Then, note the beats/minute reading on your metronome and you’ll know your current cadence. It may take a minute or two for you to perfectly align both, but just feel the rate at which you sense your feet hitting the ground, and then adjust theīeep of the metronome faster or slower until it’s a perfect match with your stride rate. Then, turn the volume off.Īfter about 5 minutes of running, turn the volume up on the metronome and match the beep of the metronome to your stride rate by pressing the (+) or (-) button. For this test be sure to run on a flat course and preset your metronome to 170 bpm. To determine the cadence you’re currently running, take your metronome and go out for an easy run at whatever pace you would run for a typical training run. When you first begin to work on your cadence you should start by measuring your current cadence (the number of strides you take per minute).
Define metronome how to#
How to use the metronome to improve your running Step One: Determine Your Current Cadence It helps me most in creating a sense of effortlessness in my legs and it is without question the best training tool that I’ve ever run with. I love running with my metronome and I use it almost every time I run, and always in races. This allows them a greater ability to focus on other ChiRunning Form Focuses.
Several clients have said that running with a metronome gives them a sense of stability in their running because their cadence becomes the single constant that underlies everything else that’s going on when they’re running. If you think of changing your stride length to accommodate different levels of effort, your body learns to run with a set of gears and work in much the same way as your bicycle or your car. When your cadence is always the same, a lot of things seem to fall into place. When you cadence stays at a steady rate, it requires that you vary your stride length when you’re running at different speeds. It varies slightly from person to person based on height, body structure and personality type, but the optimal cadence for humans, seems to fall between 170-180 strides per minute.
I have found that most people do best when they run with a steady rhythmical cadence. One rhythm I’m acutely aware of when I run, is my cadence…the number of strides I take per minute. If you go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning, your body experiences a rhythm… “now I get to rest, now it’s time to get up.” When you’re body has a rhythm to follow it doesn’t work as hard. The more rhythms you establish, the better your body likes it. Your heart beat, your breath rate, your love for dancing, are all based on rhythms in your body or rhythms that you’ve established in your life.