What is Forefoot Running and Why its Better than Heel Strike Running!

In addition to the widespread anecdotal evidence, studies consistently point to forefoot running as being significantly safer and more economical than heel strike running.

First and foremost, its important to note that forefoot running is NOT toe running. Many people make the mistake of assuming forefoot running and toe running are the same, when they’re not. Toe running involves making initial ground-contact high up on the toes without letting the heel drop to the ground whereas forefoot running is actually a much flatter foot placement at landing, where initial ground-contact is made on the balls of the foot, just under the 4th and 5th toes, then the heel drops to the ground.

What is Forefoot Running
In forefoot running, initial ground-contact on the foot does not occur high up on the toes, rather initial ground-contact is made on the balls of the foot, then the rest of the foot lowers down to the ground where the heel is the last part of the foot to connect with the ground.

What are the benefits to forefoot running vs heel strike running?

  • Forefoot Running Naturally Involves Less Overall Impact. When you land on your forefoot when you run, it keeps other aspects of your mechanics within a safe range which results in a reduction in net impact loads across the muscles, tendons and bones as compared with heel strike running. Learn more here!
  • Humans are Wired for Forefoot Running. Because of the less impact factor, experts are beginning to agree that our ancestors must have preferred a forefoot strike, not a heel strike, when running long distance barefoot. More on this below…
  • Forefoot Running is More Economical. Landing with a forefoot strike when running increases the type of energy in the elastic structures of the lower leg (Achilles tendon and foot’s arch) to help support sustaining faster running velocities over long distances with greater ease as compared with heel strike running.
  • Forefoot Running Prevents IT Band Syndrome. Landing with a forefoot strike when running holds great power over improving other aspects of your leg swing mechanics that not only helps keep impact low, but also reduces tensile stress and bending strain on the IT band. Learn more here about the role forefoot running plays in helping prevent IT band syndrome as compared with heel strike running.
  • Forefoot Running Improves Leg Swing Mechanics. When you run with the forefoot strike, it automatically helps you assemble 3 key functional, less force-intensive mechanical outputs that makes running faster and longer distances significantly less distressing on the shins, knees and hips, potentially making you less prone to mechanical overload and injury. Watch my full video on this here!
  • Forefoot Running Reduces Abnormal Foot Motions. When you land with a forefoot strike when you run, the foot operates from a safer pronation pattern (pronation: side-to-side foot motions) which dramatically reduces bending strain as well as excessive abnormal loading on multiple sites on the leg, namely the Achilles tendon and knee, making running overall less stressful on the body. Here’s my full video on this!
  • Forefoot Running Prevents Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome (CECS). CECS involves intense throbbing lower leg cramps that get worse with running but stops when running is stopped whereby a lot of hard evidence shows the condition is most prevalent in heel strike runners. The good news is, switching from a heel strike running style to a forefoot strike running style has proven to be enough to bring full resolve of the painful, nagging lower leg condition. Here’s my full video on this!
  • Forefoot Running is Safer for Overweight Runners. Because of the big reductions in net impact forces, forefoot running is safer on the joints, muscles and bones for any runner, but especially heavier runners. The is why forefoot running is key in making a big difference in putting a heavier runner on safer ground towards making big weight loss gains. My full video on this here! 
  • Forefoot Running is Easier on the Hips. Just by landing with a forefoot strike when running automatically sets in constant motion other mechanical outputs that naturally eases mechanical stress and impact off the hips. I explain more here in my video!

Humans Evolved as Forefoot Runners Through Running Barefoot!

One popular theory is humans evolved as a barefoot running species, running long distances after food for survival. It would then follow that humans are evolutionarily hardwired not just for running barefoot, but our ancestors needed to favour biomechanics that wouldn’t get them injured in the absence of underfoot cushioning.

It’s perhaps because of the significant reductions in net impact forces on the musculoskeletal system that evolution favoured the forefoot strike over the heel strike to ensure that our barefoot running ancestors stayed injury-free. Think about it: if they got injured from running, then they couldn’t run therefore couldn’t eat and would die out quickly. This is why our ancestors adopted a forefoot strike for the benefit of impact protection when running barefoot.

Even more convincing, this assessment fits into a continuum of complementary observations that most habitual barefoot runners reflexively favor a forefoot strike, not a heel strike. Not to mention, most elite runners from East Africa who grew up running barefoot on hard, packed dirt surfaces are more likely to be forefoot strikers or midfoot strikers, rarely heel strike runners (unless they grow up running in cushioned shoes).
What is Forefoot Running?

Its for all these reasons that with high confidence forefoot running has more evolutionary importance over heel strike running and that forefoot striking is the preferred foot strike for running since its well on record for creating significantly safer landings that consistently work best for injury prevention.

If you’ve enjoyed my written content on forefoot running, you’ll LOVE my YouTube channel here where I talk more about the evidence-based facts showing forefoot running is more injury preventive and performance-enhancing 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.
Bretta Riches