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Bouncing while running....how do I stop?!

#1

Snoofie , 05-21-2013 12:30 AM

I know at least some of you read the topic title and assumed this was a problem with "the girls". Unfortunately, it isn't. Because at least if that was the case, I'd have a few ideas on how to stop it!

But no...the bouncing is happening with my whole friggin' body! In other words: when I run, I find that I am actually having quite a bit of vertical movement. I'm literally bouncing up and down as I run, and I *think* that's what's causing the after-effects I've been having (pain/discomfort in my lower legs.) I can only imagine what kind of shock it is on my poor legs, having to support over 150 pounds of body weight like that.

The only problem is, I really have no idea how to stop it. I think I'm what they call a "forefoot striker" (basically...I kinda run on my toes, or at least the ball of my foot.) Do you think consciously trying to change my strike would help? I'd do anything, really, because I really think that eliminating the "bounce" would help my distance (right now, even though I'm doing my run intervals at 5.0 mph, I only manage to do about 2 miles in 30 minutes.) I know that's not, like, shameful or anything, but I really think that if I could just STOP BOUNCING, I might be able to get a bit more distance in!

.....Any ideas?

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#2

Kscott , 05-21-2013 12:39 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Snoofie
I know at least some of you read the topic title and assumed this was a problem with "the girls". Unfortunately, it isn't. Because at least if that was the case, I'd have a few ideas on how to stop it!

But no...the bouncing is happening with my whole friggin' body! In other words: when I run, I find that I am actually having quite a bit of vertical movement. I'm literally bouncing up and down as I run, and I *think* that's what's causing the after-effects I've been having (pain/discomfort in my lower legs.) I can only imagine what kind of shock it is on my poor legs, having to support over 150 pounds of body weight like that.

The only problem is, I really have no idea how to stop it. I think I'm what they call a "forefoot striker" (basically...I kinda run on my toes, or at least the ball of my foot.) Do you think consciously trying to change my strike would help? I'd do anything, really, because I really think that eliminating the "bounce" would help my distance (right now, even though I'm doing my run intervals at 5.0 mph, I only manage to do about 2 miles in 30 minutes.) I know that's not, like, shameful or anything, but I really think that if I could just STOP BOUNCING, I might be able to get a bit more distance in!

.....Any ideas?
Here's an answer I found on the internet

Quote:
If you bounce when you run, your head and body are moving up and down too much, which wastes a lot of energy. More time in the air means you're going to slow down. Too much up-and-down movement is also tough on your leg and foot muscles -- especially your quadriceps. The higher you lift yourself off the ground, the greater the shock you have to absorb when landing and the faster your legs will fatigue.

To minimize bounce and save energy, run lightly, land softly on your feet, and focus on a faster turnover. Try to keep your feet low to the ground with shorter strides. Your arms can help you keep your stride low and short. Keep your arms bent at a 90 degree angle and concentrate on swinging them lower and shorter. By keeping your arm swing lower and quicker, your legs will stay lower to the ground -- resulting in a shorter stride.
More--go here

http://running.about.com/od/faqsforb...voidbounce.htm

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#3

TurboMammoth , 05-21-2013 10:14 AM

Pretty much everything KScott quoted

You could check your number of strides/minutes. Usually, professionals suggest a stride of 180/minute, to minimize shock on joints. I suggest measuring your stride over a 15 or 30 seconds span (to not lose count). Depending on your results, you can work on making your stride a bit shorter and more dynamic, it should minimize your bouncing

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