Purposfully
Omiting
Serious
Errors
Purposfully
Omiting
Serious
Errors
Bostonbilly wrote:
txRUNNERgirl
Here is the skinny on Pose. Pose is not a cult or some crazy theory. It is simply a way to improve your running biomechanics which in turn makes you a more efficient runner. Better biomechanics also means that you are less susceptible to injuries. Period. Running with Pose form does not guarantee that you will not get injured as injuries can be caused by a number of factors. However, the likelihood of getting injured is IMHO reduced.
A few years ago, I was constantly suffering from lower leg injuries. I always thought my biomechanics were fine and I had a friend videotape me. I could not believe how much I was heal striking. Shortly thereafter, I was introduced by a triathlete friend to an exercise physiology grad student who was doing a 4 month study with Dr. Romanov regarding Pose. They accepted me into the study and we met 1x/week for about 4mos. They did all kinds of tests before and after including VO2max, video taping, and a running form test where they attached these styrofoam balls to all your joints so that they could create a computerized model of your running form. During the 4 mos., I struggled in my change. Some people changed their running form almost instantly, but it took me the full 4 mos. Most of the people who changed quickly were fairly new to running. For me, I had to undergo a complete muscular re-education. I was clearly the last to catch on. At the end of the 4 mos., we did the testing again with the styrofoam balls and my form turned out to almost be perfect Pose.
So here comes the most important part. Since then, I have been relatively injury free, but not completely. I did do away with my orthodics and I went to a very neutral shoe. I do not wear flats as I like a more cushioned shoe. Before I used to wear a very technical shoe like the Asics Kayano. Now I generally run in a Nike Zoom Miler. I train in a flat on days where I am running above AT.
Do I think that Pose is some sort of huge breakthrough? No!!!
I think we all ran a Pose like form as we were young kids. If you watch little kids playing soccer on a field, they all run naturally with a Pose-like form. As we got older, we got lazy and somehow started running a little flatter.
I know there are alot of critics out there, but I am sure that none of them really understand Pose. However, if I was to tell you that improving your biomechanics would increase your running performance by 2%, you might be interested in learning more. For a 3hr marathoner, that is almost 4mins of improvement. For an 18min 5k, that is almost 22 secs. Something to think about.
KEEP IN MIND:
Proselytizing
Offensive
Sleaze
Engine
AND
Profoundly
Oblivious
to
Scientific
Evidence
So running Pose-like includes bobbling your head all around??
Poor
Old
Silly
Exiles
The main message you should take from Pose is to quit overstriding. The rest of it seems dubious at best.
Here's the skinny, Tex: If you take long slow steps, slower than 180/minute, then you need to shorten up and quicken up your stride and quit banging down on your heel way out in front of yourself. IMO this is the cause of the majority of running injuries. Once you get to a more midfoot landing, the need for the big-a$$ stability heels on running shoes and orthotics and all of that goes away, allowing you to run in less shoe with fewer injuries.
Asterix:
After I posted, I went back and read your post. LOL!!!!
The check is in the mail.
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
I'd really like to know if anyone has had a bad experience with Pose or minimalism in general...if it has caused any injuries.
Do you perform regular form drills or plyometric exercises as a part of your training? This is largely what POSE is made up of (from my understanding). You can find this for free on the internet or from a few books on amazon.
Yes, some people have gotten injured from switching to a minimalistic approach to running. However, those that get injured often do so when they are not yet fully accustomed to training in something like a racing flat full time. This can take months, if not years, to make a true full transition, not a number of days.
One example I'll throw out there that I hear fairly common is that people will begin a switch and will begin to develop plantar faciitis. People will then switch back to their bulky training shoes and blaim the minimalism approach for their injury. In reality, they developed PF because they transitioned too quickly, running too much much mileage in a lesser shoe before they were ready. They also probably suffered some increased tension in their calves as a result of moving to a lower heel height in their shoes. Inflexibility in calves will lead directly to PF every time.
The solution in many cases like this is to both work to maintain flexibility and to strengthen simultaneously.
There. That's enough rambling.
Guys and Gals,
"POSE" is short for "POSITION" . The Pose Method of running was given its name because there is one Pose in running which we should be trying to duplicate over and over again. This "POSE" or "POSITION" is where the runner is balanced with his or her foot/hip/and shoulder aligned vertical to create a Pivot point at the ball of the foot from which the runner can fall forward from. This allows the runner to get the most out of gravity and the least from muscular effort. Of course you could go to
and learn more about it, however that would probably make you have to THINK.
Asterix that was hilarious. You'll be getting my check soon.
Idiots..... wrote:
Of course you could go to
http://www.posetech.comand learn more about it, however that would probably make you have to THINK.
No actually I think the problem is that would probably make you have to PAY!
JHuffman must be on vacation, or we would have heard from him by now. What a great opportunity wasted.
Speaking of idiots, how many posts in this thread do you think are authored by the head pose idiot, jhuffman.
This is exactly what I say in all my posts regarding minimalism. Every person who claims to quickly get injured from making the switch seems to have one injury in common: PF.
Within in days of going to the H-Street cold turkey I developed some myself. What I noticed was that all these tiny muscles in my feet and lower legs were spasming all over the place as a result from the switch.
The more I focused on stretching and strengthening my lower legs the more the PF feeling went away. Its been about 5 months full-time in the H-Streets for me and I still get the occasional spasm and cramp, as my legs are slowly rounding into form.
Bottom line, the POSE method is a great way to start learning how to run properly. You can't let yourself get caught up in the semantics, (yes I know they are important), and go out for a run waiting for gravity to pull you forward :)
The most important aspect to take away from POSE is the forefoot landing under your center of gravity. As long as a runner focuses on landing on the ball of their foot, centered beneath them, then most everything will take care of it self. Of course, for some runners this is easier said than done.
OK so lets say I am going to make the switch, that webiste is a jumbled mess of crap, what do I need to start with. I run in neutral shoes with arch supports so what would be a good shoe to switch to? and lets say that I was going to purchase some sort of instructional book, which is best?
I don't know if you are asking me personally, or are just throwing some serious JHuff bait out there.
I would say go as minimal as you can handle and then back off accordingly, with as much stretching and calf stregthening as you can handle.
Literature that I would recommend? As others have posted on other POSE threads, there was a great article in Running Times about 5 years go discussing proper form, using Sammy Kipketer as the example of "perfect form".
Puff your chest up and out, lean slightly forward, raise your hands to your heart, and land on your forefoot underneath your center of gravity.
yeah that was a serious question to anyone who wanted to respond, jhuffman is the one i always see responding so i just figured he would but was looking for anyone with experience. Thanks
"One example I'll throw out there that I hear fairly common is that people will begin a switch and will begin to develop plantar faciitis."
That is exactly what happened to me. I switched to Puma H-streets too quickly and PF was the result. I'm switching back to the cushy/support shoes and make the transition more gradually later.
bump
txRUNNERgirl wrote:
I'd really like to know if anyone has had a bad experience with Pose or minimalism in general...if it has caused any injuries.
Transition period is VERY difficult, I'm not reaping the benefits yet.
Theoretically speaking, you risk more injuries at the "ankle" level, such as pos-tibial shin splints/stress fractures and achilles tendonitis. Thread with care.
JHuffman I need you wrote:
yeah that was a serious question to anyone who wanted to respond, jhuffman is the one i always see responding so i just figured he would but was looking for anyone with experience. Thanks
I just recently made the switch to running in flats (5 months ago) and I'll tell you, I have never felt better! I am not a POSE person but I have spent some time on the website. I mainly spend time on the video library section. It's very informative because you actually see examples of pose running form. Bottom line, when you see someone running with Pose method, you will tell yourself, "Man, that looks like good form" I'd say spend some time on the video section to learn.
As for making the switch to minimal shoes, it was not too hard for me. I took me about two weeks to go from stability shoes to an "Intermediate" minimal shoe (a road racing flat). I ran about 500 mi in those shoes and then gradually switched to the H Streets (THis was a two week transition from the road flats) The whole transition took about 4 months for me.
In order to make the change, I had to do an over-haul of my stride and form. Basically, before the switch, I was a heel striker that was running at about 160 spm (steps/min). I was constantly suffering from Achilles Tendonitis, PF, and a chronic hamstring problem. After a few nights on the internet, I decided that I was overstriding and needed to run with a higher cadence (now I run at about 180 - 190 spm). Once my candence increased, I noticed that running was easier and my hamstring problem went away. However, I still had AT and PF. I spent some more time on Lets Run and Pose website and decided I should go minimal. When I started running in the road flat and this made it easier for me to forefoot strike. Like magic, the PF went away and then the AT eventually went away.
All I have to say is that I used to walk like an old man in the morning becasue of my morning soreness from PF and AT and I'm only 23. Now, after the switch, I can pop out of bed and have no pain. But that's my story, take it how it is. However, I have made believers out of a couple of my running friends who are converting over. If you have any questions feel free to email me and I can discuss this more.