How Your Arms Make Your Running Heavy And Breathing Difficult

February 23, 2017August 14, 2017

How Your Arms Make Your Running Heavy And Breathing Difficult

If you want to run lighter, breathe easier when you run and reduce the risk of injuries think about your arms. What you do with your arms, where they’re going, how they’re moving and everything in between.

I explain in the video and also show how your arm direction affects your running, making it heavy and it also affects your breathing.

When your arms cross your body midline the following happens:

your shoulder start to curl inwards
that leads to the chest closing up
which compresses the chest and rib cage
that leads to difficult breathing
your alignment is also off as the shoulders drop forward
your hips fall back
your general centre of mass in behind you
your lower back takes a lot of pressure
your lower back is sore

To avoid this chain reaction you arms should move forward, and your elbows lightly brushing your body.

Check out the March 2017 Running Technique Workshop in East London.

If you live in Surrey we have weekly classes dedicated to runners. Get in touch for more information

Dracula’s Retreat link as promised in the video click here.

February 14, 2017August 14, 2017

Running Effortlessly Using Gravity

runinng-effortlessly-using-gravity-running-technique-style-alexandra-meri

When it comes to running lighter and with less effort one of the most important lessons I’ve learnt from my coach is to use gravity – free energy. And that’s one of the lessons Pose Method of running teaches as well.

In this video I explain and also show you how to use gravity, but to have it in writing the idea is that:

To avoid pushing off, which created pressure on the body and joints, you want to learn forward from the ANKLES

Avoid bending from the hips; body has to learn as a whole, as a plank, from the ankles; it’s a FREE FALL feeling (i.e. falling on your face)

Keep the feet under the body; if your foot goes ahead of the body you will stop your free fall and will experience a lot of pressure on the joints, especially knees

This article and video links to the previous article and video on How runners damage their knees.

If you wish to know more about our dedicated Running Technique Workshops and Classes in London and Surrey email support@themtechnique.com or fill in the form below the video and we will reply within 2 working days.

[powr-contact-form id=eb5e21e8_1487080650452]

February 7, 2017August 14, 2017

How Runners Damage Their Knees

Are you a runner? Do you suffer from knee pain but there is no structural damage that you are aware of (i.e. meniscus, ligament damage etc)? Not yet at least!

Then you should consider looking at HOW you run, your running form, more than for how long and how fast you run.

In this video I explain the main mistake runners make from a technical point of view. That main mistake runners make that lead to damaged knees is OVER STRIDING. Yep. Shorten your stride and you will be using your body in a less destructive way, because when you over stride you:

1. Lock your knee

The moment you lock out your knee it cannot absorb the impact as is would when it is slightly bent. When it is slightly bent you are using the knees and muscles aroudn the knees, the stabilizor msucles as suspension to take on the pressure. When you lovk your knees all you do is put all that pressure and impact on the joint itself.

2. Break your fall

In the POSE Method of running Dr Romanov talks about using gravity to move the body forwards, leaning the whole body from the ankles (not bending from the hips). However, when you over stride all you do is break your fall. Add a locked knee to the equation and you have the recipe for knee injuries.

3. Push off

When you over stride the only way to move on is to push off with the back leg. When you push off you stretch out the leg and you also get a reaction from the ground (for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction). The harder you push off the harder the reaction from the ground.

There are a few other reasons when you don’t want to over stride which I haven’t covered in this video but will in future videos.

Watch the video below and if you wish to enquire about our Running Workshop please fill in the form under the video and we will get in touch within 2 business days.

Enquire about Running Technique Workshops:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

December 19, 2016

Run Lighter And Reduce Running Injuries – Running Workshops

Do you want to run lighter and reduce the risk of running related injuries?

Whether you are into parkruns, marathons, short distance running, trail running, road running, obstacle course races the way you run will impact your body instantly.

Shin splints, knee pain, lower back pain, shoulder and upper body pain they are all related to your running form, to how you use your body.

Thus join our running technique workshops in London and train like an athlete.

Watch the video to understand what you will do and learn on the day.

Also please share around. Looking to pass down this knowledge to as many runners as possible.

EARLY BIRD TICKETS are available for the January and February workshops.

December 16, 2016August 14, 2017

Running Technique – Matching Cadence And Breath For Long Distance Running

When talking about how to breathe when running we need to look at how to match the breath to our cadence. When we achieve that breathing is not a problem anymore.

So many people who take up running say they have to stop because they can’t breath anymore, although their legs are ok. The problem is not fitness, not always at least, but their breathing rhythm.

They might go really fast at the beginning, breathing being chaotic, and they burn out faster. Then they have to stop to catch their breath.

The idea is that, no matter the cadence you’re at, it’s slower if you are a beginner for example, match your breathing to your cadence. Then you can go as far as your legs will take you, and as fast as well.

On the same topic I talked about in the previous video: Breathing Struggles When Running

I explain in more detail in the video. If you wish to attend our dedicated running workshops email support@themtechnique.com or book a free consultation,

December 13, 2016

Running Technique – Breathing Struggles When Running

Over the past 3-4 years I’ve been working with a number of runners and one of the most common struggles are related to breathing patterns and rhythm. Every running has questions regarding this.

How should I breath when running?
Is there a rhythm?
How do I breath in through the nose if I can’t get enough oxygen in?
How do I keep the rhythm? I lose it after a while

In the 6 min video below I attempt to address all these questions and suggest several solutions. If you have a health condition that can be made worse through deep breathing or breathing exercises talk to your doctor before applying the ideas in this video.

The struggles identified:

– can’t take in enough oxygen through the nose
– can’t keep the same rhythm of breathing through the nose for a long time
– nose hurts when breathing through the nose in winter (because it’s cold)

Some of the solutions discussed in this video:

1. Correct breathing rhythm through the nose

To begin with I suggest the following rhythm:

2:2 – 2 in breathes, 2 out breaths
For practice and to increase lung capacity you can take it up to 10:10 and then down to 2:2.
Eventually you want a 2:3 pattern or 4:3 (breathing out one longer than in). This is because you want to avoid the first out breathe to fall on the same foot over and over again.

2. How to keep the rhythm through longer runs

Don’t worry if you lose the rhythm. Maybe after breathing 10 times on the nose you need to breathe a few time through the mouth. It’s not a problem and not written in stone. Then get back in the rhythm.

3. How to practice the rhythm until it becomes natural

If you want nose breathing to be natural you have to close your mouth throughout the day and breathe through your nose. You might feel you cannot get enough oxygen.

However, how do you expect to be efficient breathing through your nose if you breathe through your mouth when you walk, sleep and do housework.

Breathe through your nose, that’s why it’s there, for you to use it for breathing.

4. How to allow more oxygen to come in through the nose

Relax. This is the “trick”. Forcing air in by tension your nose and face will only restrict the flow. Relax your face, mouth, nose and nostrils and allow the air free passage through your nose.

When you need to breathe in through the mouth just do it and then go back to using the nose. Even if you have a problem with the nose (i.e. sinus) and it restricts the breathing relaxing your nose and face can’t harm, but only help.

As mentioned before, you cannot expect to take it enough oxygen through the nose, to be efficient, if you don’t use it.

5. Abdominal breathing

Efficient breathing doesn’t only mean breathing through your nose but also breathing into the stomach without lifting your shoulder.

For runners the shoulders and level of tension in them impacts their performance almost instantly. Watch the video on how to relax the shoulders.

Watch the video below as I give examples and talk about other aspects as well. If you wish to attend our dedicated running workshops email support@themtechnique.com

December 8, 2016August 14, 2017

Running Technique – Running And Lower Back Pain

running-technique-running-lower-back-pain

Lower back pain is very common and many cases are due to poor use of the body (i.e. poor alignment, posture, weak key muscles).

If you are running with lower back pain you should consider finding the source of your pain before you continue. While there are many reasons your lower back pain may hurt, such as weak core muscles or gluteal muscles, there can also be reasons related to your running technique, the mechanics side of running.

In the video I mention 3 aspects of the running technique that may contribute to your lower back pain.

1. THE HEAD

The head should not be tilts forwards or backwards. Instead is should be aligned with the shoulders, hips and front of ankles.

2. THE SHOULDERS

Shoulders should not go out of alignment with the ears and hips. Crossing the arms in front of your body will pull your shoulders forward, closing up your body, and causing your body to lose posture and good form.

3. THE HIP

a. The Bucket of Water

Imagine your hip joint like a bucket of water. In its strongest, stable and aligned position it is slightly tilted forward. However, the tendency is to tilt the hips too much forward (spilling water forward out of the bucket) or tilt backwards (spilling water backwards).

Keep the hip join in a position where you don’t spill water, neither forward, or backwards.

b. Heel strike

Heel striking when running is the perfect way to tilt the hips forward and throw them out of alignment. This put a lot of pressure on your lower back and makes the whole chain become unstable and weak.

Watch the video below and if you wish to attend our dedicated running workshops email support@themtechnique.com

December 6, 2016

Running Technique – Body Alignment And How It Affects Performance

Posture and body alignment are 2 topics you will hear me speak about very often. Why? Because a body out of alignment is weak. In the video I used 3 pots to make my point.

If any part of the body is out of alignment the body is an unstable and weak position. That being said the body is a moving system, so there will be movement, you cannot stiff up when you run either. However, movement and misalignment are different.

The correct body alignment, even if you lean slightly from the ankles (using gravity for forward movement) your body should be aligned, possibly at an angle, this way:

Imagine a STRAIGHT LINE from EAR to SHOULDER to HIP to ANKLE (in front of the ankle).

That is what you want to keep throughout your run, walk, and pretty much anything you do. Again, there will be a slight movement of the joint, obviously, because the body is not glued together. In the same time you also need to relax. Having good alignment by stiffening the body will not be any better.

Sure your head won’t fall off as in the video, however you can clearly see how unstable the body is when out of alignment. When the body is unstable muscles will compensate for others which are not doing their job, joints will be put through more pressure than needed, injuries may take place in time and energy will be wasted.

Check out the video below and if you wish to attend our running workshops email support@themtechnique.com

September 20, 2016

Lower Back Pain – Exercise To Reduce Tension And Stiffness In Your Lower Back

A lot of people suffer from low back pain. And there are many reasons we suffer from back pain. These group into specific and non-specific low back pain.

Specific means we know the exact cause of your back pain (i.e. slipped disc, accident etc). This needs medical attention.

Non-Specific back pain, we can’t exactly point out the reason, it might be from lot of sitting down, poor posture, weak muscles (core, buttocks), tight muscles and so on.

Most of the people suffer from non-specific lower back pain, about 19/20 cases. And the reason behind it is usually a combination of all of the above, they are related anyway:

Sitting down too much -> (leads to) Weaker muscles -> Poor posture

Poor posture -> Weak muscles

Sitting with a poor posture -> Weak and tight muscles

You got the idea.

Today I will share with you a video with stretches to release tension in the lower back area, as well as surrounding muscles, in the case of non-specific lower back pain.

This is also a great stretch for the fascia (a thin membrane which connects everything in the body, I will write about it with another occasion). It’s also great to improve flexibility and mobility around the lower back and not only.

This is a video from the MTI Academy. Check it out here and here.

Remember, you can always book a free, no obligation consultation with me here to talk about the online academy of any questions you may have, or help you may need.

Find more lower back pain articles here.

July 19, 2016

Are Fat Free Foods Healthy?

Are fat free foods a good choice? This is my personal opinion on fat free foods.

I believe we have been sold on the idea that “you are what you eat” thus you eat fat you are fat, many people believe in this idea.

That’s not to say that now we should have a lot of fatty foods, exaggerating, and going from one extreme to another.

If we stopped eating junk food, and eat full fat yoghurt, the levels of fat would not be dangerous. However, instead of this action, we have junk food, and cut out the fat from yoghurt and other products. Those products might have less fat, but they are processed and have added sugar otherwise you’d hate the taste.

When eating fat free foods you also overeat. Why? Because fats satisfy you, without them there is no substance. So you end up eating more and buying more.

How to go about it?

Well, look at nature. Does the milk you drink come fat free? Does the milk used to make your yoghurt or cheese fat free? If the answer is NO, then the “fat free” foods are man made processes foods.

One of the lessons you learn when studying to become a Nutritional Adviser is the inverse relationship between Carbohydrates and Fast + Protein.

This says that the balance between them should be:

HIGH carbs – LOW fats and protein

LOW carbs – HIGH fats and protein

Furthermore, protein need fats to be metabolized or processed by your body.

Thus, if we look at nature, the way the good comes from nature we realise that it gives us precisely that:

– fruit – LOW fats and protein , HIGH carbohydrates

– nuts – HIGH fats and protein, LOW Carbohydrates – protein are metabolized because fats are present.

– dairy – HIGH fats and protein, LOW Carbohydrates – protein are metabolized because fats are present.

However, eating junk food AND normal fat from nature, is not a great idea. Leaving the natural fat and having junk food is not healthy either. Having natural fat and, some exceptions, is a good place to begin.