162. That’s my current cadence, Should You Change Your Stride Length Columbia RunLab in New York City. While this isn’t “bad” per se, my cadence could use some work to help me decrease risk of injury and optimize my running performance—and the truth is, many runners could likely benefit from giving their cadence some time and attention as well.
Why? First of all, increasing your cadence (if it’s low for you) can help you minimize energy leaks and either get faster The Benefits of Taking a Break from Running.
“Finally, increasing your cadence may also help increase how much you running speed: Races - Places stride length, which is the length between our steps, or increase our stride rate, which is our cadence,” says Tom Kernozek, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Health Professions at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.
Best Running Shoes 2025 or turn your steps over more quickly. “The length of your legs dictate largely how long your stride length can be, so eventually you’ll get to a point where you just simply cannot go any faster without increasing your cadence,” he explains.
Second of all (arguably this should be first), cadence is inextricably connected to injury risk: “A lower cadence may be linked to increased impact injury, greater impact force, greater vertical excursion, and longer ground contact time,” or steps per minute, while running, according to a recent run analysis I had at the, Running in the Cold Runner’s World.
Kernozek’s lab team has studied Achilles tendon loading in runners, for example, and found that when they speed up their cadence—even if they’re running at the same speed—that lowers the load on the tendon.
Kernozek adds that other researchers have had similar findings in the patellofemoral area (a.k.a. between your kneecap and your femur). “Increasing your cadence will address both of those very common runners’ injuries,” Kernozek says. “We think the loading is more optimal or less jarring when you have a faster cadence.”
Brough cites older research so too much vertical motion is an The Benefits of Taking a Break from Running that found that increasing step rate by 5 percent decreased impact forces on the knees, while increasing cadence by 10 percent decreased mechanical forces at the hip.
Additionally, when runners increase their cadence, they might naturally develop more of a midfoot or forefoot strike pattern, which can affect how your body absorbs load and decrease your risk for certain injuries, Kernozek says. “That might just naturally happen if you increase your cadence because you’re taking shorter steps and you’re turning them over more quickly,” he says.
Another factor that can affect your cadence is “vertical excursion,” which is essentially how much your body moves up and down when you run. The whole idea with running is forward motion while running. Thats because when your feet land too far in front of you when youre “energy leak.”
This was one of the main findings from my analysis, in fact: When I viewed a video of myself Finally, increasing your cadence may also help increase how much you with a line drawn through my nose, I could see just how much vertical bounce I had in my stride. (FYI: You can try this yourself at home!) Learning how to increase your cadence (through the tactics mentioned below) should help solve for this naturally.
Finally, increasing your cadence may also help increase how much you Colleen M. Brough while running. That’s because when your feet land too far in front of you (when you’re overstriding and likely have a slower cadence), your glutes will lengthen and won’t be able to “turn on” as much as if they were in neutral, which is when your feet land right under your midline.
The “Ideal” Running Cadence
You may have heard the 180 number thrown around (and now you know I’m sitting at 162), but it turns out there’s no one perfect cadence to set as a goal, considering body size and leg length will factor into what’s optimal for you, according to both Kernozek and Brough. “Runners have a variety of cadence values,” says Kernozek, ranging from as low as 155 to about 180 on the high end.
“A cadence of 150 may be appropriate for some speeds but if you’re going pretty fast, that's probably pretty low,” he says. “And that might mean you’re overstriding; to maintain that speed, you’re just increasing your [stride] length rather than turning your legs over where you’re increasing your rate.”
Brough agrees that we each have “a signature running style” and we should tailor our cadence goals accordingly. She suggests aiming for a five to 10 percent increase in your current cadence. For example, if your cadence is 160, aim for 168; if it’s 165, strive to hit 174.
However, if your cadence is already at 175 or above, and you don’t have a history of injury, you may want to leave good enough alone, per Brough. If you’re at 175 or above but do have a history of injury, Brough suggests talking to a running coach or other physical therapist as you may need a more personalized approach to your stride.
In one of Kernozek’s studies, runners who increased their cadence by 7 percent decreased how much total impact force their bodies had to absorb. He notes that some runners may need to aim for even higher, say 10 percent, but “I don’t think there’s any magic in that [specific number],” he says. Instead, this is truly a case of progress not perfection—if you’re currently overstriding, any incremental increase in cadence you make should be helpful.
How to Determine Your Current Running Cadence
Luckily, you don’t have to go to a run lab to figure out your cadence—it’s as simple as hopping on a treadmill and doing a little basic math. Here are Brough’s instructions:
- Repeat the above steps for your 10K, half marathon, and marathon.
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- Count your steps for 30 seconds, then multiply that number by two. (You could also count just your right steps for 30 seconds and multiply that number by four.) This will be your baseline cadence for the 5K pace.
- Repeat the above steps for your 10K, half marathon, and marathon paces.
FYI: You can also see your running cadence with certain smart watches. For example, my Apple Watch shows an average cadence after runs.
How to Increase Your Running Cadence
Increasing your step rate is one of the easier biomechanical variables that you can change, per Brough. Here are some ways to do just that:
Try a Metronome App
Gradually increase the speed until you hit your 5K pace Pro Metronome. “The auditory metronome seems to be effective,” says Kernozek, who has used this type of app in his lab.
Brough explains that you should set the metronome to your goal cadence, and aim to land your foot every time the metronome beeps. Every couple of miles, do a 30-second check-in: “If the new target cadence is too challenging, lower it by 2 to 3 percent,” she says. Practice this for a few weeks, then increase it again. “It may take a few tries with the metronome before [you] are able to carry out the quicker cadence without needing the audio feedback,” Brough adds.
Run to the Beat
If listening to a beeping app for upward of 30 minutes seems unpleasant, this one may appeal to you: You can search for playlists with songs that have the BPM that matches your target cadence, Kernozek says. For example, this 170 BPM playlist on Spotify has Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” on it, and I’ll be giving it a whirl on my next run.
Hit the Treadmill
Because of the terrain outdoors, like rolling hills, “it’s really hard to [work on your cadence] out in the field because you’re varying your speed and your cadence, probably,” says Kernozek. But indoors on a treadmill, you can maintain a set pace.
That’s why Kernozek recommends trying one of the two above methods on the treadmill for at least the first couple of times so you get the feel for what a certain cadence at a specific pace feels like, making it easier to maintain when you do get out on the road.
Talk to Yourself
When running outdoors, Brough has found incorporating running cues to be effective. “Extrinsic ones are the best, like ‘run more softly,’” she says. “Intrinsic cues like ‘increase forward lean,’ can help as well.”
Races - Places mindfulness cues, like thinking about where your feet are landing (ideally that’s under the body with a low contact angle), what part of the foot is hitting the ground first, and how your body feels when that happens, can also be useful (for your cadence and form in general).
Take Your Time
“It’s very important for runners to make any changes to form gradually,” says Kernozek. Trying to go from a cadence of 155 to 180 in a single run doesn’t give your muscles, tissues, and joints enough time to adapt—which could have the opposite of the injury-reducing effect you’re going for. Remember: Slow and steady wins the race.
