The video above examines the running technique of Emil Zatopek who employed forefoot running naturally, before there was the concept of it being a technique. This video comes courtesy of the Pose Method, the technique I used to change the way I run which, in the beginning, resulted in some very sore calves.
The Pose Method of Running by Dr Nicholas Romanov endorses forefoot running as the proper running technique. According to Dr. Romanov all elite runners have naturally run this way for ages. I switched my technique about four years go and while the results have been amazing, I could not believe that was seemed like a small shift in running technique could lead to sore calves that would barely let me walk.
When I first made the shift in my running technique to forefoot running I had to search online why I had such sore calves. Up came about fifty pages of people saying stick with it and the soreness will go away with time. In my case it was about five weeks.
When I teach people to walk I invariably put them up on the balls of their feet to walk around in this way. It automatically puts your thighs back where they belong, gets your spine long and straight and supports the head through the entirety of the spine.
This is the same effect you will get when you change your running techniques to forefoot running. When I run my heels never touch the ground and when I walk my heels spend as little time on the ground as possible in search of a forward motion that carries me along in gravities flow. The sore calves are long a thing of the past.
Watch the video above to get a good view of the footfall in Zaptoek running technique. You might not want to imitate the shaking head and flailing body but you definitely want to start running on the balls of your feet.
And check out Dr. Romanovs book.
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