We've all seen them, the hunched over, the gigantic striders, their arms flailing akimbo; yes when it comes to different running forms and styles it seems we are all as unique as our appearances. Yet there is a 'model' running form that has been shown to be most efficient and if you were to look at the best runners in the world there you would find that many of them do resemble their competitors. This is because their techniques have proven to be the best to get them the fastest times possible; they don't waste any excess energy on unnecessary movements and everything is streamlined and moving forward.

While not everyone will be able to run as fast as the Olympic caliber runners, we can take steps to at least mimic their proper running form. This includes holding your arms at a 90 angle bent at the elbow and then moving on the same plane frontwards and back. You shouldn't be crossing your arms in front of your chest, having them held up so close to your chest that you don't get much movement at all, and you don't want then to be down swinging by your thighs. Concentrate on lifting them up to be about even with your beast bone in front and then when they swing back think of hitting about where you would have a pocket on your shorts.

Proper running form is also going to mean that you are standing up tall to not only allow for the most lung capacity but you will also be slightly tilted forward to help propel you that way. You want to think about being erect and then slightly tipping your pelvis inward so that your butt isn't sticking way out in back. Your legs then should work in a sort of cycle motion with your knees lifting up and then back to then push off. You want your foot to ideally land directly below you for the maximum power for each push off. Everyone will have a different stride length, but you want to aim to get as close to 180 strides per minute to be the most efficient; this works out to about 30 strides each 10 seconds. (One stride is a full complete cycle on a single leg, not each step that you take.) Count your strides and try to adapt accordingly; if you are overstriding and leaping while you run you will be wasting a lot of effort as you will need to claw forward before your foot even pushes off. Similarly too many short strides aren't going to give you the most power for each lift off.

Finally, one thing you need to keep in mind for the perfect running form throughout is to RELAX. Don't clench your jaw because this will likely cause you to tense up and raise your shoulders. Relax your shoulders and let your arms swing freely. If you find this happening take a deep breath, shake out your arms, and return to the correctly position. Adapting your running form is tricky and takes a lot of time because at first the changes won't seem natural. But if you target one specific thing to focus on in your runs, master that aspect, and then move onto the next eventually you will be looking more and more like those professional runners who make it seem almost effortless. But don't be fooled, they are working just as hard as you!