Running Cadence Explained: What It Is and How to Improve It
2 min read
If you want to run more smoothly and with less impact without overhauling everything, cadence is a good place to start. It's easy to measure and easy to nudge.
What cadence is
Cadence is how many steps you take per minute. At the same speed, a higher cadence means shorter, quicker steps.
Many runners overstride — landing with a long, braking step out in front of the body. Raising cadence naturally shortens that step. More in overstriding in running.
Why it matters
Slightly quicker, shorter steps reduce how much your knees and hips have to absorb. In a lab study of 45 recreational runners, raising step rate 5% above each runner's preferred rate reduced the energy absorbed at the knee, and a 10% increase reduced it at the hip as well; step length, braking and vertical bounce all fell as step rate rose (Heiderscheit 2011 (opens in a new tab)).
Why 180 isn't a rule
“Aim for 180 steps per minute” traces back to observations of elite runners at racing speed — not a target for everyone. Recreational runners commonly sit below it, and cadence rises naturally with speed. Your height, leg length and pace all move your own number.
The evidence points to a relative change instead: start from your own cadence at an easy pace and raise it by about 5–10%.
How to raise it gradually
- Find your baseline. Count your steps for 30 seconds at an easy pace and double it — or film a side-on clip.
- Add 5%. Set a metronome app, or music, to that rate.
- Shorter, quicker steps. Land with your foot closer to under your hips, and run tall.
- Start small. Use the new rate for part of a run, then build up over a few weeks. Try 10% only if 5% feels natural.
- Change one thing at a time. Don't raise mileage or intensity in the same weeks.
Measure it from video
Cadence and stride are hard to judge by feel. Film yourself from the side at hip height, with your feet in frame for a few full strides and the phone on your right as you run past (how to film). FormLens measures your cadence in steps per minute, your bounce — how far your hips rise and fall — and the angle of your shin as your foot lands, flagging overstriding when that shin angle is more than 10°. It reads the shin for a runner crossing the screen left to right; filmed the other way, an overstride isn't flagged. Film the same stretch at the same easy pace each time so the numbers compare; the AI coach reads them for your form score.
How FormLens measures this
Running · Filmed side-on, phone at hip height, feet in frame
- Cadence
- Steps per minute, counted from your foot strikes. The gauge shades 160–180 as the typical range.
- Bounce
- How far your hips rise and fall with each stride, in centimetres. The gauge shades 5–10 cm as typical; more than 12 cm is flagged as high bounce.
- Shin angle at landing
- The forward lean of your shin as each foot lands, averaged over the clip. More than 10° is flagged as overstriding — read for a runner crossing the screen left to right. Filmed the other way, an overstride reads as a negative angle and isn't flagged.
- Flight and ground contact
- How much of each stride you spend in the air versus on the ground.
Not measured from the clip: pace or distance. Film a short stretch at a steady pace. Every measurement is an estimate from a single camera, so setup matters — see the camera setup.
Sources
- Heiderscheit BC, Chumanov ES, Michalski MP, Wille CM, Ryan MB. Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(2):296–302. View study (opens in a new tab)
Educational only — not medical advice. FormLens is a training aid, not a medical device; measurements are estimates from a single camera. If something hurts, see a physio or doctor. Terms of Use
First published · Last updated · By FormLens