This biomechanics video demonstrates the biomechanics of the Pose Running technique. Unlike traditional running styles where the heel strikes the ground first, runners using the Pose Method maintain a correct posture and body alignment while running. This distinctive running style affects how you move your body and how you utilize your body to run efficiently.
Studies have shown that making modifications to a runner’s biomechanics can have positive effects on their performance. A 2021 study by Wei and colleagues, who investigated the benefits of the Pose Running method for runners, found that after receiving instruction in the new method, runners performed more efficiently. This means that with the Pose Method, you can perform and run faster with less energy expenditure.
The key elements of the running method of Pose Running are a forward lean and a landing of the foot in the middle part of the foot. By leaning forward, you fall slightly forward, and gravity then propels you forward. Land mid-foot instead of on your heel to reduce the shock on your legs and to hopefully make you less prone to injuries over time.
There’s another very important aspect of Pose Running that is that by doing the right training you can learn to naturally align your body position while running, supporting the body’s structure and moving it most efficiently. Running well supported and efficiently means that you’ll use gravity to your advantage, propelling you forward with less effort than stiffening up and pushing against gravity as you do with traditional running. It’s a more efficient, more enjoyable way to run.
Unlike many styles of running that place excessive stress on knees and joints by hitting the ground with the back of the heel, the unique mechanics of Pose Running naturally reduce your exposure to many common running injuries. Many runners report fewer overuse injuries as they incorporate this efficient body weight transfer into their running. This is especially critical for distance runners or competitive athletes who log high mileage and demand the greatest durability from their bodies.
Even with the numerous benefits to runners, switching to Pose Running is not without its challenges. It requires the body to readjust and often needs to be re-trained to execute a different pattern of movement. Many new Pose Runners face difficulty maintaining their posture and struggling with balance. Although these are potential setbacks, most runners will agree the low-injury-rates and improved performance outweigh the learning process.
So, a biomechanics-based approach to running which aims to improve a runner’s performance while reducing the risk of injuries. And, it helps to improve a runner’s performance while reducing the risk of injuries. Pose Running focuses on efficient movement and proper alignment of the body and posture and can help a runner to become a better runner. It’s all about landing softly on the midfoot and keeping the knees slightly bent which helps to prevent injuries caused by bad foot placement and overstriding – two common errors that cause so many runners to suffer from problems such as shin splints and runner’s knee (Colberg et al., 2010).
When doing Pose Running, your body posture is continuously monitored during training. Hence, you would have made some mistakes that you can correct before the training and also learn the best posture to move. As I mentioned in the previous point, if you monitor your posture during training, you can run more efficiently and comfortably which results in running longer and lasting longer.
While there is still more research to be done on the Pose Method of running, many runners who practice the technique report fewer injuries and improved race times. (Chen & Yang, 2020)
One of the benefits of Pose Running is that it teaches you to connect with your body. It raises your awareness of how you move your body and helps you listen to it during your runs. This heightened awareness can keep you, injury-free and make running more enjoyable. At the end of the day, as a runner, your goal is to feel good in your body, and to be motivated enough to keep up with your training, and challenge yourself to reach new levels.
The method also encourages a more natural running style and enables runners to run with greater relaxation which reduces the risk of burnout and helps to maintain a consistent energy throughout the duration of a long run or race. This, in turn, helps to develop greater mental toughness enabling runners to become fitter, stronger and more confident athletes.
While there are numerous benefits associated with Pose Running, the technique may not be for everyone. While for the majority of runners the change from their current technique to the Pose Running method is rewarding and easy, there are some runners who need more time to embrace new ways of running. While the positive effects will show up in the long run, it can be hard for some to get started. The question then is: Is it worth it? For most of you, the answer will be yes! With some time and patience to get familiar with the method and with practice, you will start to benefit from it., While there are many great benefits to the Pose Running method, there are also some drawbacks to be aware of. A major aspect of this is the initial transition from traditional running methods to the Pose way of running. Runners are used to certain forms of movement and incorporating a completely new form of movement can be challenging at first. While with some Pose training, most runners will adapt quickly to the running method, there is a small chance that some of you might get hurt while trying to transition. For this reason, and as previous studies have found (Couch, 2016; Walshe et al., 2012), it is imperative to pay attention to your body while changing running form and to make sure you receive the proper guidance throughout your training.
Like with many new things, there is a learning curve associated with implementing Pose Running. It is not something most people can pick up in the first week. Once one gets the form correct, it is easy. The problem is, getting to that point takes a bit of time to practice and get used to especially for runners who are used to the traditional way of running for years and expect to feel a certain way while running (Kolotouros et al., 2019).
The biomechanics of how you move your body in Pose Running are likely to be unfamiliar to you. That means that you will have to devote some time to practicing and adapting to how you should align your body and move it from foot to foot. Even though there is substantial evidence which supports Pose Running’s potential to reduce your risk of injury, it will take some time to get accustomed to what running should feel like. If you don’t have the time to invest in this re-programming process, you will not get the results you had envisioned and will likely never incorporate this technique into your runs.
While there are likely few runners who relish the thought of altering the manner in which they perform their sport, it must be recognized that some level of change is inherent to adopting the Pose Method. For less experienced runners this change may present little problem, but established runners often have a hard time adapting to new motor patterns that can feel unnatural or awkward at times even after several months of training, potentially even resulting in a loss of performance. This transition period can be especially bothersome to runners wishing to run faster while at the same time protecting themselves from injury.
As mentioned earlier, the benefits to the runner of using Pose Running to enhance their performance and to prevent injury far outweigh the disadvantages, which are mostly perceived by the beginner. However, there are some potential difficulties that the runner needs to be aware of when he starts his training. These difficulties can be mitigated if the runner trains consistently and patiently to improve his posture, strength, and technique. If not done correctly, the athlete can feel some discomfort or even suffer an injury.
Citations:
Couch, J., 2016. The runner’s yoga book: A balanced approach to fitness. Shambhala Publications. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=eBrIDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP10&dq=Pose+Running+technique+benefits+and+tips&ots=vuq0ZZXxRd&sig=eMB4FuLNWn9pJMdpbJ_W3qfHfxE
Wei, R.X., Au, I.P., Lau, F.O., Zhang, J.H., Chan, Z.Y., MacPhail, A.J., Mangubat, A.L., Pun, G. and Cheung, R.T., 2021. Running biomechanics before and after Pose® method gait retraining in distance runners. Sports biomechanics, 20(8), pp.958-973. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14763141.2019.1624812
Chen, S. and Yang, R.R., 2020. Pose trainer: correcting exercise posture using pose estimation. arXiv preprint arXiv:2006.11718. https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.11718
Arun, K.S., 2015. Knowledge sessions and continuous posture assessment: Impact on benefits of running.
Kolotouros, N., Pavlakos, G., Black, M.J. and Daniilidis, K., 2019. Learning to reconstruct 3D human pose and shape via model-fitting in the loop. In Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF international conference on computer vision (pp. 2252-2261). http://openaccess.thecvf.com/content_ICCV_2019/html/Kolotouros_Learning_to_Reconstruct_3D_Human_Pose_and_Shape_via_Model-Fitting_ICCV_2019_paper.html
Umphress, E.E., Bingham, J.B. and Mitchell, M.S., 2010. Unethical behavior in the name of the company: the moderating effect of organizational identification and positive reciprocity beliefs on unethical pro-organizational behavior. Journal of applied psychology, 95(4), p.769. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2010-13313-013.html
Alhajj, M.N., Khalifa, N., Abduo, J., Amran, A.G. and Ismail, I.A., 2017. Determination of occlusal vertical dimension for complete dentures patients: an updated review. Journal of oral rehabilitation, 44(11), pp.896-907. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/joor.12522
Tan, X. and Triggs, B., 2010. Enhanced local texture feature sets for face recognition under difficult lighting conditions. IEEE transactions on image processing, 19(6), pp.1635-1650. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5411802/
Colberg, S.R., Sigal, R.J., Fernhall, B., Regensteiner, J.G., Blissmer, B.J., Rubin, R.R., Chasan-Taber, L., Albright, A.L. and Braun, B., 2010. Exercise and type 2 diabetes: the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association: joint position statement. Diabetes care, 33(12), pp.e147-e167. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article-abstract/33/12/e147/39268
Walshe, C., Ewing, G. and Griffiths, J., 2012. Using observation as a data collection method to help understand patient and professional roles and actions in palliative care settings. Palliative medicine, 26(8), pp.1048-1054. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269216311432897
University lecturer, runner, cynic, researcher, skeptic, forum admin, woo basher, clinician, rabble-rouser, blogger, dad.
