The ankle does not need to overcome the large force in the vertical direction, so as to more effectively transfer the extension force of hip, knee and ankle to the forward movement, so as to ensure that the released energy is used for horizontal progress.
The correct trunk posture can not only improve the running performance (improve the running economy), but also reduce the risk of injury.
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Moreover, according to relevant studies, hip extensors (hamstrings and glutes) seem to have a more positive impact on running performance in the acceleration stage of running.
If the trunk tilt forward is less than 10 degrees, the action range of hip flexor becomes larger and the action range of hip extensor becomes smaller, resulting in excessive stride.
The widely supported view here is that changing the running posture will not eliminate the stress, but transfer the stress to other structures of the body.
The right way to lean forward – lean forward from your ankles.
Trunk forward tilt did not increase the stress of ankle, but increased the stress of hip.
Through the investigation of many runners who are not easy to be injured, it is found that most of their running postures are the following three: “trunk free tilt”, that is, runners run in a habitual trunk posture.
If the trunk tilts back slightly, the contact point between the foot and the ground will be located in front of the center of gravity of the body.
Under the condition of “free inclination of trunk”, the stress of patellofemoral joint is relatively small for runners with greater forward inclination of trunk.
When you lean forward from your torso, start with your ankles, not your hips.
Leaning forward from the ankle can keep the body in the same straight line from head to foot.
From the sagittal plane, the trunk posture can be measured by the amount of forward or backward inclination of the trunk.
In addition to improving your running performance, leaning forward has the advantage of reducing the risk of injury.
For runners who forcibly change their running posture, compared with the “free inclination of the trunk”, if the forward inclination angle of the trunk increases, the peak stress of the patellofemoral joint will decrease significantly, while the inclination angle of the trunk decreases, and the stress of the patellofemoral joint will increase significantly.
Everyone’s strength and biomechanical structure are different, so each runner’s trunk posture is different during running.
Different tilt angles, the forward tilt angle of the trunk of slightly forward leaning runners will affect their sports performance (through the impact of running economy) and injury risk.
Now let’s introduce different forward leaning angles and correct forward leaning methods, master the correct forward leaning methods and angles, and improve your running level day by day.
The greater the forward inclination angle of the runner’s trunk, the better the economy of running (under the same oxygen consumption, it can release more energy).
According to reports, about half of runners’ injuries are knee injuries, of which patellofemoral joint (PFJ) pain is the most common.
An ideal forward tilt angle is “slight forward tilt”, that is, forward tilt of 10 ~ 16 degrees.
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In the process of running, when the body is upright, the average tilt angle is about 7.3 degrees; “Reduce trunk tilt”, that is, when running, the trunk tilts more backward than usual, with an average tilt angle of 4.0 degrees; “Increase trunk tilt”, that is, when running, the trunk tilts forward more than usual, with an average tilt angle of 14.1 degrees.
The force generated by the contact between the foot and the ground is too large, which has the effect of braking.
Excessive forward leaning if the trunk leans forward more than 16 degrees during running, it will limit the activity of hip flexors and put pressure on the runner’s lower back.
A recent study shows that the slight forward inclination of the trunk during running is of great significance for runners to avoid injury.
If you lean forward from the hip or waist, it will increase the pressure on the knee and limit the activity of the hip extensor.
It is particularly important to master the correct trunk posture technology during running.
However, for many runners, reducing the stress on the knee and transferring it to the hip extensor group is a positive change.
A certain degree of trunk strength can keep the body leaning forward without losing the force in the horizontal direction, which is why strength training and mobility training are the reasons to improve running performance and reduce the risk of injury.