There’s a long list of reasons forefoot running may be better than heel strike running. One major reason is there’s less all-around impact forces acting on the body. For example, forefoot running naturally minimizes a harmful force called the jolt or jerk force by naturally reducing an extended leg and enables greater knee bend and flexion at touchdown. This better positions the landing foot closer to the center of mass (upper body) which was found to effectively reduce brake force duration, meaning the body decelerates much less during the first half of stance, also resulting in far less jolt on the joints. Read more here on why forefoot running may be better for injury prevention than heel strike running.
Bretta Riches
"I believe the forefoot strike is the engine of endurance running..."
BSc Neurobiology; MSc Biomechanics candidate, ultra minimalist runner & founder of RunForefoot. I was a heel striker, always injured. I was inspired by the great Tirunesh Dibaba to try forefoot running. Now, I'm injury free. This is why I launched Run Forefoot, to advocate the health & performance benefits of forefoot running and to raise awareness on the dangers of heel striking, because the world needs to know.
BSc Neurobiology; MSc Biomechanics candidate, ultra minimalist runner & founder of RunForefoot. I was a heel striker, always injured. I was inspired by the great Tirunesh Dibaba to try forefoot running. Now, I'm injury free. This is why I launched Run Forefoot, to advocate the health & performance benefits of forefoot running and to raise awareness on the dangers of heel striking, because the world needs to know.
Latest posts by Bretta Riches (see all)
- Cushioned Running Shoes Found to Be Bad for Ankles - 23/04/2024
- Forefoot Running and Achilles Pain - 19/04/2024
- Does Foot Strike Really Matter in Running? YES! - 17/04/2024