Tilt walk – 10 each leg

From a standing position, take one step forward with the left foot and balance on the forward foot. Keeping a very slight bend in your left knee, tilt you torso forward at the waist until your trunk is parallel to the ground. At the same time extend your right leg behind you for balance. Return to the upright position and then step forward with the right foot and tilt once more.

Zombies – 10 each leg

Begin in a standing position with both arms extended straight in front of you – like a zombie. Begin by walking slowly forward by kicking each leg forward as high as possible, aiming to touch your right toe to your right palm and your left toe to the left palm. Keep your legs as straight as possible and don’t let your trunk flex forward.

Lunge walk – 10 steps

Take giant steps forward with each foot, lunging as far forward as you can each time.

Trunk rotation

Raise your arms straight out to the sides. Twist your torso as far as you can to the right. Without pausing, reverse direction and twist over to the left. Repeat 10 times.

Lunge walk – 10 steps

Take giant steps forward with each foot, lunging as far forward as you can each time.

Trunk rotation

Raise your arms straight out to the sides. Twist your torso as far as you can to the right. Without pausing, reverse direction and twist over to the left. Repeat 10 times.

Forward leg swing – 10 swings each leg

Stand on your right foot and swing your left leg backward and forward in an exaggerated kicking motion.

Lateral leg swing – 10 swings each leg

Stand facing a wall or tree (something to support you). Lean toward it slightly from the waist and brace both palms against it. Swing your fully extended left leg right to left in wide arcs between your body and the wall.

Heel bounce

Assume a modified push up position, with your legs as close to your hands as you can get them without bending your knees, and your backside in the air. Lift you left foot off the ground, bend your left leg slightly, and rest the top of your left foot against the back of your lower right leg. Lift your right heel as high off the ground as you can. Without pausing, lower your heel back to the ground and ‘bounce’ it off the floor, back into another heel raise. Bounce your right heel 20 times then repeat with the left leg.

Use less energy to go faster with these tips to improve your efficiency.

While we aren’t all born with the long-limbed, thin bodies of world-class runners, we can maximize what we do have by working on technical efficiency. Focus on these five areas to run more economically:

Stride Length: Over-striding occurs when the foot strikes the ground in front of your center of gravity, which is essentially like putting on the brakes. If you glance down while running and can see your toes way out in front of you, focus on keeping your feet directly below your hips.

Run Cadence: Shoot for a run cadence similar to cycling. Around 85–90 strides per minute is good for taller men, while 90–100 is efficient for smaller athletes. Cadence can be quantified by counting footfall on one leg for one minute.

Forward Motion: Run tall and proud, but don’t bounce. Bouncing causes unnecessary vertical braking forces. Imagine running under a low ceiling: If you bounce too high you’ll bang your head.

Arm Motion: Arms provide some rotational stability, but the movement should not be excessive. Keep elbows bent at approximately 90 degrees, and don’t let your arm swing cross your vertical center line. Arms also drive the legs. The faster you swing your arms, the faster your legs move. Lightly pumping your arms is really helpful for running uphill and sprinting.

Leg Recovery: A slightly bent leg requires less power to bring the leg through during the recovery phase of your run stride. The faster you run, the higher your heel lifts on recovery. Don’t exaggerate heel lift when running at slow speeds. The best triathlon runners have a low, limber gate with a relaxed leg recovery.