back, head too far forward, hip misalignment or lumbar pain…
“A good posture will improve your performances.”
Here are some important tips to apply for an optimal running posture:
Stretch the spine up, keep your head straight and open the rib cage and chest, shoulders back and relaxed. You can always keep a little contraction of the rhomboids (muscle that keeps your shoulder blades together towards the spine) to strengthen your back and posture and create maximum space for your lungs… Not so easy to be conscious of these details at first but the more you remind yourself and apply it, the more it becomes an automatic habit, and that’s what we’re aiming for. You should also keep the hips aligned (not tilted forward or back, so no exagerated lumbar curve either) along with the trunk and head. Abdominals have to remain solid, unless you are still not used with the breathing, in which case you want to prioritize breathing through the belly, keep calm, and eventually develop the capacity to do so while keeping your abs tight, as if you were getting ready to protect yourself to receive a light punch in the stomach, staying tall.
Each step movement has to start from the core including hips and abdominals, arms stay loose (while shoulders are rolled back) with the upper body slightly forward to help yourself run using gravity. It is important to never land on your heels first, the continuous impact would damage your articulations in no time. Instead, think of absoprtion and expulsion on each step by landing on the middle of your foot and pushing from its balls, making your body look light.
Whether you are new in this wonderful sport or you have done 15 marathons already, make sure your technique is optimal and be conscious of your posture, your body will thank you!
Soon to come, plenty more tricks and exercises to run better!
For the joy of running,
Annie Cap
