Another Way That a Fast Cadence Keeps Me Safe From Injury; It Creates Less Impact than a Slow Cadence.

The Physics is; For us to run forward, we can’t just push forwards.  We jump in the shape of an arc. No matter how efficient our stride is, we still jump in an arc. And No matter how flat this arc is; We still experience an impact from coming down, and we experience the force of pushing up from this ‘down position.’

While running, We Do Not Fully unload our weight onto the ground. If we did; that would not be running, that would just be jumping from one foot to the next, pausing a moment, and then jumping again. And that would be a Very Slow Cadence.

The Math is; the faster the cadence, the less time our weight spends going down, so the less our weight is transferred to the ground, so the less impact we have with the ground.

Less Impact means Less Stress on the body, and less chance of breaking away unstable ground. This helps us Stay Safe From Running Injuries.

I only use the word “Fast,” because people tend to run slower than the ideal of around 180 steps per minute. Especially when running at slower speeds. But Everything has a balance point. Go at Too Fast of a Cadence, and that will also be inefficient and increase wear in other ways. 

A cadence of around 180 Steps per Minute is The Sweet Spot for a Low Impact, Efficient Stride. This applies across a large range of speeds. It allows our legs to operate like rubberbands. It is the best combination of letting a low amount of weight down and not overexerting ourselves, while taking advantage of the body’s Elastic Qualities. 

It is the closest thing we have to Floating on Our Feet, and it Feels very Fluid. It does Not feel like the “High Impact” Activity that Running is Often described to be.