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Introduction to POSE Running - Part I by Coach Shea
Running is a skill that we take for granted. You just go out and run, right? A lot of attention has been placed on the notion of barefoot running or natural running form in the last few years, with every major shoe manufacturer putting their spin on the strangely contradictory notion of a “barefoot” shoe. The implication is that simply buying a flat or minimalist shoe will transform you from an inefficient runner into a striding cheetah. Or perhaps you read Born to Run and now sneer at the heel-striking running form of your past.
While running is clearly part of our heritage, our contention is that running is not an innate thing. It is a skill, much like the Olympic lifts or gymnastics. There are a lot of complicated interactions between limbs and the ground, and, just like the snatch or the muscle-up, we can analyze and perfect our form to minimize our times, use less energy to accomplish the same amount of work, and reduce injury risk.
Let’s start with what running “is”. Superficially, this seems pretty obvious. However, there are multiple models for how running works, and the conflict between two of them is useful in illustrating how we are going to approach our running technique.
One model argues that forward movement occurs as a result of force being applied in the opposite direction; an adaptation of Sir Isaac’s third law. If you want to run forward, apply backwards power. In this philosophy of locomotion, your goal is to generate as much force down and back as possible, emphasizing pushing.
The second model emphasizes the opposite: that running is accomplished by falling forward in a controlled way. Instead of pushing, the goal is to pull the feet off of the ground to continue the falling action and minimize the impact force and braking force that lessen our forward momentum.
I don’t foresee one or the other of these models really becoming “proven” any time soon, and honestly, it does not matter. The point here is that the way that traditional running coaches think is more along the lines of the first model, and what we are going to be learning is based more on the second model. Even if running turns out to be all about pushing, learning to run with the POSE method is an effective way of learning how to run with greater efficiency and less to no injury. Again, which is better? I don’t know. You can certainly be a world-record holder with either philosophy. But the POSE is one way to learn the skill of running, and ultimately, if you focus on building that skill, it’s going to get better.
However, you need to develop this skill. Most endurance training is built on a pyramid of volume first, intensity second, and skill last. Maximize the volume, bring a little intensity in, and work on skill just a little bit. Our training does the opposite: It focuses on skill, then intensity, and only then on volume. Learning to run Pose-style is not just about agreeing with it. You can read about ground-reaction force and Chi and everything else, buy the shoes, and still heel-strike (we have plenty of videos of it!). Dedicate yourself to practicing the skill of running, and of training yourself not only to perform the movement, but also to be able to evaluate yourself and others, so you can cut through the illusion! No matter how much I read Gregg Everett’s weightlifting book, I cannot just “agree” myself into a 100kg snatch, any more than I can just read about POSE and become, instantaneously, a better runner. For anyone wanting to develop their running, we have developed a 6 week practice course of simple running drills and workouts. It took me until my 5th week to really get things to start to click. For others, it may come sooner, and others, later. Either way, it will reward you with the time and energy you invest in becoming better.
Workout of the Day:
Spend 10-15 mins working on POSE drills
then,
Run: 3 x (100m + 200m + 400m)
Work:Rest of 1:1. Rest exactly as long as it takes to perform a given distance in a set. For example, run 200m in 35 seconds, rest 35 seconds, run 400m in 1:15, rest 1:15, etc.
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Coach Ned is jumping up and down for the CF Open
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