• Home
  • Services
    • In Home Personal Training
    • Senior Fitness Services
    • Online Coaching
    • Nutritional Coaching
  • Pricing
  • Our Team
  • Success Stories
  • Blog
  • Locations
    • Springfield, VA
    • Fairfax, VA
    • Alexandria, VA
    • Annandale, VA
    • Arlington, VA
    • Burke, VA
    • Centerville, VA
    • Chantilly, VA
    • Clifton, VA
    • Falls Church, VA
    • Oakton, VA
    • Reston, VA
    • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Vienna, VA
    • Herndon, VA
    • Tampa, FL
  • Run Club
  • Contact Us

702-756-4444

info@onthegofitnesspro.com
On The Go Fitness ProOn The Go Fitness Pro
  • Home
  • Services
    • In Home Personal Training
    • Senior Fitness Services
    • Online Coaching
    • Nutritional Coaching
  • Pricing
  • Our Team
  • Success Stories
  • Blog
  • Locations
    • Springfield, VA
    • Fairfax, VA
    • Alexandria, VA
    • Annandale, VA
    • Arlington, VA
    • Burke, VA
    • Centerville, VA
    • Chantilly, VA
    • Clifton, VA
    • Falls Church, VA
    • Oakton, VA
    • Reston, VA
    • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Vienna, VA
    • Herndon, VA
    • Tampa, FL
  • Run Club
  • Contact Us

How strides can help your running

People running on treadmill
Happy group of sportive people in a gym. Concepts about lifestyle and sport in a fitness club

How strides can help your running

Posted by David Nickum Running

If you have been running for a while you’ve probably heard of strides from some of your fellow runners. While many of us have heard of strides, many of us are not adding them into our running program. Skipping this key running dill might be holding you back from hitting a new personal record. Just like flossing your teeth, strides provide huge benefits but most of us skip them for some reason. In this article I will break down why you should be adding strides to your workouts and also give you some tips on how to do them correctly. 

Here’s my take on how strides can help your running. 

Introduction to speed work 

Doing strides is a great way to get the body ready to hit the track for speed work without causing injuries. If you’re new to running or coming off a base building cycle you should do a few weeks with strides added before hitting the track. Hitting the track too soon can overwork the body causing an injury which will prevent you from hitting your goals. 

Side note: If you’re an experienced runner, doing strides in the offseason can help you keep your speed for a fast mile or 5k time during a base building block. 

Improve running form 

The purpose of doing strides is to improve running form. This is done in a few ways. One is because while you’re doing your strides you’re keeping the length of the interval very short allowing you to hold on to good form while running fast. Two, the point of running strides is to focus on good running form while going fast, things like getting your arms pumping, keeping your knees up and staying on the balls of your feet. Three, you run fast without getting tired. The 15-30 second length of the interval will allow you to run fast without getting out of breath which will help you keep proper form allowing you to focus on good form. Because of the short duration, fast pace and lack of fatigue you will be able to focus on improving form while running and this will translate into better form on race day. 

Extra speed workout 

Many runners think that you get fast by running fast. If you do too much speed work in a training program it will cause you to burnout before you get to race day leaving you with dead legs and overcooked. When designing a plan for your race you should focus on doing most of your work at a low heart rate where you can easily carry on a conversation. Squeezing in strides into your plan will give you a hidden speed workout without leaving you fatigued like other speed workouts. I love strides at the end of easy runs because you can get the benefits of speed training without getting burnt out. That little extra speed work can make a measurable difference when you line up on race day. 

Improves running economy

As stated before, doing strides can improve running form. Improving the skill of running helps improve running economy. What is running economy? “Running economy (RE) measures runners’ energy utilization when running at an aerobic intensity, and many physiological and biomechanical factors contribute to it. Oxygen consumption (VO2) is the most direct method for measuring running economy, as the exchange of gases in the body, specifically oxygen and carbon dioxide, closely reflects energy metabolism. Those who are able to consume less oxygen while running at a given velocity are said to have a better running economy.”

The way strides help to improve running economy is that it stimulates the nervous system and helps improve the biomechanical side of running. The side that isn’t impacted as much is improvement in VO2 max because the heart rate stays low compared to other types of speedwork. Another system that is not challenged during strides is the lactate threshold. This is good because the goal of strides is to improve the skill of running fast without taxing the system. 

Breaks up sore legs 

Breaking up tight or sore legs is my favorite benefit of running strides. Usually strides are added to the end of an easy run that lands a day after a tempo run or long run. The legs can feel sluggish and tired after these types of runs. Strides can help break up the soreness and tightness in the legs. This leaves you ready for a hard workout the next day. In the middle of a marathon training cycle many of us have felt the effects of marathon legs which feels like a shuffle. Doing strides is a great way to break up the marathon shuffle and add pop to your legs a day before a hard workout. 

How and when to do strides 

Strides should be done a day before a workout session, before a track session after the warm up and a day before a long run. Strides should be done near maximal effort but you shouldn’t hit full effort until you’re half way through the stride. Unlike sprints you shouldn’t aim to go all out from the start of the stride. Strides should only last about 15-30 seconds with about 60 seconds rest between strides. After easy runs aim for 4-10 strides and 2-4 strides before a track session. The goal before a track session is to get the nervous system warmed up before the workout. Only do strides after easy runs 2 times per week.

For a free personal training session visit us a www.onthegofitnesspro.com

Share

About David Nickum

David S. Nickum is an inspirational fitness professional with over 10 years in the health and wellness industry. What he brings to any workout program is a deep understanding of anatomy, nutrition, and exercise physiology. His programs are unique, innovative, educational, and customized to get the job done quickly. He is a cutting edge professional who builds a program that fits your individualized goals. Starting out in the field of automotive technology industry, David had a lot of problems with pain in the lower back. This led him to the world of health and wellness. David was tired of getting prescribed pills to address his problems and he knew that physical therapy would only be a short-term fix, so he decided to learn about the human body to fix the problem on his own. Being a musician has helped David to also apply an artistic approach to health and wellness. He always told me; “exercise is an art just as much as a science”, he was right, every human is different and needs an artistic touch to get the most out of a workout. Throughout his career, David has developed a deep understanding about the human body. He started out only knowing the basics. Seven years later he has become a leader in the field of fitness, he designed his own style of training which works on posture, metabolism, pain management, and performance. After working with David my life has never been better, the pain in my body is gone for the first time in 10 years. After only 6 months of training I feel like a new person. I feel and look the best I have in years. He gave me the education and the tools I needed to prevent failure in the future. He gave me a new lease on life and I am thankful for that everyday.

You also might be interested in

Two people planking together
sporty young couple doing plank exercise in gym

Guidelines for Effective Personal Training

Feb 10, 2018

A Personal Trainer’s Guide to Healthy Living Anyone who has[...]

10 Tips on How to Lose Weight

Jul 8, 2020

You just saw your neighbor after a vacation and she[...]

Dealing with Sore Muscles

Jun 18, 2017

Workout Tips: Dealing with Sore Muscles Intense workouts are our[...]

Categories

  • Exercise (72)
  • fitness (7)
  • Fitness programs (41)
  • Health (28)
  • Nutrition (47)
  • Personal Training (46)
  • reviews (8)
  • Running (36)
  • Senior Fitness (12)
  • Uncategorized (95)
  • Weight Loss (45)
  • Workouts (1)

Let's get in touch

Send me an email and I'll get back to you, as soon as possible.

Send Message

Areas We Service

Mclean Fairfax Arlington Alexandria Herndon

Reston Centerville Annandale Oakton

Burke Clifton Vienna Chantilly Springfield

Services

Areas We Serve

Free! From Fat to Fit eBook

Free! A Personal Trainers Guide to Fitness eBook

In Home Personal Training

Get started today!

Find us here

  • On The Go Fitness Pro
  • Fairfax, Virginia
  • 702-756-4444
  • onthegofitnesspro@gmail.com

Useful Links

4 Exercises That Help Reduce Belly Fat
Benefits of Low Impact Cardio

Exercise for seniors

Exercises For Office

Hip Exercises For Runners

How to stop cheating on diet

In Home Workouts

Self Myofascial Release Benefits

Squats for Runners

Weight Loss

Sitemap

© 2021 · On The Go Fitness Pro. All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimer
Prev Next
Subscribe to our newsletter for workout and nutrition advice.