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We all have our own natural running style, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to improve how we move. Even elite runners work on their technique, looking for small adjustments that could help them run more efficiently.

When it comes to running form, though, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach or quick fix. Making changes takes time and practice, and not every runner needs to overhaul their technique. By incorporating a few simple drills and focusing on specific aspects of your form during training, you can gradually develop a running style that feels comfortable and efficient for you.

A quick guide to good running form

Here are four things to keep in mind when you run if you want to improve your form:

1. Head up! Think about your posture: keep your shoulders back, keep your gaze ahead, and imagine a string pulling you up from the crown of your head. Good posture means better energy conservation, and easier running.
2. Your arms. Hold your arms at around a 90-degree angle, with your thumbs lightly resting on your forefingers. As you run, think about your elbow moving backwards. Efficient arms means efficient legs and a better stride.
3. Engage your core. Pull your tummy in, just a little bit, and be mindful of this as you run. This will help keep your pelvis aligned and help you run comfortably for longer.
4. Run like a train. Women are often taught to walk with one foot landing in front of the other. But for running, we want you to run more like you’re running on train tracks than a tight rope. Imagine you’re running with your feet either side of a line, and don’t cross it with either foot.

All of the above may feel tough to maintain during an entire run. The key thing is to keep each point in mind, and remember each of them every five or 10 minutes during your run, increasing the frequency and duration as the weeks go by.

You will forget them as you get more out of puff, and that’s normal, but the more you think about them, the more second nature they will become. Use the mile or KM splits on your run to remind you to check in with your form.

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Why is good running form important?

Running is hard work. Learning how to run faster is even harder. So we want to make sure that all that the energy that we’re using actually goes into moving us forwards. Developing good running form will help to make you a more efficient runner so that you get the maximum forwards motion out of every bit of energy you expend.

For example, if your arms are swinging across your chest when you run, this is less helpful to moving you forwards than if they’re swinging by your sides. Your arms should be by your sides with your elbow bent and driving back as this will help propel you forwards. But without tall posture, it’s difficult for your arms to do this – so there’s another piece of the puzzle to work on.

Better running form to avoid injury

Most running injuries are caused by overuse issues – doing too much running, too soon or building up your mileage too quickly without enough recovery. However, poor running form can lead to some muscles overcompensating for others.

So if your running style means your glutes aren’t fully involved in moving you forwards, your calf muscles might have to pick up the slack and this, in turn can lead to those muscles overdoing it.

Is heel striking bad running form?

A lot of runners heel strike (landing on their heel first) without any issues. While it may not be the most energy efficient way of running, as long as you are not over-striding (where you foot makes contact with the ground too far ahead of you) it’s probably not doing you any harm.

In fact, consciously trying to land on the ball of your foot if you naturally tend towards heel striking could do you more harm if you try to change this suddenly.

As you run more and focus on other areas of your running form, you may find that, over time, you naturally transition from heel striking to mid-foot striking.

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How to improve your running form

If you have decided to change your technique then you’ll need to have real commitment. Running is usually a natural action, one that you do without consciously thinking about the way your limbs are moving.

Changing that means forming new neuromuscular connections – the ‘muscle memory’ that helps your body do things without constant conscious input. You reinforce these connections by repeating movements over months and years, both through running drills designed specifically to change the way you move, and through consciously running differently.

Warm up before you run

A good first step is to incorporate a good warm-up before every run. Runners often skip their warm-up because they just want to get going, but a warm-up is a time when you can focus on some drills that will kelp your form. High knees, butt kicks and skipping can all help.

Cues to remind yourself of the run

If you’ve identified areas that you need to improve, think of some simple cues to remind yourself each run. Most of us could benefit from reminding ourselves to ‘stay tall’, especially towards the end of a run when we’re getting tired.

Each time your watch beeps to tell you you’ve done another mile or kilometre, take this as a prompt to check your posture.

Build strength to improve your running form

Building strength in key areas is going to help support better running form. Good core strength will give you a solid foundation and help you maintain good, efficient posture even when you’re getting tired towards the end of a race.

There are other key areas that you can work to improve such as your glutes and calves with some strength exercises to improve your running form.

When you should leave your form alone

If you’re new to running and just starting out with a 5k training plan, it’s best to focus on building your aerobic fitness first. As you get fitter, you may find that your running form improves naturally as you have a little bit more energy for picking your feet up a little bit more. However, you can still incorporate some running drills into a warm-up.

For more experienced runners, it’s not a good idea to make major changes to technique within a heavy training block. So if you’re marathon training for example, don’t make any drastic changes to the way that you run.

Serious about improving your form? Check out 3 drills to improve running form.