How To Improve Your Running Cadence

Running at “the correct” cadence will help improve your running. It’s as simple as that. Whether you are new to running, a park runner, or a seasoned marathon runner, cadence matters!

If you are struggling to get faster or you are starting to pick up injuries, a sub-optimal cadence could be part of your problem.

In this article, we’re going to explain what cadence is and why cadence is important. Then we will focus on how to improve your current cadence to achieve the goal standard of “180” steps per minute.

1. What is Your Running Cadence?

Cadence refers to the number of steps you take per minute while running. If you’ve explored running techniques, you’ve likely encountered the widely accepted “gold standard” of 180 steps per minute. This number wasn’t chosen arbitrarily. Renowned U.S. running coach Jack Daniels analysed nearly every runner at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, from the 800m to the marathon, and observed minimal variation in cadence. Most athletes maintained a cadence of 180 steps per minute or higher. Over his career, Daniels also studied beginner runners and found their cadences typically ranged between 160 and 170 steps per minute.

There’s also a strong physiological basis for maintaining a high cadence, rooted in plyometric theory and the stretch-reflex cycle.

According to plyometric theory, when a muscle is stretched under load during an eccentric contraction, it generates tension similar to a stretched rubber band. This tension stores elastic energy, which enhances the force of the subsequent concentric (shortening) contraction. If this concept seems complex, you can easily experience the stretch-reflex cycle in action with your calf muscles.

 Try this simple exercise:

  • Stand up, and jump up and down on the spot with your body relatively straight (similar to if you were skipping with a skipping rope), so as soon as you land you are “springing” back up again.
  • Now try the same thing again, but this time with a 1-2 second pause between jumps.

Did you notice a difference?

In the first set of jumps your calf muscle has to generate power to leave the ground the first time, but as you land, your calf muscle lengthens and it stores up energy. This stored energy then helps you to spring back up relatively easily (stretch-reflex).

In the second set of jumps you have to generate power every time you leave the ground because the pause between jumps causes you to lose the stored energy and you don’t benefit from the stretch reflex.

2. Why a slow running cadence isn’t ideal

If your running cadence is too slow (less than 170) it means your foot will stay on the ground for too long you will not get the benefit of the stretch reflex. This means you are wasting energy, and therefore reducing your efficiency.

Another negative of a slower cadence is that it causes you to displace your body mass higher (increased vertical oscillation) which means that you hit the ground harder when you land and are therefore more susceptible to impact injuries like shin splints and stress fractures.

Working to increase your cadence will have the additional benefit of shortening your stride. If you are running at 5min/k’s for example at 160 steps/minute, and you work on changing your technique to running 5min/k’s at 180 steps/minute, then you will be running with shorter strides. Higher cadence and shorter strides reduce the impact effect of striking the ground, which will in turn help to reduce the likelihood of getting injured.

3. What should you do to improve your cadence?

The best way to work on improving your cadence is to use a metronome. You can buy a small, clip-on, digital metronome that is perfect for the purpose, or if you run with your phone, you can download a metronome app and use that. Set the metronome to the appropriate beat, and run in time with the beeps (one foot landing each time you hear a beep).

Follow these steps to make sure you do it accurately and safely

  1. Measure your cadence. During the middle of a normal training run, count your steps for a minute on a section of flat ground. Repeat this several times over several runs to work out an accurate average.
  2. It is difficult to increase your cadence by more than 10steps/minute in any one go. If your cadence is 160, for example, you should set your metronome to 170 and get used to that for a month, before increasing it further to 180.
  3. Continue using the metronome for as long as you need to until 180 becomes your natural / subconscious gait pattern.
4. Adjusting to a new running cadence

There are two common, but temporary, repercussions of increasing your cadence that you should be aware of.

  1. It will increase your heart rate. Expect to breathe a bit harder, and get tired a bit quicker than you have been used to. Your cardio-vascular system will adjust over time, but expect it to take 2-3 months to fully adjust.
  2. Your calf muscles will probably do more work, and get tighter. As your stride gets shorter, your foot usually lands flatter, which uses the calf muscle more. Your calf muscles will get stronger with time, but some extra stretching and/or foam rolling will help during the transition.
5. Cadence Vs Pace – You don’t have to run fast to have a high cadence

One of the biggest mistakes runners make when they are working on increasing their cadence is that they run “flat out” to keep up with the beeps on their metronome. This causes them to fatigue quickly, and they feel that they can’t maintain the high cadence for very long. Cadence and pace should be independent of each other. You should be able to run at a slow pace, or a fast pace, and maintain the same cadence. Learning how to control this is one of the most important skills in improving your running technique.

Watch this video to learn a method you can use to control your pace while you are focusing on increasing your cadence.

Improving your cadence will improve your running

I have been working as a physiotherapist treating running injuries for nearly thirty years, and I have spent the last 15 years working with thousands of runners to improve their technique and reduce their injuries. Cadence has been one of the most effective and beneficial changes most of those runners have made. If you want to take your running to the next level, and you haven’t yet focused on your cadence, make sure you do. It can transform your running.

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