How to run, walk and stand
Introduction
You may believe this is an article written for babies learning to walk for the first time, but the information in this article applies to all people, particularly to those in the western world who have their feet and bodies ruined by modern shoes and adopt incorrect running, walking and standing techniques that don’t utilise our bodily features designed for this purpose.
The step-by-step guide to running, walking and standing
There are 4 phases to the correct walking technique, phase 1 is the contact phase, when one heel is in contact with the ground in front of the body, phase 2 is the midstance phase, when the body's centre of mass is shifted over the centre of the leading leg and the front foot flattens out on the ground and the hind leg begins to swing forward, phase 3 is the propulsion phase, when the hind leg swings further in front of the body and makes contact with the ground, in this phase the bodies centre of mass is situated between both feet, phase 4 is the midswing phase when the current hind leg swings back out in front of the body and the heel makes contact with the ground, where the bodies centre of mass is situated between both feet, this leads back into phase 1, where this cycle can be repeated. All 4 of these phases performed consecutively make 1 stride. Running is slightly different as people tend to land more on the midfoot or forefoot for more efficiency.
After toe-off (which is when the toes leave the ground during walking or running, there is more on this in the next section) the leg then flexes at the knee so the feet won't be dragged along the ground when the leg swings forward, the bottom of your feet should turn up slightly when this happens. The hip flexor and rectus femoris, amongst other muscles contract to bring the leg out in front of the body, but make sure not to let the leg fully straighten as this encourages a hard heel strike with the ground which can be very fatiguing over long distances and slows you down, so make sure your leg is slightly bent when landing.
The arms should swing gently by your side when walking and allow your shoulders to counter-rotate to your body which combines with the extension of the hip, to create a spring-like tension in an “x” across the front of your chest, which unloads and brings the hind leg forward. For a fast-paced walk bend the arms to 90° and drive the elbows back from the lower traps which helps to set the rhythm, the ideal elbow angle differs in different people.
Gently lean forward from the ankles when walking or running to use momentum to move you forward, maintain your head facing forward, not downard and lead from the torso, not the head, as for every inch your head is positioned forward there is 5-7lbs of stress added to the cervical spine, which can cause neck pain and a desire to sit, this is why cycling may cause neck pain, so your walking, running and even sitting and standing should be well postured.
Your movement should be springy and fluid, think of your movement as a canoe and a paddle, the legs are the paddle that pushes along the ground, the water, to smoothly move your body, the canoe, forward. Exercises that will help you improve the spring of your walking and running are hopping and skipping, as running requires spring just as much as it does strength, as the length of the muscle changes minimally when running and walking and the bounce comes primarily from the fascia, especially tendons and connective tissue, these exercises will help improve there response.
Think of your stride as two pendulums, as the feet swing towards the ground potential energy is transferred to kinetic energy, to help swing your leg forward. There is the most potential energy (that is gravitational and elastic potential energy) when the foot is momentarily planted on the floor. The efficiency of this motion is usually about 65%, so 35% of this energy is wasted, which can otherwise be used for potential energy to help propel us forward, we should therefore look to improve this to make our running and walking easier and more efficient. A study looked at Kenyan women who carry loads on their heads and found that they shorten the midstance phase of their stride in order to minimise their energy wasted, their efficiency of motion can be up to 80%, by converting more potential energy into a forward motion, the body relies less on their muscles and expends less energy. Have you ever noticed how a stroll tends to make your legs ache more than a fast-paced walk? This is because when you're just on a stroll, you use less of the body's load and spring feature of tendons and muscles, disrupting the pendulum-like swing of the legs, which occurs during a fast-paced walk.
Your body should be supported by its structure, so if you are experiencing pain and fatigue when walking or standing this is a cue that you're using your muscles for balance because your posture is out of alignment and you are not being springy enough. Your running, walking and even standing should also be relaxed to help keep you balanced, which is the most important attribute of being on your feet, and the balance comes largely from the foot (more on this in the “Focusing on the feet section").
In case you are wondering whether to perform running or walking, well a consistent walking routine can be just as good as a consistent running routine for increasing longevity and giving a level of overall health, by having similar effects in preventing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer. Walking, in particular, may increase cognitive functions, improve mood, and lower mortality rates more than running. Walking is also generally less likely to cause injuries than running but running will burn more calories than walking.
Focusing on the feet
Before the foot hits the ground when walking the foot should be soft, flexible and able to absorb a force. The heel of the foot is the first part of the foot to make contact with the ground when walking, and the foot then rolls over, this is the reason for the heel's round shape and it should allow for a smooth transition, not a sudden jolt, from the heel being planted on the floor to the midfoot being planted on the floor. As the heel rolls forward, the foot should supinate and pressure should be applied to the outside edge of the foot, and then inwards along the balls of the foot towards the big toe by pronating the foot, this causes the arch of the foot (aka the transverse arch) to flatten and stretch the plantar fascia (the fascia that connects your heel bone to the base of your toes), which widens and elongates the foot, this will dissipate the maximal amount of impact from walking into the ground. In running the foot still flattens even though the heel isn’t usually the first part of the foot to make contact with the ground. The flattening of the foot also helps to create a stable platform for the body and stores energy from the landing force as the plantar fascia stretches, which comes in useful when the foot lifts off the ground, as the stored energy in the foot, is released propelling us forward. Make sure the first part of the foot to make contact with the ground is the outer edges of the foot when walking and running and then the foot should pronate when walking and running so the foot can turn over and flatten out and the last toe to leave the ground should be the big toe. When you land on the outside edge of your foot, more tension is created in the plantar fascia in order to propel you forward, than if you landed on your whole foot. Foot pronation is an essential function of walking or running, and if this doesn’t occur it can cause injury.
Toe-off occurs because the toes which are squashed against the ground at this point in an extended position (because the leg is moving over them) begin to flex to propel us forward, the last toe to leave the ground during this should be the big toe which is specifically designed for this function, feel the big toe push off the ground during this, for this to happen the foot must pronate, the whole leg should be straight during toe-off. After toe-off, the toes must be able to spread and extend in order to reestablish the arch ready for the next impact, give feedback on the terrain and give a wide base of support in preparation for the next step. The toes should be the widest part of the foot, and the big toe should be in line with the rest of the foot as it is designed to withstand forces and help propel us off the ground.
Our feet have about 200,000 sensory receptors that constantly, unconsciously give information to our brain, spinal cord and even local fascial tissue about our terrain, causing micro-adjustments to our position in order to maintain balance, this is also important when moving as these signals interact with joints, tendons, muscles nerves and fascia to keep us in motion. It is important for our bodies to have a strong response to these nerve signals, so spend time barefoot, walking around, this is also good for strengthening the lower leg and feet tissue, you can take time walking around barefoot on your heels, the balls of your feet, on the outside edges of your feet and on the inside edges of the feet, performing the one-legged squat can also be beneficial for this, especially if you're barefoot.
Focusing on sitting
Sitting accelerates ageing and puts little force on your bones and therefore reduces bone mineral density, decreasing bone mass and leading to an increased risk of fractures. Regularly sitting for prolonged periods of time also leads to a decreased diameter in arteries, increased blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, cancer and early death, sitting and inactivity for a long time also leads to a dramatic decrease in an enzyme which is essential for the metabolism of triglycerides in the mitochondria of muscles, so those triglycerides are converted to fatty acids and accumulate in the liver and adipose tissue, further elevating the risk of metabolic diseases. Regularly sitting for prolonged periods of time also leads to shortening of the recti femorum (the plural of rectus femoris) and hip flexors, which must be long and mobile for maximum backwards leg extension from the hip joint, these effects can’t even be mitigated by rigorous daily exercise. Tight hip flexors and toes that don’t readily stretch (more on this in the “Focusing on the fascia” section) lead to a shortened stride, this is expedited with stiff shoes (more on this in the “Modern shoes vs minimalist shoes” section). The glutes get stretched and weaken when sitting and this when combined with tight hip flexors and recti femorum leads to a slightly, sometimes unnoticeably, slouched position when we stand, and a walk which is slightly wonky with a slouched posture, especially if you were already sitting in a slouched position and develop a muscle memory that disrupts your standing posture. It is therefore important to sit with good posture with your shoulders above your pelvis and the back of your neck lengthened, so your chin drops down and let your scapula roll down your rib cage, by rolling your shoulders forward, then up, then back and down your rib cage, correct posture is especially important to alleviate back pain and your back won’t need support when sitting correctly. Sitting on a yoga ball will help you sit with the correct posture, sitting on the floor helps mobilise your joints, muscles and fascia from your toes to your torso, it also recruits muscles important to correct posture, sitting and getting up can also be beneficial.
You shouldn’t sit for prolonged periods of time, so try to set a half-hour alarm on your phone every time you sit down to remind you to get up for at least 2 minutes, if the budget allows you can also try a standing desk or treadmill desk, if not it is fairly easy to raise your desktop equipment on books or boxes, just standing won’t host any great benefits so try doing lunges, stretches, kneeling, walking and swinging your legs forwards and backwards and side to side. If your lifestyle already requires you to be on your feet a lot of the day try to sit when you can, but still keep the correct posture. The correct standing posture requires a lengthened back of the neck, so your chin drops down, keep your arms relaxed and dropped down by your side, let your scapula roll down your rib cage, this should make your spine elongated and your diaphragm engaged, keep the knees unlocked and let them relax into the most stable position, this is so your knees can give you flexibility and stability, your shoulders, hips and ankles should be in line, your feet should be hip-width apart, point the feet forward as this makes the arch of the foot stable which helps engage the powerful hip and glute muscles, balance on each foots “tripod” (the heel, the outer edges and the balls of the feet), you should stand over your stable column, you can find your stable column by finding the posture where if someone pushes down on your shoulders from behind you wouldn’t collapse backwards, but don’t force your natural position if you feel stiff and unnatural after attempting this better standing posture for a good period of time, make some adjustments so it’s more suitable for you.
If you are forced to sit for long periods there are certain stretches you should perform, usually on a daily basis, try elevating one of your legs knelt up on a chair and slowly push into the leg and you should feel a good stretch in the hip flexor of the opposite leg, which is planted on the ground, then alternate onto the other leg. The couch stretch is another good stretch for the hip flexors and recti femorum, perform this by kneeling down on one leg and put your arms back and around your ankle of the hind leg and pull your foot up towards your glutes, if this is too difficult you can put your foot up against a wall or couch, then alternate onto the other leg. Another stretch is the awesomizer, which is a good stretch for the hip flexor and to tune the fascia of your pelvis and legs, perform this by elevating one of your feet on an object about 1.5ft from the ground and push into that leg and rock back and forth, try and feel the bounce, as you do this rotate your torso in the direction of the leg on the object as you go forward, and out in the opposite direction on the way back, keep your arms outstretched to help with the rotation.
Basically, if your job requires you to do a lot of sitting, try and get up at every chance you get, but if your job already requires you to be on your feet for long periods, take breaks to sit, as standing for prolonged periods isn’t good for you either.
There is more information on sitting in the “Focusing on the fascia” section later in this article.
Breathing techniques
A strong, engaged diaphragm is important to keep you stabilised, you can get this by deep belly breathing, by breathing in through your nose, this is how the maximum amount of oxygen entering the blood occurs, it also allows carbon dioxide levels to rise naturally in the blood which is necessary to let oxygen offload from red blood cells and enter tissues. This is why excessive over-breathing leads to lightheadedness, as carbon dioxide levels in the blood drop excessively so oxygen is no longer sufficiently entering tissue, so I advocate for slow mindful breathing as this also helps align and lengthens your spine, improves your breathing technique, increases epinephrine and adrenaline which helps the antiinflammatory response and triggers a soothing parasympathetic response making you feel calmer and improve performance, in sports that don’t involve very short bursts of explosive power, even Usain Bolt is relaxed before his 100-meter sprint. Focusing on calm, deep diaphragmatic breaths, in combination with an erect, relaxed and stable posture can be more useful than using an inhaler which promotes over-breathing. Not saying to never use an inhaler though.
Deep diaphragmatic breaths are a great way to start and end the day, by making you feel more productive, and energetic and it will also waste less time and money on health care. You can perform this lying down, with your arms outstretched, palms facing upwards, in a snow angel-like formation with your arms down by your torso, but not touching your torso, your knees should be bent to about 90°, with your spine stretched, start by exhaling all the way out through your mouth, you can purse your lips when exhaling for some resistance, and then gently breathe in through your nose into your abdomen until your belly feels tight (but not to an uncomfortable degree), stay focused on your breathing, hold your breath, then try to breathe in a bit more, pause for a moment, then breath out pause when you have exhaled, then try and exhale a bit more, then repeat this from the point of inhaling. You can also perform this on your hands and knees if you prefer, but make sure your spine is in a neutral position. Try to make your exhalation about twice as long as your inhalation, in order to create a stimulus for improvement, try to perform this for 2 minutes and as you progress carefully increase the time you spend inhaling, whilst keeping the time exhaling double this time, you can begin with about a 4-second inhalation, and therefore an 8-second exhalation, once you’ve got relaxed and comfortable during the exercise. Make sure to stop if you feel dizzy and if you are experiencing restrictions in your breath, just continue to breathe through them until it passes, try not to gasp or sigh when performing this.
For different reasons, the Wim Hof method is another useful breathing exercise (named after Rob Wim Hof). The Wim Hof method begins with a quick inhalation, into the belly, followed by a quick exhalation out the mouth, with no pause in between, each inhalation and exhalation lasting about 1 second, repeat this 30 times, then on the last exhale hold for 1 minute, in round 2 and 3 perform a 1 minute 30-second hold, you can do this hold in intervals, if you can’t perform this all in one go, by pausing the time to breathe, after you have completed this take a breath in and hold it for 15 seconds, repeat this process for 3 rounds in total. This lowers carbon dioxide levels in the blood as carbon dioxide is quickly expelled from the blood, during the fast-paced breathing part which increases blood pH from 7.35-7.45 up to 7.75, this is a high enough pH to deactivate the receptors that sense the acidity in the blood and therefore signals to pain receptors can’t activate, decreasing pain, it is also a great way to relax.
Focusing on the fascia
Our bodies will fall apart without the collagen-filled fascia that surrounds every part of our body, and it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Fascia is also important to reduce friction and provide balance by making small corrections in our position, fascia also absorbs and dissipates much of the impact from walking and running and stores and releases this energy to help propel us forward when walking or running.
Our myofascial tissue (the fascia of muscles) reacts to signals from the brain, muscles and other fascia to respond to loading tension on our joints and other tissues then release and redirect this energy to propel us forward.
There can however be problems with the fascia. The fibres of the fascia normally flatten out when they withstand tension in a single direction, but when they are over stretched it can become bunched into a knot, the fascia is densely arranged with receptors and nerve endings, so this causes pain. You may believe that stretching may help this, but this will only make it worse, similar to how pulling on the ends of a rope tied in a knot only makes the knot tighter. Interestingly, it is believed that fascia tightens and hardens in response to emotional and mental stimuli, increasing the risk of injury, so try to eliminate stress from your life. These knots create thin areas in the tissue, which are filled in when the knots are pressed on with a foam roller, those who sit for long periods should focus on foam rolling the IT band, quadriceps, hip flexors and upper back, the ASIS and PSIS are often neglected, so don’t forget these. There are also other ways to keep your fascia healthy; by staying hydrated, as fascia is made up of mostly water; eating healthy fats, as fats make up the silicone that lubricates fascia; keep moving throughout the day; warm water immersion can loosen tight fascia and muscles, you can follow the immersion with gentle mobility work to restore your range of motion.
When we remain immobile for prolonged periods (such as at night) the synovium-lubricated fascia that covers the surface of joints becomes sludgy and sticks together, sticky micro adhesions then form between the fascial surfaces and harden, which inhibits our range of motion to varying degrees, from slight stiffness to major restrictions in movement. Luckily the stuck fascia can return to normal, but this will normally require pain and hard work with movement and stretching, in extreme cases it may even require surgery.
Modern shoes vs minimalist shoes
Modern shoes are unfortunately focused more on fashion than actually helping or even allowing the foot to perform what it is designed to do, this completely disturbs the way we walk and run.
Modern shoes often have elevated heels to prevent injuries, but they're actually doing the opposite. Elevated heels shift the body's centre of mass away from the part of the foot designed to withstand the load of the body (the sustentaculum tali), it destabilises the arch of the feet and lifts the fifth metatarsal off the ground, this toe is essential for stability, all of these factors leads to poor stability, leading to tilting of the pelvis and swaying back and forth when standing, imagine holding a rake upright, this is effortless, but when the rake is tilted at an angle, even slightly, it is difficult to hold it up, this is what raised heels does to the spinal column and leads to other parts of the body trying to compensate for the problems caused by the shoes, which leads to abnormal forces in our knees, hips and lower back when standing, walking or running, this is why people tend to have fewer injuries and have fewer difficulties when they land on their midfoot when running, by using shoes without elevated heels. Elevated heels also encourage a hard heel strike, which works like a brake and also causes large forces to travel down the body and causes compensation in the joints, which have to take the force, from your ankle to your knee to your hip and up through your back. If your shoes have just a bit of heel elevation but you are experiencing no pain, you should be fine to continue wearing these shoes, but if you do feel pain try to decrease the heel elevation.
Modern shoes also often have arch support for comfort and injury prevention, but they may actually be contributing more to injuries. Pronation of the foot can’t occur with arch-supporting shoes, which is essential for dissipating the forces of running or walking into the ground, these lead to large forces relayed further up the body into parts of the body not designed to withstand these kinds of forces, causing injuries. Arch support also doesn’t allow the plantar fascia or toes to move freely which is needed to help absorb the forces of walking and running and is needed to propel us forward, this leads to a higher risk of injuries as muscles are being used excessively causing injury to joints due to the lack of use of the spring feature of the foot and it also leads to inefficient walking and running.
Modern shoes also often have narrow toe boxes, this stops the toes from being able to spread, which is needed to re-establish the arch in order to give feedback on our terrain, get prepared to absorb the next impact and give a wide base of support in preparation for the next step. If the toes are squashed by a narrow toe box the big toe will be out of alignment with the rest of the foot, causing large forces on various joints of the body, making us unstable and making our walking and running inefficient. Most people in the western world have feet which have been narrowed even when they take their shoes off after years of wearing shoes with a narrow toe box, you can restore the toes to their more spaced position by wearing corrective toe spacers, for long periods throughout the day, particularly when walking, it may take many months before you even notice improvements in your toes.
Modern shoes also often have toe boxes which curl upwards, which inhibits our foot's ability to balance as it is not fully planted on the ground. They also inhibit the foot's ability to dorsiflex to propel us forward and reset the arch which is needed to propel us forward and take the impact of the next step.
You do not need shoes that do the foot’s work for it. Shoes should work similarly to a glove, which protects the hand without causing restrictions or injuries. Shoes should usually be thin, to help avoid overstriding as they make overstriding uncomfortable and offers good proprioception (the sensory feel of the ground) which helps the muscles in our feet respond better to our surroundings for better stability and efficiency when walking or running, they should also be flat, with no arch support, a wide toe box and roomy in order to allow the feet to perform its functions or help them perform its functions, shoes that have motion control features should usually be avoided as they restrict pronation of the feet, shoes should also be hard, not soft, as soft shoes increase energy expenditure, think of running on a sandy beach compared to on a track, the soft sand is far more draining to run on then on a much harder track. Most modern shoes will lead to overcompensation of other body parts, they will make your muscles, tendons and ligaments shorten and weaken over time, they will make your running, walking and standing uncomfortable and inefficient and they will be more draining as they limit the foot's functions, plus they are usually large and bulky, making them tiring to move around in. It takes time to transition to the more minimalist shoes discussed earlier as the muscles, tendons and ligaments in your feet and legs take time to lengthen and strengthen, so transiting into the more minimalist shoes gradually over several months or even years is best, you can speed up this process by spending as much time barefoot as possible. You may still experience a bit of pain with better shoes, but you should never be in any serious pain. By using these more minimalist shoes you can add many years to pain-free walking and running, it also gives you a more relaxed, efficient, and fun experience in everyday life.
Disclaimer: use the information provided in this article at your own risk, as I will not be liable for any harm that may be caused by it.
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