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You may be wondering what all the fuss about forefoot striking is and why Muscle Runners can make you a faster more powerful athlete. Let me explain why. Some of the fastest runners in the world are Kenyan – and in particular those from the Kalenjin tribe. These guys and girls can shift - whether at the Olympic Games or when running miles daily as their young people do to get to school. What all these Kalenjins tend to have in common is a forefoot running action – and of course a great CV engine! Research shows that at speeds of 4.32min/mile pace that only 9% of Kalenjins use a rear-foot strike. And to further showcase how these guys like to be on the forefoot these Kenyans preferred a forefoot strike even at slower speeds. When analysed their forefoot running speed ranged from 4.28min to 11.11min mile pace. Forefoot running should be a must for us all Forefoot striking is natural for these very talented runners, it makes them faster, and it will do this for all of us. Forefoot running turns our legs into natural springs The foot and in particular the arch are better able to return impact forces from foot-strike and turn these into propulsive forces. You’ll get what the sports scientist call: better triple extension and develop greater leg stiffness. And regarding the latter it’s not the stiffness you might feel after a tough weights workout but the stiffness that creates greater reactivity. Your legs will produce and develop over time more “ping”. You will additionally improve your performance economy. And this is where Muscle Runners come in. With their negative heel drop (8mm-10mm dependent on size) they will guide your foot naturally into making forefoot strike after forefoot strike. The dual density carbon plate will increase energy return and energise toe-off. We really are all forefoot strikers Really, yes really! We are human engineered to prefer a forefoot strike. It’s just that for the last couple of hundred years modern shoe designs by protecting our feet have literally put us on the back-foot and unprotected our feet in many ways. Heels are built up and the sole is thin – the reverse of the Muscle Runners. Most contemporary running shoes are well-cushioned and for many years their stacked heel cushioning encouraged not unnaturally (well, actually unnaturally!) a heel-led foot strike. Runners felt protected and could drop back onto their heels. The jog would be a plod and often backs and knees would begin to complain. Greater impact forces would need to be dealt with. A Simple test Take your shoes off - and as long as the underfoot conditions are safe to do so – run 20-30m. You should find that you run on your forefeet and don’t want to let your heels touch the ground. Now, and I don’t suggest you try it - but if you did let your heels strike first – you’d not like it! You’d get a shock wave running through your legs radiating into your spine. Forefoot running help to keep more momentum going forwards. It also helps convert the inevitable vertical impact running forces into horizontal ones with a much more controlled conversion. And this is where Muscle Runners add that extra push. They’ll keep you moving forwards from forefoot toe-off to forefoot toe-off and those carbon plates will give you that extra energy. In future posts I’ll show you among others topics; how to develop greater power, improved running form, and become a sprinter with your trusted Muscle Runner. SEE MY REVIEW BELOW:
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It's taken a while but I finally pulled together the third issue of The Jumper. It's packed full of articles that should appeal to jumpers coaches and fans of these events alike. We've articles from top coaches such as Nick Newman, who's based in the US at USC as jumps and coach - Nick talks about his approach to jumps coaching. You can get his book from Amazon.
Then we have an article from Nelio Moura who has coached two Olympic long jump champions ... yes two. Nelio shares with us his tips on how to coach the long jump take-off. Top sprint coach Jonas Dodoo shares with us his tactics and technical tips for developing speed. Speed is something that all long jumpers and triple jumpers crave so this is a must read. Jonas's' article is part of a larger speed special, where we delve into numerous aspects of speed development, such as acceleration. The issue includes it's usual mix and there's our social media watch, where we single out great pages and channels and podcasts for you to scroll to. This issue was supported by Neuff - athletic equipment suppliers, so do check them out. There are some great offers from them (and other brands in the magazine). From Neuff you can get a Power Pack which includes sled, stretch bands and med balls and was part selected by your truly. It's a great combination of items that are actually really useful and applicable to sprinters and jumpers. To get hold of the issue for FREE, all you need to do is click on the image. It will download from the web and from there - should you want - you can download it as a PDF. Links to the various media will work in both formats
A while back I posted about the Nurokor MiTouch bioelectrical device. It uses three different electrical currents called apps on the device (to put it simply) to treat and train muscles. The phone-size device enables four pads to be connected to work various body parts. I've been using the device since around April.
Initially I spent time researching the performance benefits of EMS (the catch-all term) - there's actually quite a lot which indicates that strong, short circa 10-sec x 10 bursts of EMS using a very strong intensity can increase muscle power very rapidly on individually treated muscle groups. Famed or infamous coach, Charlie Francis used EMS back in the eighties with success and indeed his protocols are still advocated today. I discovered contemporary research that vindicates a similar application. I really need to drill down on the performance use aspects of the Nurokor MiTouch and provide the older athletes who have the device with a real programme for them to follow this season. MY EXPERIENCE Myself, I've been using the device regularly and have now reached a stage where I can more fully appreciate my own experiences especially for injury and aches and pain treatment. In short the overall results are more than favourable. For example, where the MiTouch has really worked for me is in treating sore Achilles tendons. Hots sore spots and Achilles tendonosis (degradation of the tendon's tissue) are common in sprinters. I've found that regular treatment with the MiTouch has alleviated the sore to the touch symptoms virtually immediately enabling me to carry on sprinting and running. I'll use the Pain+ function (designed to reduce pain and kick-start cellular recovery processes) for 20min on the tendon (see pics) and will then switch to using the MCS (miscrocurrent app) for 30-40min. The former uses a specific pulse and waveform and therefore you feel the constant ebb and flow of the current working the area, with the MCS you don't feel it working although it is. Incidentally MCS has a long medical history of use for wound healing through specially designed bandages. On a sore hip my pain has decreased using similar protocols to the Achilles whilst treating around the hip and the ITB. I've yet to work out the reasons for why this area became sore although, it erks me to to say this, it could be age (!) or a mattress needing replacing! All in all I'd recommend the Nurokor MiTouch as a way to alleviate pain and to keep on moving freely. WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NUROKOR MITOUCH AND GET A 10% DISCOUNT CLICK HERE
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