Your running feeling is now being revolutionized: ChiRunning proves that jogging can be very easy. Strength and concentration develop in the middle of the body, arms and legs can relax. The key here is shifting the upper body forward, abdominal tension and the position of the pelvis. Once you have aligned your posture, minimal effort is required for the arm and leg movements. “ChiRunning is based on the centuries-old principle of Tai Chi,” explains the American running coach and author Danny Dreyer (“ChiRunning” by Danny and Katherine Dreyer, covadonga, 330 pages, 14.80 euros). “You have to relax the muscles, open the joints and use gravity.” Then the chi, our life energy, can flow freely through the body. The effect: running becomes more efficient, is less stressful and is not as strenuous, typical complaints and injuries hardly ever occur. By the way: Stress not only slows down the flow of chi, but also damages the vein walls.
The basis of the ChiRunning technique is what its inventor called the upright “needle posture”, in which the muscles have to do less work to hold themselves and the chi flows.
How to do it: place one hand on your chest and one on your lower stomach. Let your hands move apart and thus “extend” your upper body. Upper hand on the back of the head, pull the neck long, lower the chin. Then one hand on the lower abdomen, one on the lower back. Tense abdomen, pull inward, straighten pelvis, hold 5 times for 10 seconds.
Table of Contents
Lessons 2-4
slightly forward as you run, using gravity to move forward effortlessly. But remember the “needle pose” from Lesson 1: don’t bend at the hips, but lean your body forward as a whole.
Here’s how it works: stand half a meter away from a wall and lean your palms against it. Relax your lower legs and ankles, concentrating on the soles of your feet. Then let your tense body fall in a straight line from your ankles to the wall, keeping your heels on the floor. Support yourself with your hands and briefly feel the forward lean. Back, fetch again 10 times.3. Use your feet
The highlight of ChiRunning: With the right technique, your legs run by themselves. You just have to “unlearn” how to use your legs actively. The prerequisites: landing and pushing off with the metatarsus (practice with this lesson), passive lower legs (lesson 4) and the leg swing backwards (lesson 6).
Here’s how it works: Don’t push off and put down the foot with the heel or the ball of your foot, but with the entire sole. This works with the correct forward lean (from Lesson 2), because it shifts the body’s center of gravity to the front of the feet and reduces the braking effect on the entire foot landing.
In ChiRunning, the foot is not pushed off with the toes, but only lifted from the relaxed ankle – a decisive difference in the use of force! Foot and lower leg muscles remain passive or relaxed.
Here’s how it works: flatten the sand on the beach, in a playground sandbox or in a long-jump pit. Walk first, gently lifting your feet off the floor. Then run slowly, then increase the pace. Uniform, complete footprints should be recognizable in the sand. If you see small craters in front, you are still rolling over your toes too much.
Lessons 5-7
5. The pelvis rotates
The pelvis is the focus of ChiRunning. You can only run smoothly with the right rotation: by tensing your stomach (Lesson 1), the running movement comes from the middle of the body, and the legs follow passively (Lessons 3, 4, 6) the rotation of the pelvis.
Here’s how it works: walk as fast as possible, leaning your upper body slightly forward and letting your hips swing. The pelvis rotates forwards and backwards. Slowly trot, then switch to a run while maintaining hip swing. Important: The pelvis remains horizontal! Running Tip: Imagine your pivot point at the spine under the last rib. Align everything above in running direction, swing everything below.
6. Thinking backwards
Now combine: With the forward lean (Lesson 2) and pelvic rotation (Lesson 5), the leg swing goes in the right direction by itself. Sounds paradoxical, but if you want to run forward, you have to swing your legs backwards.
Here’s how it works: Running on the spot, lift your lower legs parallel to the floor, if possible without lifting your knees. Put your whole foot down, your hands holding your thighs. In the second step, run with a slight forward lean and let gravity “pull” you a few meters forward. Only in the third step swing your arms and keep walking.
Your lower body can only swing freely if you remain stable at the top. With your shoulders relaxed but forward, let your arms swing loosely and keep your neck straight.
Here’s how it works: Bend your elbows 90 degrees and maintain this angle. Important: as a counterbalance to the body leaning forward, swing your arms backwards – as if you wanted to kick someone behind you with your elbows. Swing your elbows forward only to your ribs. Forearms and hands swing loosely, but both sides should not come too close in front of the body.
Running Tip: Relax your hands like you’re holding a butterfly in each loose fist.
Lessons 8-10
The Chinese view Y’Chi as the art of concentrating body, mind and chi on one point. To control movement with the eyes, aim at the target, maintain eye contact, and direct energy there. Like a cat on the hunt.
Here’s how: As you train, fixate on a point in the distance and maintain eye contact as you work on your running style. Repeat the three running steps from Lesson 6. You will feel it: the visual connection is now pulling you forward more.9. Count steps
It doesn’t matter what pace you run – with ChiRunning, the step frequency always remains the same, only the length of the steps varies. 85 to 90 steps per minute with each leg is ideal. The smaller your height, the more steps you should take.
Here’s how it works: After warming up, count the steps you take with your right foot in one minute. Maintain this frequency for training, but change the pace. Increase your stride to go faster, shorten your stride to slow down.
Running tip: Can’t do 85 to 90 steps per minute? Then increase your pace by one beat from week to week in order to slowly get used to the new gait.10. Increase Speed
Chi runners, like a car or bicycle, have different “gears” to run efficiently. To shift up, increase the forward lean and lengthen the stride. Then you accelerate automatically without exhausting yourself.
This is how it works: Warm up in first gear for 10 minutes, then shift up to second gear – a comfortable training pace. Run for 10 minutes, alternating between first and second gear every minute. Then shift to third gear—a more strenuous exercise pace—and run 10 minutes alternating 1 minute each in second and third gear. At the end coast 10 minutes in first gear.
Before you start, relax your back … Close your feet while standing upright. Clasp your hands behind your head, elbows pointing outwards. Rotate your upper body to the right, keeping your hips straight. Lean upper body to the side, lower right elbow, raise left one. Look to the left heel. Back and other side – 3 times.
… and oscillate with your arms In step position, bend the front knee slightly and stretch the back one. Slide upper body over front leg with back straight. Let your pelvis rotate, your shoulders and arms are relaxed and swing loosely around your body. 5 times clockwise, 5 times counterclockwise. Change step position, repeat. shake out body
Test: how fit are your veins?
SHORT TEST: HOW FIT ARE YOUR VEINS?
Do you have vein problems in your family?
(A) Yes, my parents and/or siblings struggle with it
(B) My grandparents’ generation had vein problems
(C) No
How old are they?
(A) Older than 50 years
(B) 25 to 50 years
(C) Younger than 25 years
What is your body mass index? Formula: body weight : (height x height in meters).
(A) Over 30
(B) 25 to 30
(C) Under 25
How often do you suffer from tired, heavy or aching legs?
(A) Several times a week
(B) Now and then
(C) Never
Are your legs swollen at night?
(A) Several times a week
(B) Now and then
(C) No
Do your symptoms improve when you move or put your feet up?
(A) No
(B) Sometimes
(C) Yes, always
Has your skin changed on your lower legs or around your ankles?
(A) Yes, it has thickened and is inflamed
(B) Yes, it is shiny or dry
(C) No
How often do you exercise?
(A) Never
(B) Less than once a week
(C) Several times a week
Do you have to sit and/or stand a lot at work?
(A) Yes, almost always
(B) Yes, sometimes
(C) No, hardly ever
How often do you travel by plane, car or train?
(A) Several times a month
(B) About once a month
(C) Almost never
Testing results
EVALUATION
Predominantly A: The most important step for you: off to the doctor! He can advise you on what you can do about your vein problems yourself. Important: a vein-healthy diet. The birth control pill and replacement hormones during menopause can also damage your veins (risk of varicose veins and thrombosis).Predominantly B: Sometimes your legs give you trouble and you like to put your feet up. Above all: Train your calf muscle pump – the supporting corset of the veins – for 30 minutes every day. A brisk walk is enough for this. Let yourself be checked out by a vein expert when you get the chance.
Predominantly C: You have no risk factors, you exercise enough – your veins are apparently fit and healthy. Keep exercising in the future, especially endurance sports. Should your veins weaken anyway, go to the doctor if you have the following symptoms: tingling, heavy legs, swollen ankles, nightly calf cramps.
Useful addresses
Elevate your legs as often as possible in between Avoid constipation and obesity Do not wear socks or tights that are too tight Protect your legs from excessive heat (not over 28 degrees) from the sun, sauna or baths Protect your legs from the knees to the ankles 3 times a day 3 minutes in cold shower Avoid wearing shoes with heels over 3-5 cm Good: Swimming, biking, hiking; Bad: dumbbell training, squash, tennis Wear compression knee socks on longer trips; stop and move in the car every 2 hours.
