Allyson Felix wins 200-meter gold with near-perfect form. The importance of efficiency and power in your running style

Last night Allyson’s dream came true, after disappointments in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic games. She did this through determination, the right training regimens, and most important of all, great form. She began working out with a strength coach, Bob Kersee (click for more info) who has a reputation in the running world for bringing runners to the next level.

She completed the 200-meter Olympic event in 21.88 seconds. Most remarkable was how she used her body. Many people who have read the book Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to know to beat chronic pain understand the importance of symmetry. Most runners lose their advantage by having a lack of symmetry, and by holding their shoulders tightly which actually breaks your body’s momentum and forces moreover and under striding. The blog post Three ways to increase your running times without the additional conditioning shows you how to incorporate some of Allyson’s abilities into your personal running times which will improve your form, speed and decrease undesirable over and under striding which causes most running or overuse type injuries. The better running form uses the body more efficiently, where less energy is lost. Also, you will notice that better running form decreases the forces at the ground since you disperse the forces throughout the body better.

If you watch her 200-meter event, you will notice how she strides through her upper body which is where she gets her speed from. For those looking for that sixth gear, better use of the core and the upper body is where we find this speed and power, which was maximized by her strength training regimen.

Watch the feed youtube video here. Simply remarkable.