How to Run? Correct form & Preparation

Running sounds so simple: just lace up your shoes and hit the pavement (or treadmill). But really, it’s not that easy.

If you’ve never run before, chances are you need to do some pre-work before you can hit the main event.

You need to focus on your reason for wanting to learn and the process to put in place to get there. As with any exercise, proper form is needed to keep yourself healthy and meet your goals.

Bodybuilders in the Golden Era didn’t focus on running as part of their routine. Cardio was something you did if you had time between weight lifting sessions.

However, if you have an interest in running, that doesn’t mean you can’t trade in weights for the open road.

This guide is perfect for beginners who want to learn how to run. We’ll focus on:

• Preparation before you start running
• The proper form to use to prevent injury
• A plan to get you running faster and for longer periods
• Some tips for lasting success

Getting Prepared to Run

Before you can even hit the pavement, you need to do a few things first.

Figure Out Your Why

The very first thing you need to do is ask yourself why you want to start running. If it’s to lose weight, then running won’t help you. At least, it won’t at first.

Losing weight always starts with your diet. You need to take a hard look at what you’re eating and see what you can do to shed the pounds. 

Maybe you need to 

• Lay off the sugar and refined carbs
• Up your vegetable and fruit intake
• Reduce the number of calories you’re eating

Whatever you need to do, work on your diet first and foremost if you want to run to lose weight. Being overweight can really set you up for injury if you start running before you overhaul your diet.

Your tendons and joints may buckle under the pressure, so getting down to a lower weight will make running easier.

If you want to run for another reason, say you want to run a 5k or you’ve done sprints and like the endorphin rush. In that case, and if you already eat pretty healthy, let’s take a look at the next tip.

Strength Training

If you aren’t doing weight training regularly, you’ll need to start for a few weeks at least before you begin running. 

Strength conditioning will help you build up your ligaments to prevent injury once you start running. You also want to focus on building a strong core, which will help you hold proper form when running.

New to strength training? Get started with or beginner workout or try out our full-body workout to build up strength.

If you’ve already been hitting the weights and want to take up running, then it’s time to check out the next tip.

Get Fitted for Running Shoes

The shoes you wear for weight training will likely not work for running. During weight training, your feet are usually stationary and supporting your weight while you do the heavy lifting.

Running, on the other hand, is all about putting your feet to the pavement, over and over again. You need a shoe that is up to the task. The best way to find one is to go to a store that offers assessments and will help you get properly fitted.

You may even want to consider shoes that make you feel like you’re running in bare feet. This video shows the benefits of running barefoot. Buying barefoot shoes may be something worth considering.

Prepare with Low Impact Activity

To get your body ready to start running, you’ll want to do other activities first to build up to it. Starting with lower impact activities will get your body used to the motions before you actually start running.

Begin by taking a walk around your neighborhood or in a park that you enjoy. You don’t want to go window shopping in town but walk at a steady, even pace. 

If you would rather be out in the woods and see what mother nature has to offer, go hiking. You can start on an easier trail and then increase the difficulty as you gain confidence.

Biking is also another great low impact activity that you can do to help get your joints moving. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, consider using a stationary bike at home or at the gym.

You can also head to the gym and use the elliptical or treadmill to get in your activity for the week. Don’t run on the treadmill until you learn more about how to run with proper technique and form.

You can even swim, which is a great way to get in some resistance exercise without putting weight on your joints. This is also something you can do to help shed additional pounds if needed.

You’ll want to do these activities at least two to three times per week for several weeks. Now, you’re one step closer to really getting out there and running!

How to Run: The Warm-Up

Before you actually start running, you’ll need to do some warm-ups. You should do five to ten minutes of warm-ups before each run to prevent injury and get your blood flowing.

Prior to working out in the gym and strength training, static stretching is okay. But prior to running, dynamic warm-ups are recommended. Here are some to consider:

• Donkey kicks
• Jumping jacks
• Lunges
• Arm swings
• High knees

Also, check out these stretches to add to your warm-up routine to improve your running performance.

How to Run: Proper Form in 8 Steps

Before you begin running, you need to make sure you have the proper form down to avoid injury. The fastest way to giving up is improper form and injury.

Let’s look at each body part and find out how they should perform to run properly.

1. Head

Some people naturally want to look down at their feet to make sure they are running properly. This is absolutely not where your gaze should be focused. Instead, you want to look straight ahead.

Choosing a fixed point about 50 feet in front of you can help keep your head aligned. You don’t want your head to be out front, you want to keep it aligned with your spine throughout your run.

To make sure that happens, remember to keep your ears in line with your shoulders. If you do this, then your head will be in the proper place while you’re running.

2. Shoulders

People tend to hunch over without realizing it, especially if you happen to work at a desk for much of the day. While you’re running though, you want to keep your shoulders open and relaxed.

To help you get your shoulders in the right position, imagine you’re holding something between your shoulder blades. As you start running longer distances, your shoulders might start to sag. Shake out your arms and shrug it off, pulling your shoulders back to keep your endurance up.

Your body should move in an X pattern. This means, your left leg is forward and so should your right shoulder. On the opposite side, your right leg is back and your left shoulder is as well.

3. Arms and Hands

Once you start running, you may feel like your arms want to almost cross each other in front of your body. This is not correct and can actually slow you down or throw you off balance.

Instead, keep your arms at a 90-degree angle. As they swing, they should move from your chin to your hip and stay at your side.

Keep your hands relaxed; don’t hold them in a fist. It’s okay to keep them in a loose fist if you want, but clenching them focuses your energy there instead of running.

4. Torso

You want to maintain a strong core while you’re running, but don’t let your torso remain stationary. Instead, allow your body to move with your legs.

Put your left leg forward and lean into that leg with your torso. As your right left moves forward, shift so that your torso is over your right leg. Keep all your weight over the forward leg so you can drive through that energy to propel you forward.

While you’re moving your torso, don’t forget to stay tall and keep your spine straight. Just like with your shoulders, you want to avoid slouching, which will hinder your performance and reduce energy.

5. Hips

Here’s where form can start to feel really weird, especially if you’ve never run before. You want to actually lean slightly forward to help propel yourself forward.

The lean should actually be felt from your ankles up through your glutes to your hips. You’ll know if you’re doing it right when you can actually feel your glutes providing power during the run.

As you run, gravity will help propel you forward. While this may feel unnatural at first, you’ll save yourself from stress fractures or torn ligaments.

6. Knees

A common mistake people make when first learning how to run is the proper knee placement. You might find you want to lift your knee higher and have it further out front than your foot when it touches the ground.

This is actually the wrong placement. You want your knee to be in line with the middle of your foot when it hits the ground. 

If you’re on flat ground, like a road or sidewalk, keep your knee low and resist lifting it higher. A higher knee will help you when going uphill, but it wastes energy when you’re on a flat surface.

7. Ankles and Feet

Remember, you want to lean slightly forward when you’re running, beginning with the ankles. Keep both your ankles and feet pointing forward, not to either side.

Ideally, you’ll want the ball of your foot to land on the ground initially when learning how to run properly. Using your toes or heels first can cause injury. Make sure that your foot is underneath your body when it hits the ground, not in front of you.

This is where going to someone who specializes in running shoes can help. They can check your gait and stride to determine not only the best shoe but tips on running form that fits you specifically.

8. Cadence

If you aren’t familiar with this term, cadence is the number of steps you take per minute or your stride rate. If you are new to running, you likely have no idea what your cadence is, and that’s okay.

A smartwatch or running app may be able to determine your cadence.

If you don’t have one, then you can do the math yourself by following these steps:

1. Set a timer for 30 seconds and count how many times your left foot hits the ground.
2. Double the number to get to 60 seconds.
3. Double the number again to get your running cadence.

Why is your stride rate important in running? Well, studies show that increasing your cadence while reducing your stride length can actually reduce the risk of injury.

This study also suggests that the greater your stride, the greater the shock wave through your body, especially the knee joint. Reducing your step rate can also decrease the load on hip and knee joints, reducing the risk of injury.

The How to Run Longer and Faster Plan

When you first start out running, you don’t want to go far your first few times out. To build up your stamina, speed, and endurance, you need to have a plan in place.

Consider this progressive plan to help you get there.

Walk Uninterrupted

If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve already started building up your stamina by walking or hiking. Before you actually get to running, make sure you can walk for at least 30 minutes at a steady pace without stopping.

If you aren’t there yet, go for 15 minutes. Then, continue until you walk for 20 minutes without stopping. Finally, continue this until you’ve reached 30 minutes.

By the time you’ve reached 30 minutes, you’ve likely picked up the pace and are feeling good. Now it’s time to start intervals.

Run to Walk Intervals

To get started on your running plan, you’ll want to do run to walk intervals for at least a couple of weeks. This helps build up your stamina and helps you practice breathing correctly so you don’t end up with side stitches.

Yes, you’ve been breathing your whole life, how is running any different? Take a look at this article on proper breathing techniques to know when learning how to run.

First, don’t forget to do your warm-ups before you start. These are important and you want to get in the habit of warming-up before you head out each time.

Begin your intervals by walking for five minutes, then start jogging for a minute. If you can’t do a full minute, then go for 30 seconds. Go back to walking for a few minutes and then jog again. 

You want to alternate between walking and jogging for a total of 30 minutes. Keep doing these intervals until you are at a ratio of 1:1 walking to jogging. Then, your next goal is 1:2 walking to jogging.

Eventually, you’ll get to a point where you’re jogging almost the entire time with just a few short breaks of walking. Congratulations, it’s time to get running!

Running

Now, you’re ready to go out running. Don’t forget your warm-ups first!

Start off small. Run at a slower pace for a half-mile and then slow down to a walk for a minute to cool down. If you feel like you can keep going, then go for another half-mile or until you need another walking break.

Keep adding on time to your running, until you’ve reached 3.1 miles of continuous running (which equals a 5k). This might take a couple of months or longer, but don’t get discouraged.

Keys to Success

Here are some more tips to make sure you have success with running. 

Set Realistic Goals

Learning how to run properly, whether on a treadmill or outside, takes dedication and commitment.

As you’ve seen by reading this guide, you will need to commit to some work prior to running. Don’t set yourself up for failure by thinking that in just a few weeks, you’ll be out running a half marathon.

Set realistic and attainable goals so you can meet them and maintain momentum to start running faster and longer.

Keep Track of Your Progress

Do this each day, including how much time you walked, jogged, and ran. It doesn’t matter if you use a tracking app, a smartphone, or a piece of paper.

You can use this information to help celebrate each milestone and keep from giving up if you have a setback. Don’t get discouraged if you feel like you aren’t making progress fast enough. Remember – even slow progress is progress!

If you’ve been hitting the weights and are new to running, it’s a totally different way to exercise. What worked in the gym may not work with running, and you’ll likely have to readjust as you go. 

Keeping track of your successes and failures will help you know what works and what doesn’t going forward.

Stay Hydrated

Don’t forget to drink water before you run, or right after if you are doing shorter runs. The more you sweat from exertion, the more your body needs to replenish the water you’re losing.

Either carry a bottle of water with you or have a designated stop where water is available. Don’t go from running to stopping, ease into your stop by jogging then walking to reduce your oxygen levels gradually.

Take small sips instead of gulping the water. Gulping could lead to cramps which can derail your run.

Don’t Forget to Warm-up and Cool-down

Always do warm-up exercises to loosen up and get the blood flowing before you start running. You also want to stretch after you’ve finished your run for the day. 

Dynamic exercises are preferred for the warm-up, but static stretches are best for the cool-down session.

A gradual end to your running is always best as well. Go from a full run to a jog and then to a walk before you finish your run. Then, do your cool-down stretches to gradually lower your heart rate and oxygen levels.

Separate Running and Strength Days

To prevent injury or overuse, always separate your running and strength days. To make sure you aren’t doing the same activity two days in a row, alternate your days.

Monday might be your running day, then hit the gym to do weight training on Tuesday. Either rest or pick back up with running on Wednesday. Continue this pattern to give your muscles a chance to recover before your next running session.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to run properly to prevent injury and increase your stamina and endurance takes time. Start off by examining your diet and building strength before you start working on your running plan.

If you’re finding that your endurance is holding you back, consider trying our specially designed Vintage Blast™. We created this dietary supplement to provide steady energy and increase power without crashing.

When you have a specific event in mind, make sure you begin learning how to run a few months prior. It will give you time to build up to the event and finish with success.

Are you a runner? What are your best tips to help others learning how to run? What’s the longest or fastest you’ve run so far since you started your running journey? Let us know in the comments below.