This is going to be a short post guys! I have so much to do this week in such little time – AARRRGGGH! I’m currently taking an online quiz and decided to take a break from it. I ran this evening with friends and the husband. I decided to take it easy this evening to help Scott run the proper way by fixing his form and showing him how to breath properly. I took a jogging class last semester and that’s where I learned proper form and body mechanism. It really helped me prepare for my first 1/2 marathon, which was this past November. It’s really important to break bad running habits to prevent future injuries, plus by having  proper technique you are able run quicker, more efficiently, and with less stress on your body. Here are a couple of tips I learned from my jogging class last semester, hope this helps you run a lot better and injure free!

BODY POSITION

• Tall posure: head and shoulders high, pelvis tucked

ARM POSITION

• Shoulders squared and relaxed
• Elbows flexed at 90 degrees
• Hands cupped (not clenched)

ARM ACTION

• Arms swing from shoulder joint (not elbow joint)
• Elbows drive backward only
• Thumbs drive back past hips
• Hands do not cross the midline of the torso

SOME COMMON ERRORS AND CAUSES OF POOR RUNNING TECHNIQUE

• Overstriding: poor posture/leaning  too far forward/reaching too far forward (way ahead of the hips)
• Understriding: lack of leg strength (hamstring, glutes, calves), lack of hip flexibility, foward foot placement/jamming the foot forward
• Too Bouncy: too much application of force downward and not enough backward, too much flexion at the knee joint upon ground contact
• Upper body stiffness: lack of shoulder flexibility, lack of awareness as to what the arms should be doing
• Over-rotation of the upper body: lack of core strength, lack of awareness as to what the arms should be doing 

I thought this was cute:

(source)