Inside running community there is often a massive amount of debate and in some cases fixation with the running form or strategy with a lot of viewpoints, plenty of comments from guru’s with a lot of dogma and not a lot of research to understand nearly all of the claims. The thoughts from the so-called gurus and ways in which a runner should actually run are quite variable and often contradictory, which commonly leave the typical athlete to some degree confused. There are plenty of factors with the numerous running methods such as how and where the foot contacts the ground along with the position from the leg and hips. The one which not too long ago had a great deal of interest has been the cadence. This cadence is how quick the legs turn over, generally assessed as the quantity of steps taken each minute.
There are a variety of ways to look for the cadence and there are apps which you can use to figure out the cadence. It's just a matter of counting the volume of strides the runner will take in a time frame after which standardizing that to 1 minute. Clearly there was just recently an increasing trend promoting for athletes to decrease his or her stride length and increase the speed which the legs turn over ie increase the cadence. The dogma was that if you can find the cadence close to 180 steps/minute then this is for some reason a necessary method to lessen the probability for exercise related injury and increase performance. This particular 180 steps/minute was made popular by the famous athletic coach Jack Daniels. He primarily based this about his observations of runners and their step rates during the 1984 Olympics. Daniels extensively touted the 180 as a possible perfect for most runners to focus on.
Since then, the research has shown us that this cadence in athletes is normally very varied with a few as low as 150-160 and others are approximately 200 steps a minute. It does appear to be a very individual thing without any one perfect cadence. It does seem that each runner will probably have their own best cadence and will also vary amongst runners. Shortening the stride length to boost the cadence can appear to have some gains and that's based on a number of studies, however what is just not supported is raising it to that mythological 180 that has been commonly recommended. It might help with runners that are overstriding and make them learn never to stride too far in front when running. It does appear to help runners that have difficulties with their knee joints since it could decrease the loads at the knee, but it will however increase the strains in other places, therefore any alterations needs to be carried out slowly , cautiously and gradually.
What is most important for runners to be familiar with is that this is very individual and it is a matter of working out by yourself or with the assistance of a qualified running technique instructor what exactly is right for you as the individual. One idea that comes out regarding all of the hoopla around cadence is to not be taken in by the latest craze or expert and seek out the a lot more balanced and regarded opinions.