Pictured above: Peloton instructor Becs Gentry out on a run.
POPSUGAR: Why do runners overstride?
Becs Gentry: Overstriding comes from glute muscles that are not firing efficiently, therefore not giving us that quick pullback up and under of the leg that we want.
Jess King: An overstride happens when the foot lands out in front of the body instead of directly beneath your power source, aka the midline of the body.
PS: Can an overstride cause injury?
BG: Over time. Continued overstraining could lead to weaknesses and imbalances in the muscular-skeletal area of your glutes, so a great tip would be to work on glute strength to prevent this from happening.
PS: How do you correct your overstride?
BG: I tell runners to imagine you are running in your own bubble. If you over-extend your leg in front, you will pop that bubble. With each stride, your feet should land directly underneath you within your center of gravity. I tell runners to try to imagine they are rolling over the ground rather than falling down onto it. A good track can help you settle in a nice rhythm, too, so that's a great place to practice.
JK: Like everything in life, I rely on music. The song "Novacane" by Frank Ocean is 188 bpm and the perfect tempo for restraining those overstrides to be shorter and quicker.
PS: How do you track your cadence?
BG: Regardless of height, you should aim to have a cadence of 180 steps per minute for most runners. This is considered a strong cadence that will naturally encourage you to feel more relaxed in your running. You can try to begin counting to 180 steps (or 90 steps on each leg) in order to try to hit the average spm. If you don't have a watch or timer on hand, think about where on the floor you are landing. If you're running with a good stride, you will land midfoot, with a light bend in the knee to absorb the shock, but not too much that your heel drops to the ground. This allows you to push off the ball of the foot and toes into your next stride cycle.
