Good Running Form for Beginners: Head-to-Toe Tips, Drills and Strength Work

Good running form makes running feel easier and can help you stay comfortable as you build mileage. You don’t need to copy an elite runner’s stride. A few simple cues, a bit of strength work and paying attention to how your body feels will do most of the work.

This guide covers good running form from head to toe, the most common form mistakes, cadence and foot strike, breathing, drills, strength exercises for runners, how to check your own form, and how to tell normal soreness from pain that needs attention.

The short version

• Run tall with a slight forward lean, eyes ahead and shoulders relaxed.
• Keep your elbows bent at about 90 degrees and swing your arms forward and back, not across your body.
• Avoid overstriding. Let your feet land closer to underneath your body.
• A slightly quicker, shorter step often helps more than trying to change how your foot lands.
• Strength training, especially for your hips, glutes and calves, supports good form.
• Most of your runs should be at an easy, conversational pace. Build mileage gradually.
• Sharp pain, limping or pain that gets worse as you run is a reason to stop and get it checked.

Good running form from head to toe

Head, shoulders and torso

Keep your head level and your gaze forward. Stand tall, as if a string were pulling the top of your head up, then lean very slightly forward from your ankles, not your waist. Check in on your shoulders every few minutes: when you get tired, they tend to creep up toward your ears. Drop them and shake out your hands.

Arms and hands

Your arms help set your rhythm. Bend your elbows to about 90 degrees and let your arms swing forward and back from the shoulder, with your hands passing roughly by your hips. Arms that swing across your body twist your torso and waste energy. Keep your hands relaxed rather than clenched.

Hips, legs and stride

A common form problem is overstriding: reaching your foot far out in front of your body, so it lands with a straight knee and acts like a brake. Aim to land with your foot closer to underneath your hips and your knee slightly bent. Keep your hips level, and avoid bouncing high off the ground with each step.

Cadence and foot strike

Cadence is the number of steps you take per minute. Many new runners take long, slow strides. Research has found that increasing your step rate by about 5 percent, while keeping the same pace, reduces the load on your knees, and about 10 percent also reduces the load on your hips. There is no single magic number, and the often-quoted 180 steps per minute is not a target everyone needs to hit. To try it, count your steps for 30 seconds, double it, and use a metronome app set slightly higher on some easy runs.

Foot strike is the part of your foot that lands first: heel, midfoot or forefoot. Most distance runners land on their heels, and research has not shown that one foot strike prevents injuries better than another. Rather than forcing a change, focus on not overstriding. A slightly quicker step usually brings your landing closer to under your body on its own.

Breathing and pace

• Keep most runs easy. On easy runs you should be able to talk in full sentences. Many runners go too hard on easy days and too easy on hard days.
• Breathe through your mouth and nose as needed, and let your breathing find a rhythm with your steps.
• If you are new to running, alternate running and walking, such as 1 minute of running and 2 minutes of walking, and gradually increase the running time. Our progressive walking plan is a good base if you are starting from scratch.

Drills that build better form

Form drills train the movement patterns of good running in a slower, exaggerated way. Do 2 sets of 20 to 30 meters of each drill after a warm-up, once or twice a week, then finish with a few strides:

• High knees: quick steps, driving the knees up, landing under your hips.
• Butt kicks: quick steps, bringing your heels up toward your glutes.
• A-skips: a skipping motion with one knee driving up and the opposite arm swinging forward.
• Strides: 20 to 30 seconds of smooth, fast but relaxed running, with full recovery in between. Strides let you practice good form at speed.

Strength training for runners

Strong hips, glutes, core and calves help you hold good form when you get tired. Research shows that strength training can improve running economy, meaning you use less energy at the same pace, and strength training is linked with fewer sports injuries in general. Aim for 2 strength sessions a week.

• Hip thrusts and glute bridges to strengthen the glutes, which drive you forward and help keep your hips level. For a hip thrust, rest your upper back on a bench with your feet flat, drive your hips up until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees, squeeze your glutes, then lower with control.
• Single-leg exercises such as split squats, step-ups and single-leg deadlifts, since running is a series of single-leg landings.
• Side planks and side-lying leg raises for the hip muscles that keep your pelvis level.
• Calf raises, including on one leg and with a bent knee, to build the calves and Achilles tendons.
• Core work such as planks and dead bugs to help you stay tall.

For full programs, see our guides to strength training for runners and ankle strengthening exercises for runners.

How to check your own form

• Film yourself from the side and from behind while running at your usual easy pace, and watch it in slow motion.
• From the side, look at where your foot lands compared with your hips, your posture and your arm swing.
• From behind, look for hips dropping, knees caving in and arms crossing your body.
• Change one thing at a time. Practice a single cue, such as quicker steps or relaxed shoulders, for a few weeks before adding another.

For more ideas, see our post on tips to enhance running technique. If you do most of your running indoors, see our guide to treadmill running.

Listen to your body

Good form helps, but most running injuries are overuse injuries, often from doing too much, too soon. A few habits help you keep running:

• Build up gradually. Increase your weekly running time or distance in small steps, and take an easier week every few weeks. The popular “10 percent rule” is a rough rule of thumb, not a proven way to prevent injury. It also helps to avoid making any single run much longer than your longest run of the past month.
• Take rest days and mix in cross-training such as cycling, swimming or strength work.
• Sleep and eat enough to recover from your training.
• Know normal soreness from pain. General muscle soreness that eases as you warm up and fades within a few days is normal.

Stop running and get checked by a doctor or physical therapist if you have sharp or worsening pain while running, pain that makes you limp, swelling, pain at night or at rest, a tender spot on a bone, or pain that does not get better with rest. Common running injuries include runner’s knee, shin splints, IT band pain, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendon pain and stress fractures, and they are easier to treat when caught early.

Chest pain or pressure, dizziness or fainting, or unusual shortness of breath while running are different: stop right away and get medical help.

Working with a trainer

A trainer can watch you move, spot form problems and build the strength work that helps fix them. A Type A Training trainer comes to your home, your building gym or a park in Manhattan and builds a program around your running goals, from your first run-walk session to your next race. Learn more about in-home personal training.

Frequently asked questions

What is good running form for beginners?

Run tall with a slight forward lean, keep your head level and shoulders relaxed, bend your elbows to about 90 degrees, and let your feet land close to underneath your body rather than far out in front.

Should I land on my heel or my forefoot?

Research has not shown that one foot strike is better for preventing injuries, and most distance runners land on their heels. Focus on not overstriding instead of forcing a different landing.

What cadence should I run at?

There is no single right number. If you take long, slow strides, increasing your step rate by about 5 to 10 percent at the same pace can reduce the load on your knees and hips.

How do I stop overstriding?

Take slightly shorter, quicker steps and think about landing with your foot closer to underneath your hips. A metronome app set a little above your current cadence can help.

Does strength training help running form?

Yes. Stronger hips, glutes, core and calves help you hold good form when you get tired, and strength training can improve running economy. Two sessions a week is a good target.

How can I tell if pain is serious?

Mild muscle soreness that eases as you warm up is normal. Sharp or worsening pain, limping, swelling, pain at rest, a tender spot on a bone or pain that does not get better with rest are signs to stop and see a doctor or physical therapist.