Running Form: Stuart McMillan on Natural Gait & Stride
Running fast is the ultimate human activity. According to McMillan, the fastest human on the planet is truly the fastest human on the planet – there’s no one hiding in some remote area who could be faster than world record holder Usain Bolt.
Most athletes in team sports play at about 80% of their best ability. But elite sprinters must be at 99.9% of their best to compete successfully. That’s what makes sprinting the true pinnacle of human performance.
When it comes to sprint distances, McMillan prefers coaching the 200 meters because it combines incredible speed with tactical elements. Unlike the 100-meter dash which is all-out from start to finish, the 200 requires strategy in how you distribute your effort throughout the race.
Usain Bolt’s world record time of 9.58 seconds for 100 meters required only about 40 strides to cover that distance. Most elite male sprinters take between 40-45 steps, while women typically need 47-52 steps.
Our bodies naturally find the most efficient way to move at different speeds. When walking, most people strike with their heel and roll to their toe. As we increase speed, we reach a point where walking becomes inefficient, so we transition to jogging, which happens at around 20% of maximum sprint speed.
Rather than overthinking foot strike patterns, McMillan recommends focusing on flat foot contact and letting your speed dictate where on your foot you naturally land. The faster you go, the more your foot strike will naturally move toward the front of your foot.
Eye position matters significantly in sprinting. If your eyes lift up first when running, your chin follows, creating too much extension through your spine. Instead, allow your torso to determine when your chin and eyes come up – not the other way around.
Surprisingly, sprinting is almost entirely about eccentric (braking) forces, not concentric pushing. How well you handle these braking forces determines your speed. Research shows that eccentric force capacity differentiates elite performers from sub-elite across many sports.
Most people can walk, jog and run, but many can’t truly stride (75-95% of maximum speed) or sprint (near 100% effort). Elite sprinters hit the ground with forces exceeding five times their body weight in less than three-hundredths of a second.
For good running form, focus on bringing the knees up higher (to about waist height for sprinting), being stiff and rigid through the foot and ankle on impact, and developing an effective hip extension pattern where the knee comes behind your center of mass.
The quality of your movement should always be the priority in high-intensity work like sprinting – not just completing the workout regardless of form. A good workout should leave you feeling energized, not exhausted.
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