Basic Biomechanics of Gait (Running and Walking) with Exercises
Brian Beatty, PT, CFP
3 Dimensions = 3 Planes of Motion
Everything Starts from the Center
Cue ball, Pool ball – forces act about an object as if directed through the center, find your center – the pelvis, find your hips, use hips to push center, have them find glutes
“If you want to run, you have to be able to do it on one”
Hip abduction is the key, running is about single leg stance stability. Gluteus medium and minimus are the most important Core Muscles for running. They are responsible for holding you up on one leg.
Gryoscopes – it is all about rotation. 2 opposing gyroscopes of LE/pelvs and UE chest/ribs create a long stable rotational axis of the spine.
Stability and Rigidity are different things – read the dictionary definitions of each. Too often exercise, particularly how people approach core exercise teaches rigidity not stability. Everything must flow and move smoothly.
Key Concepts to Explore Through Exercises
- “Move The Center of Mass Forward” – Bilateral Bridges, Simple Squats
- “Do It On One” – High Stand, Step Back Lunge
- “Gyroscopes” – Offset Stance and Swing Arms, Standing Leg Swings, Combination
- “Do It On One” – One Leg Bridge, Walking Lunge with Torso Rotation to Single Leg Stance
- ‘The Running Core” – It Holds you on 1 leg; connects pelvis to torso over central spinal axis; connects the rotations of the Gyroscopes – Plank, Plank Lift a Leg, side plank, standing running crunch, walking running crunch
- “Landing Soft and Light” – the magic of the empty step, how to find where to land your foot in front of you.
- “Role and Roll of the Foot” – foot and ankle form a stable base, the hip directs the weight over the foot.
Exercise Videos
“Move The Center of Mass Forward”
Bilateral Bridges
Simple Squats
“Do It On One”
High Stand
Step Back Lunge
“Gyroscopes”
Offset Stance and Swing Arms, Standing Leg Swings, Combination
“Do It On One”
One Leg Bridge
Running Man
Walking Lunge with Torso Rotation to Single Leg Stance
“The Running Core”
It Holds you on 1 leg; connects pelvis to torso over central spinal axis; connects the rotations of the Gyroscopes
Plank
Plank Lift a Leg
Side Plank
Standing Running Crunch
Walking Running Crunch
“Landing Soft and Light”
The magic of the empty step, how to find where to land your foot in front of you.
Empty Step Walking
“Role and Roll of the Foot”
Foot and ankle form a stable base, the hip directs the weight over the foot.
Role and Roll of the Foot
More on this concept can be found here.
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