Running Book Review: Natural Running by Danny Abshire

Natural Running by Danny Abshire an excellent running book for the minimalist or barefoot runner and not only. Danny Abshire has worked closely with many athletes, from beginners to Olympic elite runners.

Natural Running is a shorter book than the previous ones we talked about, concise, but to the point.

It begins with explaining what Natural Running is, and the evolution of the shoe. I found the latter topic interesting, something I haven’t found in many other running books, at least not as detailed. This isn’t surprising though as Danny Abshire is the co-founder of Newton Running, where Newton shoes come from, so he knows his stuff.

The whole book is excellent, filled with information and very educations. There are three topics in the book that drew my attention in particular:

The science of motion. This is where Danny introduces us to the Three Gaits: walking, running and sprinting. Using pictures he presents the sequence the foot goes through in each gate. Very important if you are a runner.

A close examination of foot biomechanics, talking about how regions of the foot, foot types, foot imbalances, overuse foot injuries and how to avoid injuries with a natural running gait and how running with shoes impacts the foot. Your feet are your foundation, so learning a little about the foot biomechanics is very important for the beginner as well as advanced runner.

The physics of running: whole body kinematics. In short, here Danny talks about running being a whole body movement, the mind-body connection and how certain shoes affect this connection and, consequently, body alignment.

Natural Running by Danny Abshire

Throughout the book Danny talks about barefoot running or minimalist running style. So if you are a runner wishing to transition or to learn more about the minimalist running style this is the book for you.

Even if you are a runner not interested in minimalist or barefoot running, understanding foot biomechanics and adopting a natural running form can only benefit you long term, in my opinion.

There is also a chapter dedicated to running injuries, as well as strength and form drills to help you built a strong body and running form.

This is a great book for the runner who:

  • experiences recurring foot injuries and wants understand what the cause might be and how to manage their foot injuries best.
  • wants to transition to minimalist running or barefoot running
  • wants to adopt a lighter, more natural running style and reduce the risk of running related injuries
  • wants to understand how the shoes they wear affects their running form, their alignment and to understand the connection between shoes and running injuries

Check it out on Amazon. (affiliate link)

alexandramerisoiu
Alexandra Merisoiu, The Body Engineer, is the Founder of The Merisoiu Technique - Institute Of Health And Human Movement and Dracula’s Retreat. She is also a qualified Low Back Pain Management and Prevention Exercise Instructor and REPS registered.

She specialises in working with runners, beginners and advanced, who want to run faster, further, with less effort and fewer injuries. This is done through natural movement fitness and running technique and mechanics drawn from the many disciplines Alexandra has studies throughout the years, including long distance running.

Since 1995 she has explored how the body and mind works. She has done this through using many different sporting techniques and working with a wide variety of highly respected coaches. Throughout her Martial Arts career she has achieved 3rd Dan Black Belt in Karate Shotokan, runs her own Karate club and is IJKA 2017 triple World Champion, 2016 WMO Martial Arts British National and European Champion. She still competes at an international level.

It is through these learnings, and drawing inspiration from respected natural movement names such as MovNat, IdoPortal and POSE Method of running among many others, that she has created The Merisoiu Technique and has established her own unique transformational programs that incorporate thousands of years of knowledge with Natural Human Movement.

Alexandra’s mission is to challenge the status quo of how to achieve the truly strong, fit and powerful body a runner needs to perform at their best level. This is done through building strong, lasting foundations in the natural outdoor environment; reducing the risk of injuries and educating people on the power of the fundamentals of natural human movement and running mechanics.

One Reply to “Running Book Review: Natural Running by Danny Abshire”

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: