Man Finds Out the Right Way To Run—You’re Probably Doing It Wrong

Running is arguably one of the most natural things in the world. Too bad that you’re most likely doing it wrong.

In a video that has garnered 9.1 million views, TikToker Khyree Phoenix (@khyreephoenix) gave us some new running motivation by explaining how everything we thought we knew about running is a lie.

He starts the video, which was filmed on a track field, by saying, “Hey, who was gonna tell me that when you run, all you have to do is this?”

He then leans forward slightly, slowly kicking his ankles in air and raising his arms a little before making fists.

“That’s all you have to do to run,” he says in disbelief.

“Instead, I’m going like this the whole time,” he adds, showing his original running form. This consists of stretching his arms and legs out further and making wider movements.”

As he runs, he says, “And this is killing me.”

He then repeats his first form while saying, “And all you have to do is this.”

Phoenix advises viewers to “lean forward,” arguing that “gravity does the work for you.”

“Once I started doing that, I felt like David Goggins,” he quips.

In a follow-up video, he goes into more depth about the correct running form. He notes how the pain you feel could mean you’re “overexerting.” He overlays the video with images of a correct versus incorrect running form.

In an Instagram conversation with BroBible, Phoenix said he “just ran and had pain and searched up how to fix it and thats what I found.”

“And I appreciate that it blew up,” he added. “It shows that people just need help and want to learn.”

‘Did I Just Learn How To Run?’

Commenters were shocked to discover they’d been running wrong all this time.

“Went down a whole rabbit hole of proper running form and now I’m p—– off,” one said.

“Did I just learn how to run from a TikTok video?” a second asked.

“My brain doesn’t not comprehend what your telling me,” a third wrote.

“Mind you, they couldda taught us proper form in PhysEd instead of like… square dancing and smashing each other in the head with dodge balls,” a fourth complained.

Meanwhile, more experienced runners also gave their take.

“As a former track athlete it’s so crazy how 90% of the population including other athletes don’t know all you have to do to run is swing your arms, pick up your feet, and lean forward,” a fifth said.

A sixth remarked, “People not knowing how to run and people teaching how to run is so sad.”

How Do You Run Properly?

In an article for running website Runner’s World, experts shared insights into how to run correctly.

In terms of how to position your head, Kelli Fierras, a USATF-certified running coach, says, “Be sure to gaze directly in front of you. Don’t tilt your chin up or down, which happens when people get tired.” Moving on to the shoulders, running coach Amanda Nurse says, “You should pull them back, almost like you’re squeezing a pencil between your shoulder blades,” she says. “If you’re starting to hunch over, it’s going to affect your speed or endurance.”

As for your torso, Fierras adds, “You always want to keep a tight core while running—it’ll prevent you from going too far forward or too far backward.” For your arms, Nurse says they need to be at a 90-degree angle and adds that it’s important to keep your hands relaxed. “The more you squeeze your hands, the more energy that you’re getting rid of through your hands—but you want all that energy to go into your actual running,” she says.

Runner’s World says it’s also important to lean into your run, with Fierras adding, “That lean should come from your hips, not from rolling your shoulders forward.”

What About Your Lower Body?

The outlet also states that you should keep your knee in line with the middle of your foot. “You don’t want to lift your knee up to a 90-degree angle if you’re on a flat road; you want to keep it down low so you’re not wasting that energy on the knee drive,” Fierras notes.

Terrence Mahon, a running coach who has trained people for the Olympics, adds that “the easiest way to think about your lower body is to think about your shin being as close to perpendicular as possible when the foot hits the ground.”

Finally, it is best to hit the road with your midfoot, with Fierras saying, “That’s going to help you propel forward better, and your stride won’t come out too far in front of you.”