Can anyone give me a little background on it beyond what the site talks about?
I’m not looking for some magic pill to run faster, but rather w/o pain. I have heard this technique…and read…can be a successful alternative for those who have battled injuries. Degenerative disc issues in both medial tibial plateus…worth a try?
If anyone has some first hand experience I would love to hear the how and what…thank you.
I took two classes with Dr. Romanov, the “inventor” of POSE. There are some very serious limitations to what is discussed on the running site. Running well is absolutely NOT only about “pulling your foot off the ground.” The extension chain is a massive part of what drives you forward. Glutes, especially, pull the leg BACK - not up - and their role is totally overlooked by POSE. Well, I suppose they would factor in glute med as a pevic stabilizer, but the idea of extension for propulsion is thrown out the window. Which is ludicrous. This discussion is impossible to have with Romanov - who is wonderful, but totally crazy.
Now, the biomechanical inaccuracies of the POSE aside, the course is well worth it, IMO. Running technique is often overlooked. And I think there are a lot of good things that come from the POSE course. I enjoyed the courses tremendously. I think they made me a better runner. But I never could get past the glaring errors in what was taught and “drink the kool-aid.” I looked at POSE for what I think it really is - a set of drills designed to work on running technique, which is a good thing.
You bring up great points Jordan, as always. I had the same thoughts when exposed to it, but I agree that many now just go out and run, when some drill work would improve many dramatically. It just doesn’t appeal to the “miles make you faster” crowd. I recently have started back doing drills and have loved the new engagement of my mind in the running process and a much more fluid and efficient gait. Consistently done, drills are the secret weapon, so hopefully the old guys in my age group don’t use them.
Pose saved me from giving up running and accepting the fate of a charity ride cyclist. Seriously. The book is worth it.
But, I’ll agree with Jordan that they’re really drills to get you to run properly. I’d guess the Chi or Evolution “methods” all aim at about the same thing. But, as a teacher myself, I was impressed with Romanov’s pedagogy. He gives you multiple ways to understand the proper form, whether you’re a visual learner, conceptual thinker, practical-minded learner, etc. I found I liked some of his “hooks” and really focused on those, while ignoring some of the others.
As Romanov points out, the Pose *method *is not a method of running but a method of learning how to run properly. And I think it teaches pretty well.
As Romanov points out, the Pose *method *is not a method of running but a method of learning how to run properly. And I think it teaches pretty well.
It used to be a method of running. I guess I wasn’t the only one who expressed the sentiments I wrote here. I’m glad he made that change to the way he teaches what POSE is. I think that’s a subtle - but significant - change and a very good one. As a method of learning to run, I think POSE has a ton of value. 1000x better, for example, about learning to mid-foot strike than putting on a pair of Newtons and waiting for a miracle. 
Don’t remember how I came across that site (or an older version anyway…this was almost 10yrs ago), but like most of the “perfect running form” constructs you hear about you have to look beyond the hype for what often end up being common threads. In the case of POSE, I felt it really boiled down to mid/forefoot running…which means getting your weight off your heels. A slight forward lean (whole body, not bent at the waist…imagine the whole swimming downhill thing and apply it to your body position when running) does wonders for shifting your weight off the heels. Then, for the same pace you run at now, try to increase your stride rate (with a corresponding decrease in stride length) and you should find that your footstrikes are just a little less violent than before. Spin those light happy feet. The ground should feel like a treadmill driving your feet back and up, rather than you reaching out and pulling the road backwards with your heels. That’s what I tell my CC kids anyway.
I didn’t need or appreciate it so much for injury prevention/recovery, and can’t speak to your needs there I’m afraid…the basic principles just seemed right to me when it came to improving my efficiency. The fact it did (after some adaptation) also result in less wear and tear on me was a bonus. I did feel like I recovered better day to day.
Don’t be surprised if you find you want/need to change your shoes…I found mid/forefoot running accentuates differences (and breakdown due to age) in that part of the shoe. At the first sign of shin splits, my shoes are dead. YMMV.
Great stuff guys thank you all.
Sounds like it might be worth learning about before I completely give up running:)
romanov and pose running is a hack. same with chi running, newton running, vibram running.
save yourself the cash and actually get better at running by reading BarryP and Desert dude’s posts on the topic.
since youll have so much cash left over from not wasting your money, you can buy jack daniels running formula and take your sweetheart out to dinner.
My wife trains with w POSE coach here in Austin. It has done wonders for her in both injury prevention and speed. I don’t drink that kool-aid, but i do find myself doing some drills and working on improving my form.
If you have injury issues, I recommend giving it a try. Only cautionary advice is to stay in the shallow end for a while before diving off the board. With new form and different foot-striking, you may expose weak areas to more stress and time is needed to build strength. I actually strained my achilles training for a marathon this winter using too much mileage on a changed strike. Backed off, and within about 60 days it was gone.
happy running.
Thanks man I will definitely go into the shallow end. I actually have zero expectations and it’s been over 2 years w/no running now. My ‘knee-hab’ x 3 is finally working and I feel the desire to try it in baby doses.
Thanks all
romanov and pose running is a hack. same with chi running, newton running, vibram running.
save yourself the cash and actually get better at running by reading BarryP and Desert dude’s posts on the topic.
since youll have so much cash left over from not wasting your money, you can buy jack daniels running formula and take your sweetheart out to dinner.
Both POSE and Chi - at least to a certain extent - are about how to run from a technical perspective. BarryP and Desert Dude’s thread’s thread are about how to run from a training perspective. They are not mutually exclusive.
That’s like telling someone to spend a lot of time reading Tudor Bompa, because it will make them a better weight lifter, and that they should pay no attention to how they actually lift the weights.
How you train - physiologically speaking - is not the whole story. And neither is good form. You need both.
Newton and Vibram are just products. Newton’s are absurd, IMO, but Vibrams are great. They won’t fix your problems for you. But they do offer a great way to get back to moving the way were supposed without need to actually be barefoot in a world that doesn’t really allow for it anymore.
Running is a skill sport - like swimming. Technique matters. POSE attempts to teach that technique in a logical manner to folks that didn’t grow up running, have been injured, etc. No amount of understanding about how to periodize your training is going to make up for that.
There are very few hands-on running technique workshops for adults. This is totally different than swimming. I don’t think POSE is the best, but I think it has value and is certainly not a waste of time. I think Romanov has found his - and POSE’s - place in the running world.
“Running is a skill sport - like swimming.”
no its not, it’s one of the most basic form of human movement.
technique isnt what injures people most of the time, its the too much too soon using and stupid gimmicks (see above). cadence is the biggest red herring. out of all the runners ive dealt with, only 1 of them had cadence/ technique issues. the vast of majority of people run fine, slow but fine.
running and biking arent skill sports. only swimming and transitions, maybe peeing on the bike.
edit: btw both BarryP and DesertDude address these “technique” issues very well.
Seasons Change
I’m sure I’m about to have an epic ST foot in mouth moment, but you apparently have quite the extensive running knowledge base/background. May I ask your history on running? I know someone was asking Gary Hall Sr.'s pedigree and I nearly died! Are you of the same background? Just like to ask. I have followed Rroof’s advice on a myriad of issues and each one was a home run of successful outcomes for my feet/knees.
I’m open to all kinds of advice, but just like to know who I’m listening to with such ardent opposition to what seems to widely be a fairly well respected running approach with POSE.
pm rroof about it actually.
why would i spend my time criticizing pose unless it was actual garbage? im not trying to sell you anything. believe or not, i actually like to see people succeed.
Jordan is correct in his assessment of all of this. Running is a skill, and the problem is yes, people have been running since they were 2, but not necessarily correctly. I am one who tended to overstride and thus brake with each stride running the way I naturally did. This transmits a TON of shock up the body, and I was feeling it after 30+years. I now engage myself, run with my mind as well (No iPod!!!) and the runs are more rewarding in addition to more efficient and faster. My opinion is a better choice of “style” or technique to follow would be that of Bobby McGee, who really is exceptional about drills to get you into a position where you can maximize the training you’ll find from DD and BarryP.
pm rroof about it actually.
why would i spend my time criticizing pose unless it was actual garbage? im not trying to sell you anything. believe or not, i actually like to see people succeed.
Don’t take it personally, just wanted to know if you were an average joe like me or someone with a honed skill set in running techniques and whatnot.
Ok thanks! I have seen threads with BarryP’s name, but quite honestly passed them by b/c I had thrown in the towel on running:(
I’m heading to the lake, but will be googling B.McGee soon…thank you!
“Running is a skill sport - like swimming.”
no its not, it’s one of the most basic form of human movement.
technique isnt what injures people most of the time, its the too much too soon using and stupid gimmicks (see above). cadence is the biggest red herring. out of all the runners ive dealt with, only 1 of them had cadence/ technique issues. the vast of majority of people run fine, slow but fine.
Picking up a heavy object off the ground is one of the most basic forms of human movement as well, and yet there is absolutely a correct and an incorrect way to do it, and people regularly employ the incorrect one - and injure themselves in the process.
Running is a basic form of movement. But is running in shoes equally basic? How about motion control shoes with an inch and a half of heel and crazy posting? How about running on a man made substance that has essentially NO elasticity - concrete? The point is that many people - most people - have spent their lives f’ing up this basic form of human movement. For a lot of people, their body is MUCH more familiar with sitting at a desk pounding keys than it is with how to run from A to B. You have folks that weigh in the world that weigh 500lbs. Running is as foreign to them as eating a salad.
What these “technique” focused training methods show people is how to do what their body WAS designed to do. To undo the crap they’ve done to it.
Take a video of the majority of finishers at every major marathon. Compare it a video of the top ten men. And tell me that there aren’t serious differences in the way - technically - that they run.
Human beings weren’t designed to sit in a desk chair for 10 hours a day. But for a lot of people THAT is now the most basic form of human movement - sit at work, sit in he car, sit at home in front of the TV. A lot of people need help actually realizing, “holy crap, that’s my hamstring. That’s supposed to get sore when I run, NOT my knee…” For some people that’s just a totally foreign concept.
If you want to talk about “too much too soon,” which I absolutely agree is the major source of injury, you have to realize that for some people, simply running is too much.
Ok thanks! I have seen threads with BarryP’s name, but quite honestly passed them by b/c I had thrown in the towel on running:(
I’m heading to the lake, but will be googling B.McGee soon…thank you!
Remember, as Jordan said (who DOES have quite a pedigree), DD and Barry are for TRAINING, but do the form work FIRST!!! You will be very glad you are not jumping into reinforcing the same things that hurt you before many times over. Then you can move to Plyometrics, which will really give you a boost…patience…
Ok thanks! I have seen threads with BarryP’s name, but quite honestly passed them by b/c I had thrown in the towel on running:(
I’m heading to the lake, but will be googling B.McGee soon…thank you!
Remember, as Jordan said (who DOES have quite a pedigree), DD and Barry are for TRAINING, but do the form work FIRST!!! You will be very glad you are not jumping into reinforcing the same things that hurt you before many times over. Then you can move to Plyometrics, which will really give you a boost…patience…
No question…baby steps. I’m not even running yet so it’s easy for me to pull the reigns back…b/c there is no engine yet. Thanks much.