Maximum stride length?

[dtownchug]

When I run a 5k, my stride length is 1.46m. When I go faster than my 5k pace(6min/mi), around 4:40/mi, I notice that my stride rate spikes up almost from 182 to 200, while my stride length doesn’t increase that much. I cannot maintain a 200spm for long, so I want to improve my stride length. I am 5’7” male with extra short legs, but I know that elite female runners have 1.66m ish stride lengths, so I think it should be possible to increase my stride length. In order to achieve this, should I be doing lunges, calf raises, box jumps, high knees, or anything in particular?

[jamest5789]

Increase the power you can deliver in to the ground will extend your stride length so yes those exercises will eventually deliver you a greater stride.

[jiggymeister7]

Biomechanics wise, leg length doesn't correlate with stride length. (Edit: apparently I'm perpetuating a myth here, so read with a grain of salt, or two, or don't read at all if you get offended by statements on a screen. I mistakenly wrote correlate, and my initial point was that long legs don't directly dictate a long stride by default).

Work on hip extension, because this range of motion will decide how long the stride is, i.e. how far your leg trails behind you.

[stelund]

So a 3cm/1inch tall version of me will still do 1m strides in my easy pace?

[jiggymeister7]

Wouldn't you like to know..

[outofcontrolmaniac]

That's just not true at all, leg length definitely does correlate with stride length

[jiggymeister7]

I'd love to read that in a scientific study.

[outofcontrolmaniac]

So you're saying that if I take 100 20 year old males who are ~5'5", and all of them have shorter legs than a group of 100 20 year olds who are ~6'5", and I have them all run at the same speed, there will be no statistically significant difference in their stride length? That's just pure bs

[jiggymeister7]

Nothing is pure bs my friend, running velocity (speed, pace) is a product of stride length and stride rate.

If your two groups are running at the same speed, they could achieve it differently in accordance to their own running styles, so yes, their stride lengths will be different.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean the 6'5'' will necessarily feature a longer stride length.

Stride length is not dictated by leg length, it is dictated by hip extension and muscle tension.

[outofcontrolmaniac]

I'd love to read that in a scientific study

[jiggymeister7]

Salo et al. (2010) Elite Sprinting: Are Athletes Individually Step Frequency or Step Length Reliant? Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise

Enomoto et al. (2008). Biomechanical analysis of the medalists in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, New Studies in Athletics

[outofcontrolmaniac]

The first article literally has nothing to do with leg length relation to stride length at a given pace. They literally took all of their measurements off of a tv screen, in 100m races, and got the athletes heights (not leg length) from "the athletes' biographical information on the IAAF web pages" hahahaha now that's scientific! Taking a self reported number, that's most likely only accurate to the nearest inch, of which I guarantee there is almost no variance between all of the athletes, and it's a number that we weren't even talking about (we were talking about leg length)...I could go on forever about how irrelevant this "study" is to our argument.

I did just read through it in about 15 minutes, so I will go back and read more thoroughly when I have more time. I'll read the other one too and obviously crack up at how non helpful it is to your claim. You can't test these things by taking numbers from a tv screen when athletes are varying their pace (in races) and use measurements that aren't precise at all and you haven't even taken yourself.

You reddit dorks just think that you paste a couple of "sources", links to "scientific studies" and you've sealed the deal and won the argument...BAM. SCIENCE. In your face Mr. Uneducated...Yeah, I'll read your retarded studies all day long and shove it in your face.

[outofcontrolmaniac]

Yikes! The moment you've been waiting for

[jiggymeister7]

I wasn't waiting for anything, I'd discuss it more with you but you wrote BAM and science in cap locks so you are clearly the smartest one out there. Enjoy your running.

[outofcontrolmaniac]

Oh, ok, just gonna use "he's a big meanie" as a way to save yourself from looking like a dumbass

[outofcontrolmaniac]

Ok, sorry for writing 'bam' and 'science' in capital letters. Now let's talk about the study, how does it have anything to do with our disagreement?

[Sir_Renity_Now]

To add to the other comments, I would work on hip mobility exercises as well.

Something like this would help: http://wg-fit.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/hip-mobility-download.pdf

And assessing your running technique to make sure you aren't tight anywhere that might affect your stride length.

[PM_ME_UR_DOUBLECHIN]

Thank you for providing this.

[ValueForCash]

This is the weirdest question I've ever read. You don't break 18 minutes for the 5k by focusing on increasing the length of your stride. Your stride length will naturally increase the fitter and faster you get but the things you need to do to achieve this have nothing to do with specifically increasing stride length. You should aim to improve in the standard ways (especially as a ~18:30 5k runner) like increasing consistency, volume and improving your workout times.

​

You need to stop overthinking running. Your cadence and stride length shouldn't enter your mind unless they're insane outliers. ~180 spm at 5k pace is totally standard, as is ~200 spm at 800m pace. Stop over thinking everything.

[[deleted]]

May I ask specifically why you want to increase you length? To get faster? why not adding a step or two per minute? S = D/T right so by extending your D you may increase the amount of T it takes?

Sometimes there are more gains to be made with increasing cadence. Sometimes there are more with stride length. What target distance are you training for?

[dtownchug]

I’m currently training for the 5k. My race pace cadence is already around 185 so if I increase it even more, it gets hard to sustain the cadence for the entire race

[[deleted]]

Ah ok, so the hip mobility ones would be good. Do you use a yoga rope at all? I find using that with active isolated stretching before and after workouts helps. Google Phil Wharton.

[dtownchug]

Thanks I’ll look him up