Cadence Is My Cure So Far...

[Dot2Dot3]

Hey all... yep, very new here but thought i'd share something i discoverd. Now, is this new information?? Nope... but it hit me like a brick upside the head. What is it you might be asking? CADENCE... i've had issues with my knees forever it seems and that's how i found BFR... i'm working my way up in miles and happend to have a knee pain... as i'm finishing my run i realized i never checked my cadence... seems that was my issue... mine was tooo slow.. and i think that caused me to over-stride. I brought my cadence between 180 - 205 and that pain went away! Now i'm at 2 miles and just having a blast... Anyways, just wanted to share that incase someone else is having a similar issue!

GooD Luck and Best Wishes...



Peace!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Welcome, Dot!

Welcome, Dot!

 

[barefoot kean]

awesome post. for about 11-12

awesome post. for about 11-12 months now ive been running barefoot/minimalist and my knees seemed to hurt randomly, i always attributed it to needing to build up my muscles more. In retrospect, only when i get sloppy or tired do my knees ever hurt (usually on my longer runs). Long story short, thanks for the reminder to keep my cadence up and another reason why to be mindful of it. Also, welcome to the BFR society! If your ever in Missouri give me a call.

P.S. i feel kinda stupid never connecting the dots to cadence and knee pain lol.

 

[Matt]

I'm a big believer in the

I'm a big believer in the value of a quick cadence. There have been a few times I've felt something a little off with one of my knees. As soon as I focus on shortening my stride and quickening my cadence, my knees revert to happiness.

 

[saypay45]

If my stride gets too long my

If my stride gets too long my IT band starts killing. I hear you Dot!

 

[miker]

I remember the post about the

I remember the post about the "Turning Japenese" song for cadence, so I downloaded it and found it works pretty well. It's one of those tunes that's pretty easy to remember. So, now that it is stuck in everyone's head again, , I have a twist on the song I use.

Instead of the lyrics "I think I'm turning japenese", I insert "I think I'm running with bent knees". This helps keep my cadence high AND reminds me top keep my knees bent.

YMMV

 

[stomper]

miker wrote:I remember the

I remember the post about the "Turning Japenese" song for cadence, so I downloaded it and found it works pretty well. It's one of those tunes that's pretty easy to remember. So, now that it is stuck in everyone's head again, , I have a twist on the song I use. Instead of the lyrics "I think I'm turning japenese", I insert "I think I'm running with bent knees". This helps keep my cadence high AND reminds me top keep my knees bent.

A song in your head can really help, or be torture. Personally I like something in "three" time (waltz time) because it has more of a continuous instead of trudging feel. PeaceKaren suggested this wiggles song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E88Mp1OfWXE [danger: mind infection]. To power up, I switch to "four" time and do "I love rock n roll". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SOJxNOP37I

 

[twinkletoes]

When I really focus on

When I really focus on cadence and bending the knees, running becomes like ground-hovering in forward motion and is the most amazing feeling; I wish my running partner would lose her shoes because her knees really bother her too. That said, having a 180BPM song in one's head is super helpful while running with someone shod- who has a much slower cadence & longer stride, especially since I only hear her feet because my own are silent.

 

[Dot2Dot3]

Hey Twinkletoes...I sure

Hey Twinkletoes...

I sure wish i could listen to music and keep my cadence! Unfortunately, my multi-tasking doesn't extent to running!! If i were to try and keep candence with music i'd end up running to a different part of the music and then everything would be off! So, for me, i have to keep the stop watch handy and ticking so my cadence stays consistant. I'm sure hoping as time goes by i can ditch the watch and my cadence just becomes second nature! Anyways, best of luck to you...



Dot

 

[Matt]

I think it's nearly

I think it's nearly impossible to run with bad form if your cadence is at 180 or above. I know if your cadence gets too quick, that it's somewhat inefficient, but at least your steps will still be very light.

 

[paraganek]

Matt wrote:I think it's

I think it's nearly impossible to run with bad form if your cadence is at 180 or above.

+ 1 :star:

 

[twinkletoes]

Hi Dot, I love running to

Hi Dot,

I love running to middle eastern or Ukrainian/Baltic type dance music and have several with 180 BPM. I don't have to think about cadence, just run to the beat. Also, lyrics bug me so it's all just music.