Running - strides per minute??

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emmab0902
emmab0902 Posts: 2,337 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone know if there is an optimal or desirable number of strides per minute?? I out of interest (boredom really!) counted my strides for a minute on the treadmill yesterday and was doing 170 per minute, so am curious if there is wisdom around too low or too high strides per minute in terms of running efficiency etc

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  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    During easy running somewhere in the range of 170 to 180 is normally considered ideal. When running faster the stride rate will increase from there.

    Mine is usually 172 to 174 running easy, 180 to 184 running 5K pace, and 200+ when sprinting.
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
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    I read a running article just yesterday that says to try for 180 footstrikes per minute.
  • jeffrodgers1
    jeffrodgers1 Posts: 991 Member
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    The world renowned running coach Jack Daniels observed that most Elite's run at a cadence of 180/minute or more. Apparently when he is quoted quite often people overlook the "or more" part.

    In my mind... if you can create that turnover rate consistently you are a far better runner than I am and can only hope we are not running from a bear.
  • weightlifter01
    weightlifter01 Posts: 564 Member
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    I'd say it depends on the "length of your levers"...case in point - Usain Bolt. He takes something like 33 strides to complete 100 meters, while his competitor (all big men), might take up to 39 strides....

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