134/365 Know How to Point Your Toes

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I've already discussed with you proper running gait. Another component for having good gait is the positioning of your toes.

Note the angle of the left leg...you don't want to look like this!

The reason for this is to make sure that your knees are pointing forward, not in or out. Landing at an angle puts unnecessary strain on your knees but ultimately makes your hips and ankles suffer too. If you run like this, expect to feel pain. It may not be today or tomorrow but, I am feeling it now and it's not fun. For plyometrics, you should also keep your toes pointing forward. Whenever you land, you want to land with your toes forward.

When you run, imagine that there is a straight line drawn on the ground. You want to straddle that line as close as possible while you run. Two ways you can be sure to do this is by 1, driving your knees straight up and 2, planting your toes straight forward when you land.

So, keep the toes straight to make sure that your hips and knees aren't pointed inward or outward. If possible, run on a treadmill in front of a mirror to check your alignment.

In health,

Lauren