POSE IN PRESS A collection of articles about Pose Method and Dr.Romanov in various publications.
CRUCIBLEFITNESS.COM (USA)
January 2003, Vol.01, Issue 5
Running Efficiency: Free Speed & Injury prevention
by Jon Pedder
Like most triathletes, I’ve focused on improving my ability to go longer and harder by improving my fitness.
However, this season
I’ve begun to shift my
focus to running efficiency and
form. I think this will help alleviate my cramping
problems, enable me to squeeze the last few drops
out of my performance AND remain injury free.
I’ve come to realize that improved running
economy is an under-developed resource. In my
opinion, improved run economy offers a low
recovery-cost, high performance return equal or
greater than more traditional high volume and/or
high intensity training.
I’ve begun to work on my running form, using the
Pose Method, as described by Dr. Romonov
(www.posetech.com). In this edition of The Brick
I will describe why I chose Pose and give the
reader a basic understanding of the method. In
February and March I will update the reader on
my progress and observations.
Why did I choose Pose running?
I chose this method because it’s advocated
by the USAT and Joe Freil. More importantly,
it “made sense” to me when I
watched a demonstration video. I also
don’t know of another concise method to
teach running economy. Most pure runners
say that improved economy is a
function of training volume and frequency,
that running economy takes years to build.
That may be very true but there has to be
more than one way to skin a cat.
What is Pose running?
Pose running is based on the premise that
there is a single stance or Pose that is ideal
for running:
- The runner is balanced with a
direct line of the body from the
head, through the shoulders and
hips all the way down to the ball
of the foot, which is known as
your support point
- Contact with the ground is as close to the
center of mass (underneath the body) as
possible with the ball of the foot first.
The heel is slightly elevated and does not
touch the ground. This allows the ankle
and Achilles tendon to act as a significant
spring. Running efficiency and speed is
increased by eliminating the braking effect
of over striding/heel landing
- The head, shoulder, hip and ankle are all
in vertical alignment while in support
- The ankle, knee, and hip are all somewhat
flexed while in support
- The upper body is relaxed with arms
hanging naturally
How to incorporate the Pose Method into
your run
Evaluate your current running form with a video
of yourself running.
- Are you a heel striker?
- Do you hear a thwack, thwack,
thwack when your feet hit the
ground?
- What is your current running
cadence?
- Do you have a long stride?
- Do you throw your leg forward of your
body or push off hard on your toes?
- Are you bouncing up and down excessively?
Start by looking at the Pose website http://
www.posetech.com and either reading Dr.
Romanov book or watching his video. Go to a
park or grassy area and practice the running
drills. Don’t go overboard the first time, as you’ll
end up with sore calves. Just do drills for 10 – 15
minutes. Once you understand the concept start to think about running form on your next easy run.
Focus on form for three to five minutes at a time and
then recheck yourself every once in a while. Be
patient with yourself and take your time making
these adaptations. Your legs will thank you!
My mental checklist when running using
the Pose method.
The following is a mental checklist I use
every 5 or 10 minutes, especially if I’m doing
a longer run. I’ll find myself falling back into
old habits when I fatigue.
- Foot strike should be directly under
your center of mass (under your
body)
- Land on mid foot only, heel doesn’t
touch the ground
- Goal cadence should be around 180
foot strikes per minute.
- Don’t “toe off” or push off. Instead,
think about leaning forward from the
center of mass while maintaining
proper alignment. Running faster is a
function of keeping my legs under my
forward momentum, leaning my body
slightly, not apply more power to my
run stride.
- Stand proud, erect, easy arm
swing.
- Align my head, shoulders, hips
and ankles in a straight line, a
slight forward lean from the hips
not from the chest.
I’ve been trying the Pose method of running for a
few weeks now. It has totally changing the way I
run. I do running drills before every run. It’s
become part of my run warm up routine and only
takes a few minutes to do.
I don’t necessarily duplicate the Pose technique
exactly, I fit the technique to MY body type. I
think that the Pose method is a good starting
point but you must incorporate it you your
physiology. I just can’t imaging that me, being a
big guy (6’1” and oh, over 200 lbs currently) can
run the exact same way as someone who is 5’5”
and weighs 140 lbs.
I’ll be keeping my training logs on the
Crucible Fitness website, for my motivation
and everyone else’s amusement: http://www.cruciblefitness.com/TeamCrucible/thecoaches/jon/log/
Back to Top
Click here to see the original article »
|
