Body Logic Health are the movement & performance specialists. They have put together a team of experts who can remove your pain efficiently and develop your movement patterns to help create movement health. They offer performance and lifestyle programmes to help you reach your goals.

Is your attempt to improve your running cadence affecting your running progress?

The magical number of 180 for running cadence is the result of observations by renowned Running Coach, Jack Daniels at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. What we all need to remember is this was based on international standard athletes, many of whom would have form and technique work as a standard part of most weekly training sessions. The athletes these observations were based on were from 800 metres through to marathon distance.

So should you be aiming for the running cadence of 180?

Running cadence is an important part of your running however it is something that is achieved due to building a training programme and a body that moves effectively to allow maximum benefit. Running is a highly skilled and technical sport; as you can imagine your cadence is part of a process formed from the training you put in. Currently too many athletes with other factors more relevant to their progress are focusing on this magical number of 180. We see it often with our runners, and unfortunately it often changes how they move in an attempt to achieve it. Most runners, even the club ones, rarely do the required technical work as part of their session or training programme to obtain the correct movement patterns to have great running form. The following list includes areas that may require work before you focus on cadence, which not surprisingly will improve naturally to a degree when these areas are addressed;

1. Running Technique – few runners do the right technical work and so have adopted poor movement patterns that will hold them back
2. Restrictions – unfortunately more time is spent sitting at desks now inhibiting the muscles needed to open our running leg cycle fully, inhibiting cadence
3. Dynamic Strength – used to describe the ability to get on and off the ground quickly, many of these muscles are inhibited form working effectively due to lacking the correct training
4. Fitness – maintaining a cadence of 180 is hard work and might not be quite your natural level

Improve these areas and I can bet you will find your running cadence improves. The problem is knowing where to start and understanding exactly where you are right now, it is hard to imagine that you are not the runner you believe you are. Good analysis of your running and movement patterns will help you understand where you, as an individual, need to work.

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