The best exercises to perfect your running technique

You like running? So it’s important that, in addition to going out to train regularly, you also better your running technique, that is, your way of running. It is important to train the body to avoid injury, overheating or pain during training or racing. To do this, exercises should be included that improve the race technique within the routine of any runner.

If you are an amateur, adding these exercises once a week will be more than enough; instead, if you are of a more advanced level, the ideal is to include them 2 or 3 times a week. In this article, we will detail the best exercises to improve your running technique easily and effectively.

Exercises to Improve Running Technique

Mainly, these exercises seek to improve the technique when running to minimise effort and physical wear. The day you dedicate to this training, you can also complement it with muscle toning exercises so that, thus, your body is much more prepared for energy demand.

The exercises we will indicate below, in addition to improving your technique, will also help you:

– Strengthen the muscles of the ankles and legs

– Improve the mobility of the ankle and foot

– Increase running efficiency

– Improve performance and optimisation of the effort

– Protects the body from typical runner injuries

Heel to Glute

Let’s start with one of the best running technique exercises. It is a step of running slowly by raising the leg to the maximum to ensure that the heel hits the buttock. To avoid bruises or discomfort, you can place your hands on your glutes, which will reduce the impact. With this exercise, you strengthen your legs and glutes; to do so, you should always perform the exercise with your back straight and upright.

Running backwards

I’m sure you’ve seen it in a lot of football or athletic training, and it’s that running backwards is a perfect workout to improve your technique. The first thing is to make sure that the space is clear, both material and personnel. Then, we can already do the exercise that consists of running backwards, folding your knees well, and keeping the pace with your arms in a coordinated way. You don’t need to run too fast; the trick is to concentrate and maintain coordination at all times.

Running on tiptoes

You can incorporate a gentle run with your feet on your toes to improve your running technique. To do this, it’s recommended to take short steps and lift your heels as high as possible so they never touch the ground. Your body must be straight to avoid injury. With this simple exercise, you’ll improve the muscles in your feet and ankles, thus reducing the risk of injury.

Sideways Running

To improve body coordination, nothing better than trying this other exercise for running technique. Running sideways helps us coordinate arms and legs, as well as have wider mobility. The reason is that, normally, we run forward and, in doing so, our mind and our body get used to another space; moreover, this exercise is also ideal to achieve greater power of the stride.