I'm a ChiRunner. I mainly started with research when I wanted to start running. There was a lot of information on "training" but not a lot on form and how to stay injury free. It's something that if just starting, I would recommend taking a class from a certified instructor. The video is a little better than the book. And using a metronome really helped make me more efficient as a runner. I don't choose to use it now, but I think the biggest benefit to me was the mind/body awareness of form, function, and overall making certain I wasn't just out pounding pavement, but moreso aware of the functionality of the activity I was doing. I learned more about stride length and cadence than I was getting from any other source.

I'm entertained by the forward lean and back pain, which is interesting, because if the poster understood chirunning or had taken a class, it's not an involvement of the back whatsoever. If there is pain, it's not from the 'lean' or the 'lean' is clearly done incorrectly if there is back pain. The ChiRunning has kept my back very healthy.

I would suggest using the forums on www.chirunning.com, it's moderated by very experienced individuals who are super about answering questions, asking questions to your question before answering, and a super wealth of information into this system for running.

@ Deesaf - ChiRunning is a running form instruction used for training form and body to run more efficiently to avoid so many of the runner's injuries. There is also the Pose method - I don't know much about, just know it's out there. There are articles written on the pros and cons of using a specific form vs a natural form, it's all up to the individual runner IMO as to what to take out of these methods.

Yes. The forward lean is from doing chi running incorrectly. That's why the review of chi running that I read suggested that runners using Chi not *try* to lean forward as many runners new to chi running will lean too far foward and that can lead to lower back pain. I experienced it - it can happen. Many people don't have access to a certified instructor. So I don't intentionally try to lean forward and my body feels better when I allow the lean to happen naturally.

It's helped me to run with no injuries thus far.

This still doesn't make any sense to me. Not sure who wrote the review. But the forward lean is important in chirunning. The lean is not initiated in the back, but from the ankles. And with pelvis tilted, another chirunning form focus, there would again be no way to lean and injure or stress the lower back. The "lean" is ever so slight, the fall forward point, which in essence is a lot of the basis in running. I would strongly suggest re-reading or watching the video of the forward lean. The reviewer, I would hope, would have done better research before making such a suggestion.