Study: Running Bent Over Reduces Drag by 40%
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Athletes who run while bending forward at the waist generate up to 40 percent less drag, according to a new “breakthrough” study, presumably resulting in faster speeds.
The research appears in this month’s issue of the journal Locomotion and Perpendicularity.
“For years, experts have instructed runners to ‘run tall,’” said Paul Benedict, Ph.D., the study’s lead author and a professor of human posture at Jefferson University in New York City’s Upper East Side. “Even young children are told, by well-meaning adults, to ‘stand up straight.’ It’s drilled into us.”
The study’s findings, Dr. Benedict said, turn that advice on its head—at least where runners are concerned. To conduct the study, Dr. Benedict and his team dressed a collection of dummies in running gear and placed them in a wind tunnel. For the first round of tests, the dummies stood fully erect while the team measured wind speed, airflow, and drag. For a second round, the dummies were bent forward so that their torsos were parallel or nearly parallel with the floor.
Results of the second round of testing—the “bent forward” one—showed reductions in drag of 36 to 40 percent, depending on the size of the dummy. The team later repeated the process using mannequins instead of dummies, and got the same results.
The researchers concluded that running while bent over is “clearly advantageous” over running with a traditional upright form, and that doing so was all but certain to lead to faster times.
“I do not think it’s hyperbole to suggest that our research represents a breakthrough in running,” Dr. Benedict said. “This will have a profound impact on the sport, in every event from the 100 meter sprint to the marathon.”
“I predict we’ll see a lot of world records falling this year.”
Dr. Benedict added that he and his team intend to conduct more research into running while bent over, but that he hoped runners of all abilities would take advantage of the findings right away.
“Every runner can benefit from running while bent forward,” he said. “I see no reason not to give it a try.”
