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.

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.

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.