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THE RUNNING REVOLUTION
“The Pose Method of running has not only eliminated my injuries, it has been an integral part of continued improvement in my chosen sport. In fact at fifty-two years of age I am still improving. A bonus of the Pose Method for me has been significant health and strength improvement. My journey has been patient and progressive and had I continued to run as I did previously I believe I would now be limited to playing board games. My advice is to be patient and persevere; it truly is worth it.”
—Terry Roberts, twenty-eight time Ironman finisher and Ironman Australia legend
“I have used these principles to develop running skill in U.S. Army Soldiers since 2008 and have seen decreases of up to four minutes on a two-mile run within just two weeks.”
—Dr. Charles Blake, U.S. Army Major and physical therapist
“About one year ago, I could not run fifty yards without extreme IT Band Syndrome pain. I spent thirty minutes with Dr. Romanov and could run as far and as much as I wanted pain free. Today, I am the USA Paratriathlon National Champion.”
—David Kyle, associate director of health and physical education, University of Alabama
“The material and insights detailed in The Running Revolution are scientifically, physically, and emotionally profound. The Pose Method has the potential to be used as a standard by which running performances can be evaluated, coached, and enhanced. If you are a runner looking for a resource to reduce injury risk, improve performance, and build your training program, look no further. In twenty-five years of working with running athletes, I have yet to find a more meaningful resource.”
—Tom Whipple, physical therapist, Penn State Sports Medicine, and author of The Endurance Paradox
“Romanov’s teachings have dramatically changed and fundamentally shaped the way we think about, understand, and teach not only running, but all movement. I can say unequivocally that no other information I have acquired in my career has influenced my teaching process more. The Pose Method is the only teaching method we use for our runners at La Palestra.”
—Pat Manocchia, former Good Morning America fitness expert and founder of La Palestra Center for Preventative Medicine
“To tens of thousands of runners, including me, Nicholas Romanov walks (and runs) on water. Approaching running as a skill to be learned, his groundbreaking, much-copied Pose Method established a new paradigm, promoting a soft, natural landing that minimizes impact, maximizes speed, eliminates injuries, and saves running careers. No one thought about form until Romanov came along; now we know that it is crucial. I’ve interviewed dozens of runners who simply would not be running without it.”
—Roy M. Wallack, author of Barefoot Running Step by Step and Run for Life
“The Pose Method of running has been a crucial component of my physical therapy practice. Not only does this method offer a clear standard for teaching and modifying running form, it also allows runners to run more efficiently. I instruct my patients in the Pose Method before allowing them to run again. Since adopting this practice I have seen patients who were unable to run for years not only start running again, but do so pain free. Other patients have shaved one to two minutes, on average, off their two-mile Army Physical Fitness Test run times. Since learning the Pose Method, I have personally dropped my half marathon time by ten minutes.”
—Major Angela Diebal, U.S. Army physical therapist
“There’s no doubt about it, the Pose Method made me a more efficient runner. And the beauty of the system is that no matter who you are, if you stick to the principles and apply them in each training session, you can’t help but improve.”
—Andrew Walters, elite Australian Marathoner, Pose Method coach, and founder of Setai-Do Australia
“I discovered Dr. Romanov’s Pose Method about four years ago, and it has changed the way I understand running. Since then both my athletes and I have gained the ability to run great distances with less stress on the body, faster recovery, and reduced running-related injuries. This book will help transform you into a smoother, more confident athlete.”
—Gil Cramer, running technique specialist and elite ultra marathoner
“Movement skill is foundational for the performance community. Dr. Romanov brings the same approach to running. Romanov’s Running Revolution is the common standard upon which running skill can be built.”
—Major David Feltwell, U.S. Army physical therapist
“Dr. Romanov has spent the majority of his life thinking about running problems and in close to one day the solutions came to him: Pose Method. I am overwhelmed by gratitude when I ponder how much time Dr. Romanov has invested into solving many of the running problems we have not understood in the past.”
—Debbie Savage, strength and conditioning coach, Australian Sports Commission, and former elite sprinter
THE RUNNING REVOLUTION
DR. NICHOLAS ROMANOV is a two-time Olympic coach and world-renowned sports scientist with a career spanning more than forty years. He has conducted research worldwide, including in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and New Zealand. As a former elite record-holding national high jumper, Dr. Romanov created the Pose Method in the 1970s. He founded Romanov Academy in the 1990s to certify and educate coaches teaching sports technique. There are now thousands of Pose Method certified Technique Specialists worldwide. Over the last several decades, the Pose Method has been utilized at an institutional level with large organizations including the United States Military, CrossFit, and professional sports programs including the National Triathlon teams of Great Britain, United States, and Russia. Dr. Romanov also works with medical professionals including physical therapists, podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons. He travels around the world conducting research, consulting professional sports organizations, and as a motivational speaker. Dr. Romanov lives in Miami.
KURT BRUNGARDT has covered the sports and fitness beat for nearly twenty years. He has written ten books on fitness and sports training, including the bestsellers The Complete Book of Abs and The Complete Book of Core Training. He has written for Men’s Health, SLAM, and Vanity Fair. His 2007 feature article for Vanity Fair, “Galloping Scared,” was nominated for a Genesis Award. Most recently, he covered the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 NBA draft for SLAMonline. He is the creator of the multipart documentary series Undrafted for SLAMonline, which started in 2012 and is now in its third year. He’s a contributor to Weight Watchers online and is the associate editor for the Web site ProHoopStrength.com (a Web site started by NBA strength coaches). He has also produced and directed exercise videos, most notably the Billboard Top 10 classic Abs of Steel for Men as well as Action Sports Camp (a workout for kids), hosted by NBA All-Star and champion Sean Elliot. He lives in New York City.
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First published in Penguin Books 2014
Copyright © 2014 by Nicholas Romanov
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
Infographics and drawings: Benjamine Reid / Pose Method, Inc.
Photographs: Luis Piñol / Pose Method, Inc.
Shoe sketches here: Andrey Pyanzin / Pose Method, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-101-60560-8
Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would never have come together without the tremendous effort of my family, colleagues, and friends, who provided never-ending support in my journey to bring this knowledge to the world. I am forever grateful to all of them.
The continuous passionate work of my wife Svetlana, the spirit of my daughter Marianna, the creativity of my daughter Lana, the dedicated work of my son Severin, and the heart-warming support of my son Nicky and granddaughter Sophia have always been the main driving forces behind my work.
I can’t express enough how much I appreciate my pleasant collaboration with Kurt Brungardt, whose talent helped me to express all these ideas in an easy-to-read free flowing manner. My sincere thank you to my dear friend and colleague Dr. Graham Fletcher, whose efforts and dedication to provide a scientific background for the Pose Method are priceless. Many thanks to Ben Reid for his creative work on developing the images and illustrations for this book and to our steady-handed photographer Luis Piñol.
Thank you to our friends Nicole Vassilaros, Chris Drozd, Ed Bugarin, Carol Jaxon, and Eike Schwartz for their tireless work in the studio as the best fitness models anyone could ask for.
I am grateful to the army of runners, triathletes, and fitness enthusiasts around the world who have accepted the Pose Method as their way of running, which continues to be my inspiration to continue perfecting my work.
DR. NICHOLAS ROMANOV
In chronological order: Thanks to Dr. Romanov and his entire family for sharing their homes in Miami for extended stays, when we worked on the book. Also, thanks to Dr. R and Severin for patiently sharing their knowledge. Thanks to Dan Strone and Trident Media for having confidence in the book. I’d also like to thank my brothers, who are always helpful in conversation and advice in the areas of sports and fitness. And, of course, as always, my mother for her humor, interest, and support.
Thank you to everyone at Penguin, the editors, production staff, and marketing team for bringing this book to readers. Specifically, we’d like to thank our fantastic editors; this process started with Tara Singh Carlson, then moved on to Liz Van Hoose. Liz handed it off to Ramona Demme, who eventually handed it back to Tara for the last stages—true teamwork. Thank you to senior publicist Meredith Burks for her work, and finally editor in chief Patrick Nolan for his support of this project.
KURT BRUNGARDT
To Tracy Marx (sometimes Karl, sometimesGroucho), who is always a willing partner in a revolution. —K.B.
Advance Praise for The Running Revolution
About the Authors
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Dedication
INTRODUCTION | How to Run Like the Best in the World
PART ONE
PREPARING FOR THE POSE
A PERSONAL HISTORY OF RUNNING | My Journey from Russia to America
THE PERCEPTION SYSTEM | The Key to Learning
YOUR RUNNING JOURNAL | Tracking Your Progress
CHOOSING AND USING THE RIGHT SHOE . . . OR NONE AT ALL | Finding the Perfect Fit
DIGITAL CAPTURE | Getting to Know Your Stride
PREPARE TO MOVE | Increasing Your Mobility
YOUR STRENGTH ROUTINE | Building Stability and Power
PART TWO
TEN LESSONS
INTRODUCTION TO THE LESSONS | Mastering the Skill of Running
LESSON ONE | The Foot
LESSON TWO | The Running Pose
LESSON THREE | Falling
LESSON FOUR | The Pull
LESSON FIVE | Integrating the Frames
LESSON SIX | The Achilles Tendon
LESSON SEVEN | Pose Frame Revisited
LESSON EIGHT | Falling Frame Revisited
LESSON NINE | Pulling Frame Revisited
LESSON TEN | Putting It All Together Again
GRADUATION | Enjoy the Moment
PART THREE
THE RUNNING CIRCUIT
INTRODUCTION TO THE RUNNING CIRCUIT | Going to the Next Level
BECOMING YOUR OWN COACH | Overcoming Challenges
THE RUNNING CIRCUIT | Making the Transition
RUNNING ON DIFFERENT SURFACES | All-Terrain Guide
COMMON INJURIES | Prevention and Treatment
PART FOUR
TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT
BIG MONKEY, SMALL MONKEY | How to Gauge Your Body’s Training Needs
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR | 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon
RUNNING FOR A LIFETIME | Staying Healthy, Having Fun, Personal Records
APPENDIX | CHEAT SHEET
GLOSSARY
DRILL INDEX
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
How to Run Like the Best in the World
Here’s a breakdown of Usain Bolt’s world record 100-meter race in Berlin in 2009: 9.58 seconds. Forty-one steps. Time on the ground—3.20 seconds. Time in the air—6.38 seconds. Running is flying.
If you watch it on YouTube, adding to the thirteen million–plus views, a feeling of wonder might surprisingly well up inside you. It’s like seeing any great performance in sports or the arts; it takes you somewhere beyond. To see a human run that fast—faster than any other human on the planet has ever run (at least in modern history)—triggers something deep in the body about our movement potential, about our ability to master our mind-body relationship in an essential way, erasing perceived limits.
