Oct 23, 2018 - Vertical Bounce in Running

⬆️⬇️💥DO YOU BOUNCE TOO MUCH WHEN YOU RUN?
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We’ve all seen rabbit-like 🐇runners out there. More than anything you can hear them down the road 📢. Runners who bounce a lot up and down 〰️ typically don’t convert as much energy forward ↗️. This is why you hear them clunking on the treadmill, there is more vertical energy being released as sound!
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That being said, everyone will have a bit of vertical movement when running. Typically 5-12cm is noted when you film a lot of people running. So when would vertical bouncing be a red flag? 🚩
🔻Injuries (I.e. Shin Splints)
🔻Poor Performance
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🔹Vertical bouncing (oscillation) when running is more of a symptom, rather than a cause of non-ideal running mechanics. Simply put vertical bounce is related to higher ground reaction forces, and slower cadence. But I like being aware of it because if someone LOOKS 👀 and sounds like they are bouncing a lot, they probably are.
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✅So my Tip: If you’re getting shin splints (any impact injury) or not improving your times, record yourself on your phone📽. Do an eyeball test and watch for the vertical movement of your head 🙇stride to stride, and listen to the impact of your feet. My cue is usually just to ‘run more quietly’ 😅which sometimes increases cadence and decreases the bounce.