Landing heel-first when running puts your legs swing mechanics on a harmful trajectory, causing the leg to over-reach too far ahead of the hips (which is also the body’s center of mass in running). This creates an over-stride tied to exponential impact, especially in thicker cushioned shoes which were found to actually amplify the burst in collisional impact that always occurs at heel strike. This is never the case in forefoot running because the over-stride is eliminated, which stamps out a lot of dangerous impact variables. This has also been the hallmark of forefoot running, and is why it’s even more important to run forefooted, not pounding your heel into the ground. Read more here!
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)
- Heel Strike Running Causes Slipped Discs - 25/04/2024
- How to Train Yourself to Not Heel Strike When Running - 24/04/2024
- Cushioned Running Shoes Found to Be Bad for Ankles - 23/04/2024