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More efficient running style

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Canute Apr 2014 6:21pm, 5 Apr 2014 941 posts	Quote Pin Canute SPR I agree that developing the required muscular strength is crucial for good running form, and the glutes are especially important: both gluteus max to drive the hip extension, and gluteus medius to stop the pelvis dropping on the swing leg side. I was interested in the link to the power heels. As an old timer I am engaged in a continuing struggle to keep my connective tissues in good order. Slowly applied sustained tension is probably the best treatment for collagenous tissues. My most troublesome connective tissues are the attachment of tibialis anterior to the top of the tibia and peroneus longus to the upper fibula. I have found that doing very slow dumbbell squats while standing on a wedge shaped platform seems to help. My aim is to apply a pull from the quads while tibialis anterior and peroneus longus are already under tension due to initial plantar flexion of the ankle, thereby reducing the amount of dorsiflexion as the shin inclines forwards during the squat. So far I think it is helping maintain the condition of the collagen attaching tibialis anterior to the tibia. I suspect that power heels would achieve a similar effect. It may be that I also need to work on ankle flexibility.
SPR Apr 2014 9:46am, 6 Apr 2014 19,158 posts	Quote Pin SPR Yeah it would have a similar effect. For me it means a more stable heel and more upright torso at the bottom of the squat and C&J. I assume you squat to parallel rather than full (AKA ass to grass)? In which case yes, you'd need less dorsiflexion in each position. As for ankle flexibliity eccentric calf raises although not a flexibility exercise would help, and this exercise yogajournal.com (my heels don't touch the ground, I just have them as low as they can go.)
Canute Apr 2014 10:50am, 6 Apr 2014 944 posts	Quote Pin Canute I squat slightly below parallel, but haven’t yet got the knack of ass to grass. As for DFG, I used to do it regularly. It provides a good stretch of the gastrocnemius, but in recent times have been focussing more on tibialis anterior and peroneus longus because I experience aching around the origin of these two – though interestingly I have never had shin splints.
Ceratonia Apr 2014 12:14pm, 7 Apr 2014 863 posts	Quote Pin Ceratonia Is there a good way to measure ankle flexibility/strength? I broke my leg ~20 years ago and had a cast for ~6 months, after which I had a noticeably reduced range of motion in that ankle (oddly, my knee, which was immobile for the same amount of time, seemed unaffacted). This seems to have improved over the years, but I would be interested to have some measurement to gauge whether exercises are having any effect. It seems to me, for example, that my ability to land from a jump is limited by ankle strength/flexibility and this presumably relates well to running.
Canute Apr 2014 6:52pm, 7 Apr 2014 949 posts	Quote Pin Canute Ceratonia, Ankle plantar flexion (pointing the toes away from the body, or when you are standing, rising up onto the balls of your feet) is crucial for lifting off from stance. The usual test for strength of plantar flexion is the standing heel rise test, which is well described here physther.net You do not need a goniometer (which measures the flexion angle) to do the test of flexion strength. Ideally you should use a use metronome to pace yourself at one rise every 2 seconds, but if you count at a rate of 15 rises every 30 sec, this is OK. You should be able to do 25 before your form begins to deteriorate However if you want to assess the range of motion you need some way of estimating how high you lift you heel. It is probably good enough for your purposes to ask someone to estimate your heel height as you rise on our heels with the back of your legs against a wall. Your heel should rise at least 3 inches off the ground. Ankle dorsiflexion is important to help maintain your stability while on stance. Ankle dorsiflexors such as tibialis anterior play a role on supporting the medial arch of the foot and help control the sequence of pronation and supination that occurs during stance. Here is a site that shows how to assess range of dorsiflexion and also present several exercises for improving dorsiflexion mikereinold.com I have not tried all of these exercises, though I do stretch my calf muscles (which oppose the action of dorsiflexion) and do the simple drills shown. I don’t use a foam roller , but this is simply because I rarely have trouble with muscles; I have more troubles with the collagenous connective tissues, which I think respond better to slow stretching than to rolling.
Ceratonia Apr 2014 8:47am, 8 Apr 2014 870 posts	Quote Pin Ceratonia Thank you, Canute.
Sapporo HIITman May 2014 11:15am, 11 May 2014 2,184 posts	Quote Pin Sapporo HIITman Hello Folks, I hope you are well. I am still doing a variety of activity trying to hone my sensitivities. This has been all over the web in the US, I suppose most of you have seen it?http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/05/those_vibram_shoe_refunds/362026/
Sapporo HIITman May 2014 12:43pm, 11 May 2014 2,185 posts	Quote Pin Sapporo HIITman Hope you guys have your clients sign release forms before you train them. But I run in reef slippers all the time and have next to no problems. Make sure they run on dirt or grass though, is all I can say. There's nothing natural about running on concrete or asphault, especially in this kind of shoes.
Canute May 2014 10:51pm, 11 May 2014 968 posts	Quote Pin Canute Sapporo HM, good to hear from you. As far as I can see, it appears there has been a move away from minimal shoes among runners in the UK. Many people now acknowledge that the focus on encouraging forefoot landing was not justified by sound evidence. Despite my scepticism about shoe manufacturers, I think that when Vibram introduced the VFF they genuinely believed that minimalism and forefoot strike were desirable, healthy goals. They should have looked more carefully at the evidence before launching the product, but as far as I could see, much of the misleading publicity was generated by amateur enthusiasts rather than by the company. So I think that attempting to sue the company is unfair. However the fact that they settled out of court suggests that they might have felt legally vulnerable, despite denying blame. In my opinion, if a runner wants to enjoy the feeling of freedom that barefoot running provides but needs some protection from the terrain, VFF might be a good option, provided the transition is gradual. However, there is little reason to think that they will produce lower risk of injury or improved efficiency. A coach should be well informed and open in discussing risks and benefits of any recommendations.
jonp May 2014 7:35pm, 12 May 2014 4,503 posts	Quote Pin jonp Of course not withstanding, most the people out there are probably buying the shoes without any attempt to improve their mechanics at same time. That probably IS vibrams fault for lack of educational help. Other companies like vivobarefoot or new balance at least attempt to raise awareness that the shoe is only a part of the puzzle and technique is very important. I don't recall much of that coming from vibram.