Protect yourself from injury and improve your performance by correcting your posture

The way people run says a lot about them. Some people drag their feet, others lift their knees high and some wave their arms around clumsily. Your running posture is not irrelevant, because if it is not correct it can have consequences not only on your results and your scores, but also on your health.

Do you know how to adopt the right posture?

• Head:

Hold your head high, and look ahead of you. If you look up or at the ground, you will strain your cervical spine and will not be able to keep a relaxed position.

• Shoulders:

Your shoulders should not be tense. Keep them loose. Don’t lean forward or bend your back. Keep them back, but leave your neck loose.

• Trunk:

Straight, but not rigid. Do not bend the lumbar region and hold your abdominal muscles in. Be aware of your breathing: in through the nose and out through the mouth.

• Hips:

Your pelvis must be vertical with your hips slightly forwards, as through you were pushing back. With every stride, push the hips back a little further, but don’t allow this rocking motion to affect your balance.

• Arms:

Keep them loose, never tight. Elbows bent at 90 degrees and moving to the rhythm of your stride. Your hands gently closed and your wrists straight.

• Legs:

Your strides should be firm, which is why you need to have strong quadriceps and calves. Warm up and stretch before you start to improve flexibility and protect your joints, ligaments and tendons.

Land on the entire sole of the foot (we tend to land on our heels) so that the energy is more evenly distributed and the toes function correctly, with your opposite arm forward. This will distribute your weight so as not to injure your knees.

Wear the right shoes and watch your posture whatever you are doing, to reduce pain in your back, legs and feet.

This post is also available in: Spanish