SCIENCE

Tips for Increasing your Cadence

  • Increasing your cadence requires different muscles: make changes slowly

  • Take smaller steps or try running in place

  • Using a metronome, start increasing the bpm by a small percentage only (<5%)

  • Increase your cadence for short intervals

  • Run in place or run on a treadmill

  • Use a “triple meter” to adjust your running rhythm

  • Track your cadence with a running app

  • Consider other elements of your running form: posture, footstrike & lean

Research

Allen, DJ. “Treatment of Distal Iliotibial Band Syndrome in a Long Distance Runner with Gait Re-Training Emphasizing Step Rate Manipulation.” International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy 9, no. 2 (2014): 222-31.

 

Daniels, Jack. Daniels' Running Formula. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2014, 26-28.

 

Chumanov, ES, CM Wille, MP Michalski, BC Heiderscheit. ”Changes in Muscle Activation Patterns when Running Step Rate is Increased.” Gait Posture 36, no. 2 (2012): 231-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012.02.023

 

Galosky, Micaela A., "The Effect of Music Cadence on Step Frequency in the Recreational Runner." MS Thesis, University of South Florida, 2014. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5219.


Giandolini, Marléne, Pierrick J. Arnal, Guillaume Y. Millet, Micolas Peyrot, Pierre Samozino, Blaise Dubois, and Jean-Benoit Morin. “Impact Reduction During Running: Efficiency of Simple Acute Interventions in Recreational Runners.” European Journal of Applied Physiology 113 (2013): 599-609.


Good Form Running. “Understanding Cadence.” Good Form, Vimeo video file, 0:11. 2011. https://vimeo.com/18627138.

 

Hafer, Jocelyn F., Allison M. Brown, Polly deMille, Howard J. Hillstrom, and Carole Ewing Garber. “The Effect of a Cadence Retraining Protocol on Running Biomechanics and Efficiency: A Pilot Study.” Journal of Sports Sciences 33, no. 7(2015): 724-731.

 

Hamill, J., T.R. Derrick, and K.G. Holt. “Shock attenuation and stride frequency during running.” Human Movement Science 14 (1995): 45-60.

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Heiderscheit, Bryan, Elizabeth Chumanov, Max Michalski, Christa Wille, and Michael B. Ryan. “Effects of Step Rate Manipulation on Joint Mechanics During Running.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 43, no. 2 (2011): 296-302.

 

Hobara, H., T. Sato, M. Sakaguchi, and K. Nakazawa. “Step Frequency and Lower Extremity Loading During Running.” International Journal of Sports Medicine 33 (2012): 310-313.

 

Lenhart, R., D. Thelen, B. Heiderscheit. ”Hip muscle loads during running at various step rates.” Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 44, no 10 (2014): 766-74, A1-4. DOI: 10.2519/JOSPT.2014.5575.

 

Luedke, LE, BC Heiderscheit, DS Williams, MJ Rauh. “Influence of Step Rate on Shin Injury and Anterior Knee Pain in High School Runners” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 47, no. 7 (2016):1244-50.

 

Schubert, Amy, Jenny Kempf, and Bryan Heiderscheit. “Influence of Stride Frequency and Length on Running Mechanics: A Systematic Review.” Sports Health 6, no. 3 (2014): 210–217.


Van Dyck, Edith, Bart Moens, Jeska Buhmann, Michiel Derney, Esther Coorevits, Simone Dalla Bella, and Marc Leman. “Spontaneous Entrainment of Running Cadence to Music Tempo.” Sports Medicine - Open 2, no. 1 (2015): 1-14.