Strides
Strides, also called build-ups, are short runs of roughly sixty to a hundred meters where speed climbs gradually to about eighty to ninety percent and then relaxes. They bridge easy warm-up work and full-speed running, priming the nervous system and rehearsing relaxed fast-running form without the risk of an all-out sprint. Use them before speed sessions and races, or as light turnover work on easy days.
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Type
- Cardio, Functional
- Browse by muscle
- Rectus Femoris, Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Gluteus Maximus
- Browse by movement
- Gait Drill
- Target
- Rectus Femoris, Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Gluteus Maximus
- Secondary
- Vastus Lateralis, Gastrocnemius Lateral Head, Gastrocnemius Medial Head
- Tertiary
- Soleus Gastrocnemius, Tibialis Anterior, Erector Spinae, Upper Rectus Abdominals
How to do it
- 1
Start from a walk or jog and begin accelerating gradually and smoothly.
- 2
Build over the first portion until you reach a fast but controlled, relaxed pace.
- 3
Hold that fast-cruise speed for a few seconds with tall, easy mechanics.
- 4
Consciously stay relaxed in the face, shoulders, and hands as speed peaks.
- 5
Decelerate gently rather than stopping abruptly at the end.
- 6
Walk back for full recovery, then repeat for the prescribed number of runs.
Tips
- Accelerate gradually; strides are build-ups, not standing sprints.
- Chase relaxation at speed rather than straining for maximum effort.
- Keep the jaw and shoulders loose so fast running stays smooth.
- Take generous walk-back recovery to keep every stride crisp.
Variations
Common mistakes
- The first stride of the day is the fastest one, run on legs that have only walked; build across the set so the third or fourth is the quickest, not the first.
- The whole run happens at one pace, so there is no build, no few seconds of fast cruising, and no easy shutdown; a stride has all three parts.
- Stride length gets forced to chase speed and the feet start landing well in front of the knees, which brakes more than it pushes; let the speed come from the contact.
- Strides get run on a narrow path or a road with traffic, where nobody can relax; use a field, a track, or a straight stretch you can see the end of.
- These get tacked onto the end of a long easy run when the legs are already heavy, which is the one time fast running will not feel smooth; put them before a session or after a short easy run.
Frequently asked
- How many strides should a beginner do, and how long should each one be?
- Four to six runs of 60 to 100 meters, which is roughly 15 to 20 seconds each, with 60 to 90 seconds of walking between them, two or three times a week. Build to about eighty percent of your top speed and no further. Progress by adding a stride or two before adding speed, and if the last one is slower or scruffier than the first, you have done one too many or cut the walk back short.
- How do I make strides easier or harder?
- Easier: shorten them to 40 meters and build only to a comfortable fast pace, or run them up a slight hill, which keeps the effort up while the speed and the impact stay low. Harder: add runs, stretch them to 120 meters, or hold the fast section a few seconds longer. Finishing the last one or two a little quicker is a reasonable step toward sprint work, but keep downhill running out of it, since that is where calves and hamstrings get caught out.
- What are strides for, and when are they a poor choice?
- They prime the nervous system and rehearse relaxed fast running, which is why runners put them before speed sessions and races and use them as light turnover work on easy days, sitting between easy running and true sprinting. They are a poor substitute for actual speed work, since the effort stops short of it, and a poor choice while a calf or hamstring problem is settling, because even eighty percent is fast enough to find it.
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