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Does Your Cadence Really Matter?
The Significance and Practical Insights for Runners
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If you are reading this then you are more than likely interested in running. I’d assume you also have an understanding of the term cadence or stride rate (SR) and what it means.
If you don’t then let me break it down. Simply put, cadence is how many times your feet strike the ground per minute when running.
Now, lots of people have heard that 180 is the magic number and will sell their pension schemes to be able to hit that number, but might ask yourself… WHY is it so important?
The relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand
The first time athletes started to pay more attention to their cadence dates back to the 1984 Olympics and Dr Jack Daniels (not the whisky guy……), who noticed that in the track events of longer than 800m, only one athlete had a cadence of less than 180.
Photo by: Joshua Hearnden
There is a relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand. The higher the cadence, the greater the demand on the cardiovascular system – however you get the benefit of less musculoskeletal stress on the body.
The lower the cadence, the less the demand on the cardiovascular system but the greater the musculoskeletal stress.
A good way to picture this is to think about going for a cycle. If you are in a high gear at slow RPM, you will tire much quicker than someone peddling in a lower gear at a higher RPM at the same speed.
Running cadence in elite athletes
The caveat to this whole cadence discussion is that you need to be properly conditioned to maintain the higher Cadence or RPM. If you are unconditioned, you will not have the cardiovascular fitness to be able to maintain the higher cadence numbers.
Most elite athletes tend to have a short forward stride and long posterior strides whereas we tend to see the opposite being true in recreational runners who over stride and have short posterior strides.
This will create a lower cadence but also generate greater eccentric stress on the hamstrings, elicit less glute activation and cause increased “breaking forces” giving a lower running economy, greater ground reaction forces and with that, an increased risk of injury.
So, should you be targeting 180?
Running cadence: is 180 the ultimate goal?
Not necessarily – There are studies that suggest an element of self-selection, meaning as runners we will naturally select the most efficient stride length and rate for our bio-mechanics based on many factors like weight, conditioning, speed, terrain etc.
From spending a lot of time looking at runners’ cadence, the majority of non-elites have a cadence between 150-170.
Focussing on increasing your fitness and form should come as the first starting point as without good cardiovascular fitness it will be incredibly difficult to maintain a higher cadence (you only need to look at how runners form breaks down in the Dubai Marathon at the 35km mark compared to the 5km mark).
Cadence will naturally increase with increased fitness and form but trying to deviate too much too soon from your “comfort cadence” will be inefficient.
So – If you are already running and have good cardiovascular fitness, looking at cadence numbers could help make improvements. All good running watches track this metric and it can be viewed on screen whilst running or analysed post session.
3 tips to increase cadence when running
Tip #1 – Focus on quick arms
If you run with faster arms, your legs will follow. Focusing on the arms will mean you are not focussing on the legs and give less inclination to over-stride.
Tip #2 – Add high-cadence strides to your training
The best time for this type of training is usually at the end or built into an aerobic run. Perform 8-12 accelerations of about 4-10s concentrating on turning over your legs as fast as you can. This will help your neuromuscular system to create new neural pathways and “learn” how to optimise mechanics at this new cadence.
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The goal here is not speed but faster legs. Imagine running on a hot surface, keep the steps smooth and pop off the ground quickly.
Tip #3 – It’s all about balance, so run tall
If your cadence is going to increase then you need to be balanced when running.
Try not to sit back on your heels when you run but instead you should “run tall” – this means keeping your body in a straight line from head to toe. You should have a slight forward lean.
Additionally, you should more than likely work on hip mobility as well as glute activation.
Interested in some one-on-one endurance coaching? Send me an email at rj@innerfight.com.
ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.
Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
If you are reading this then you are more than likely interested in running. I’d assume you also have an understanding of the term cadence or stride rate (SR) and what it means.
If you don’t then let me break it down. Simply put, cadence is how many times your feet strike the ground per minute when running.
Now, lots of people have heard that 180 is the magic number and will sell their pension schemes to be able to hit that number, but might ask yourself… WHY is it so important?
The relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand
The first time athletes started to pay more attention to their cadence dates back to the 1984 Olympics and Dr Jack Daniels (not the whisky guy……), who noticed that in the track events of longer than 800m, only one athlete had a cadence of less than 180.
Photo by: Joshua Hearnden
There is a relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand. The higher the cadence, the greater the demand on the cardiovascular system – however you get the benefit of less musculoskeletal stress on the body.
The lower the cadence, the less the demand on the cardiovascular system but the greater the musculoskeletal stress.
A good way to picture this is to think about going for a cycle. If you are in a high gear at slow RPM, you will tire much quicker than someone peddling in a lower gear at a higher RPM at the same speed.
Running cadence in elite athletes
The caveat to this whole cadence discussion is that you need to be properly conditioned to maintain the higher Cadence or RPM. If you are unconditioned, you will not have the cardiovascular fitness to be able to maintain the higher cadence numbers.
Most elite athletes tend to have a short forward stride and long posterior strides whereas we tend to see the opposite being true in recreational runners who over stride and have short posterior strides.
This will create a lower cadence but also generate greater eccentric stress on the hamstrings, elicit less glute activation and cause increased “breaking forces” giving a lower running economy, greater ground reaction forces and with that, an increased risk of injury.
So, should you be targeting 180?
Running cadence: is 180 the ultimate goal?
Not necessarily – There are studies that suggest an element of self-selection, meaning as runners we will naturally select the most efficient stride length and rate for our bio-mechanics based on many factors like weight, conditioning, speed, terrain etc.
From spending a lot of time looking at runners’ cadence, the majority of non-elites have a cadence between 150-170.
Focussing on increasing your fitness and form should come as the first starting point as without good cardiovascular fitness it will be incredibly difficult to maintain a higher cadence (you only need to look at how runners form breaks down in the Dubai Marathon at the 35km mark compared to the 5km mark).
Cadence will naturally increase with increased fitness and form but trying to deviate too much too soon from your “comfort cadence” will be inefficient.
So – If you are already running and have good cardiovascular fitness, looking at cadence numbers could help make improvements. All good running watches track this metric and it can be viewed on screen whilst running or analysed post session.
3 tips to increase cadence when running
Tip #1 – Focus on quick arms
If you run with faster arms, your legs will follow. Focusing on the arms will mean you are not focussing on the legs and give less inclination to over-stride.
Tip #2 – Add high-cadence strides to your training
The best time for this type of training is usually at the end or built into an aerobic run. Perform 8-12 accelerations of about 4-10s concentrating on turning over your legs as fast as you can. This will help your neuromuscular system to create new neural pathways and “learn” how to optimise mechanics at this new cadence.
The goal here is not speed but faster legs. Imagine running on a hot surface, keep the steps smooth and pop off the ground quickly.
Tip #3 – It’s all about balance, so run tall
If your cadence is going to increase then you need to be balanced when running.
Try not to sit back on your heels when you run but instead you should “run tall” – this means keeping your body in a straight line from head to toe. You should have a slight forward lean.
Additionally, you should more than likely work on hip mobility as well as glute activation.
Interested in some one-on-one endurance coaching? Send me an email at rj@innerfight.com.
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.
Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
If you are reading this then you are more than likely interested in running. I’d assume you also have an understanding of the term cadence or stride rate (SR) and what it means.
If you don’t then let me break it down. Simply put, cadence is how many times your feet strike the ground per minute when running.
Now, lots of people have heard that 180 is the magic number and will sell their pension schemes to be able to hit that number, but might ask yourself… WHY is it so important?
The relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand
The first time athletes started to pay more attention to their cadence dates back to the 1984 Olympics and Dr Jack Daniels (not the whisky guy……), who noticed that in the track events of longer than 800m, only one athlete had a cadence of less than 180.
Photo by: Joshua Hearnden
There is a relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand. The higher the cadence, the greater the demand on the cardiovascular system – however you get the benefit of less musculoskeletal stress on the body.
The lower the cadence, the less the demand on the cardiovascular system but the greater the musculoskeletal stress.
A good way to picture this is to think about going for a cycle. If you are in a high gear at slow RPM, you will tire much quicker than someone peddling in a lower gear at a higher RPM at the same speed.
Running cadence in elite athletes
The caveat to this whole cadence discussion is that you need to be properly conditioned to maintain the higher Cadence or RPM. If you are unconditioned, you will not have the cardiovascular fitness to be able to maintain the higher cadence numbers.
Most elite athletes tend to have a short forward stride and long posterior strides whereas we tend to see the opposite being true in recreational runners who over stride and have short posterior strides.
This will create a lower cadence but also generate greater eccentric stress on the hamstrings, elicit less glute activation and cause increased “breaking forces” giving a lower running economy, greater ground reaction forces and with that, an increased risk of injury.
So, should you be targeting 180?
Running cadence: is 180 the ultimate goal?
Not necessarily – There are studies that suggest an element of self-selection, meaning as runners we will naturally select the most efficient stride length and rate for our bio-mechanics based on many factors like weight, conditioning, speed, terrain etc.
From spending a lot of time looking at runners’ cadence, the majority of non-elites have a cadence between 150-170.
Focussing on increasing your fitness and form should come as the first starting point as without good cardiovascular fitness it will be incredibly difficult to maintain a higher cadence (you only need to look at how runners form breaks down in the Dubai Marathon at the 35km mark compared to the 5km mark).
Cadence will naturally increase with increased fitness and form but trying to deviate too much too soon from your “comfort cadence” will be inefficient.
So – If you are already running and have good cardiovascular fitness, looking at cadence numbers could help make improvements. All good running watches track this metric and it can be viewed on screen whilst running or analysed post session.
3 tips to increase cadence when running
Tip #1 – Focus on quick arms
If you run with faster arms, your legs will follow. Focusing on the arms will mean you are not focussing on the legs and give less inclination to over-stride.
Tip #2 – Add high-cadence strides to your training
The best time for this type of training is usually at the end or built into an aerobic run. Perform 8-12 accelerations of about 4-10s concentrating on turning over your legs as fast as you can. This will help your neuromuscular system to create new neural pathways and “learn” how to optimise mechanics at this new cadence.
The goal here is not speed but faster legs. Imagine running on a hot surface, keep the steps smooth and pop off the ground quickly.
Tip #3 – It’s all about balance, so run tall
If your cadence is going to increase then you need to be balanced when running.
Try not to sit back on your heels when you run but instead you should “run tall” – this means keeping your body in a straight line from head to toe. You should have a slight forward lean.
Additionally, you should more than likely work on hip mobility as well as glute activation.
Interested in some one-on-one endurance coaching? Send me an email at rj@innerfight.com.
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Tempo
This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10
5mins easy jog
then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)
Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.
Monday:
We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.
Strength:
A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift
B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat
Conditioning:
17min AMRAP
3 Power Clean (60/40)
6 Front Squat
9 Box Jump
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.
Strength:
A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups
B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row
C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock
Conditioning:
4 rounds for time:
16 Alt KB STOH
1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry
10 Burpees Over KB
30 Double Unders
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single
B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions
Conditioning
In a 3-minute window:
15 TTB
30 wall balls
AMRAP cal row
Rest 2 mins x 3
Thursday:
On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.
Strength:
A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press
B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension / 15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls
Conditioning:
For time:
120 DB Hang Snatch
Every 3 mins
15/12 Cal Assualt Bike
10 Hand Release Push Ups
Friday:
Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.
Strength:
EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar
Conditioning:
In Pairs for Time:
800m run together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
100 Cal Ski
Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
80 Cal Ski
Half Park Run Together
20 Sandbag Over Bar
60 Cal Ski
Car Park Run (Together)
20 Sandbag Over Bar
40 Cal Ski
ENGINE
Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?
GYMNASTICS
Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.
Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.
HYROX
Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.
MOBILITY
We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.
Monday Ride
A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.
Time: 05:59 am
Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.
If you are reading this then you are more than likely interested in running. I’d assume you also have an understanding of the term cadence or stride rate (SR) and what it means.
If you don’t then let me break it down. Simply put, cadence is how many times your feet strike the ground per minute when running.
Now, lots of people have heard that 180 is the magic number and will sell their pension schemes to be able to hit that number, but might ask yourself… WHY is it so important?
The relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand
The first time athletes started to pay more attention to their cadence dates back to the 1984 Olympics and Dr Jack Daniels (not the whisky guy……), who noticed that in the track events of longer than 800m, only one athlete had a cadence of less than 180.
Photo by: Joshua Hearnden
There is a relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand. The higher the cadence, the greater the demand on the cardiovascular system – however you get the benefit of less musculoskeletal stress on the body.
The lower the cadence, the less the demand on the cardiovascular system but the greater the musculoskeletal stress.
A good way to picture this is to think about going for a cycle. If you are in a high gear at slow RPM, you will tire much quicker than someone peddling in a lower gear at a higher RPM at the same speed.
Running cadence in elite athletes
The caveat to this whole cadence discussion is that you need to be properly conditioned to maintain the higher Cadence or RPM. If you are unconditioned, you will not have the cardiovascular fitness to be able to maintain the higher cadence numbers.
Most elite athletes tend to have a short forward stride and long posterior strides whereas we tend to see the opposite being true in recreational runners who over stride and have short posterior strides.
This will create a lower cadence but also generate greater eccentric stress on the hamstrings, elicit less glute activation and cause increased “breaking forces” giving a lower running economy, greater ground reaction forces and with that, an increased risk of injury.
So, should you be targeting 180?
Running cadence: is 180 the ultimate goal?
Not necessarily – There are studies that suggest an element of self-selection, meaning as runners we will naturally select the most efficient stride length and rate for our bio-mechanics based on many factors like weight, conditioning, speed, terrain etc.
From spending a lot of time looking at runners’ cadence, the majority of non-elites have a cadence between 150-170.
Focussing on increasing your fitness and form should come as the first starting point as without good cardiovascular fitness it will be incredibly difficult to maintain a higher cadence (you only need to look at how runners form breaks down in the Dubai Marathon at the 35km mark compared to the 5km mark).
Cadence will naturally increase with increased fitness and form but trying to deviate too much too soon from your “comfort cadence” will be inefficient.
So – If you are already running and have good cardiovascular fitness, looking at cadence numbers could help make improvements. All good running watches track this metric and it can be viewed on screen whilst running or analysed post session.
3 tips to increase cadence when running
Tip #1 – Focus on quick arms
If you run with faster arms, your legs will follow. Focusing on the arms will mean you are not focussing on the legs and give less inclination to over-stride.
Tip #2 – Add high-cadence strides to your training
The best time for this type of training is usually at the end or built into an aerobic run. Perform 8-12 accelerations of about 4-10s concentrating on turning over your legs as fast as you can. This will help your neuromuscular system to create new neural pathways and “learn” how to optimise mechanics at this new cadence.
The goal here is not speed but faster legs. Imagine running on a hot surface, keep the steps smooth and pop off the ground quickly.
Tip #3 – It’s all about balance, so run tall
If your cadence is going to increase then you need to be balanced when running.
Try not to sit back on your heels when you run but instead you should “run tall” – this means keeping your body in a straight line from head to toe. You should have a slight forward lean.
Additionally, you should more than likely work on hip mobility as well as glute activation.
Interested in some one-on-one endurance coaching? Send me an email at rj@innerfight.com.
If you are reading this then you are more than likely interested in running. I’d assume you also have an understanding of the term cadence or stride rate (SR) and what it means.
If you don’t then let me break it down. Simply put, cadence is how many times your feet strike the ground per minute when running.
Now, lots of people have heard that 180 is the magic number and will sell their pension schemes to be able to hit that number, but might ask yourself… WHY is it so important?
The relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand
The first time athletes started to pay more attention to their cadence dates back to the 1984 Olympics and Dr Jack Daniels (not the whisky guy……), who noticed that in the track events of longer than 800m, only one athlete had a cadence of less than 180.
Photo by: Joshua Hearnden
There is a relationship between cadence and cardiovascular demand. The higher the cadence, the greater the demand on the cardiovascular system – however you get the benefit of less musculoskeletal stress on the body.
The lower the cadence, the less the demand on the cardiovascular system but the greater the musculoskeletal stress.
A good way to picture this is to think about going for a cycle. If you are in a high gear at slow RPM, you will tire much quicker than someone peddling in a lower gear at a higher RPM at the same speed.
Running cadence in elite athletes
The caveat to this whole cadence discussion is that you need to be properly conditioned to maintain the higher Cadence or RPM. If you are unconditioned, you will not have the cardiovascular fitness to be able to maintain the higher cadence numbers.
Most elite athletes tend to have a short forward stride and long posterior strides whereas we tend to see the opposite being true in recreational runners who over stride and have short posterior strides.
This will create a lower cadence but also generate greater eccentric stress on the hamstrings, elicit less glute activation and cause increased “breaking forces” giving a lower running economy, greater ground reaction forces and with that, an increased risk of injury.
So, should you be targeting 180?
Running cadence: is 180 the ultimate goal?
Not necessarily – There are studies that suggest an element of self-selection, meaning as runners we will naturally select the most efficient stride length and rate for our bio-mechanics based on many factors like weight, conditioning, speed, terrain etc.
From spending a lot of time looking at runners’ cadence, the majority of non-elites have a cadence between 150-170.
Focussing on increasing your fitness and form should come as the first starting point as without good cardiovascular fitness it will be incredibly difficult to maintain a higher cadence (you only need to look at how runners form breaks down in the Dubai Marathon at the 35km mark compared to the 5km mark).
Cadence will naturally increase with increased fitness and form but trying to deviate too much too soon from your “comfort cadence” will be inefficient.
So – If you are already running and have good cardiovascular fitness, looking at cadence numbers could help make improvements. All good running watches track this metric and it can be viewed on screen whilst running or analysed post session.
3 tips to increase cadence when running
Tip #1 – Focus on quick arms
If you run with faster arms, your legs will follow. Focusing on the arms will mean you are not focussing on the legs and give less inclination to over-stride.
Tip #2 – Add high-cadence strides to your training
The best time for this type of training is usually at the end or built into an aerobic run. Perform 8-12 accelerations of about 4-10s concentrating on turning over your legs as fast as you can. This will help your neuromuscular system to create new neural pathways and “learn” how to optimise mechanics at this new cadence.
The goal here is not speed but faster legs. Imagine running on a hot surface, keep the steps smooth and pop off the ground quickly.
Tip #3 – It’s all about balance, so run tall
If your cadence is going to increase then you need to be balanced when running.
Try not to sit back on your heels when you run but instead you should “run tall” – this means keeping your body in a straight line from head to toe. You should have a slight forward lean.
Additionally, you should more than likely work on hip mobility as well as glute activation.
Interested in some one-on-one endurance coaching? Send me an email at rj@innerfight.com.
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