Trittfrequenz-Rechner

What is cadence and why does it matter?

Cadence is one of the most useful and easy-to-check running-form elements. How many steps you take per minute can affect your injury risk, your recovery from injury, and your performance. Find out how your cadence compares to other, similar runners with our cadence calculator below, and learn how to work on it.

How to measure cadence

In running, cadence (or step rate) refers to the number of steps you take per minute. To determine cadence, count every second step for a minute and multiply by two. Easier methods include using Movaia’s running form analysis or a running watch that tracks your cadence automatically.

Because a runner’s speed is determined by both:

• the length of each step, and
• the number of steps per minute,

cadence is a key determinant of running performance. And because raising or lowering your step rate also changes the way your body moves, it plays an important role in avoiding — and recovering from — injury.

What’s the “ideal” cadence for runners?

Cadence varies from person to person. A study based on 16,000 hours of running data concluded that higher speed and older age (which correlated with higher speed) tended to increase cadence, while greater leg length and weight tended to decrease it.

For example, Sifan Hassan’s cadence differs between her 1500m effort and the marathon. She ran the 1500m at a pace of 2:34.6 min/km (4:08.9 min/mi) with a cadence of 197 steps per minute, and the marathon at 3:10.2 min/km (5:06.0 min/mi) with a cadence of 180 steps per minute.

Check your cadence in the running cadence calculator

To see how your cadence stacks up against our statistical prediction model, we built the Movaia Running Cadence Calculator. Enter your details below to find out whether your cadence is “normal” for a runner like you.

What if my cadence is “abnormally” high or low?

Beyond the factors above, other reasons can push your cadence higher or lower. Novice runners tend to have a lower cadence than more experienced runners — which may explain why recreational runners rarely reach the cadence of 180 that is often held up as “ideal.”

Fatigue has little impact on cadence for well-trained runners. Elite marathoners — and even ultramarathoners — show cadence that varies with speed but is fairly independent of fatigue. Novices show greater cadence variability when tired.

If none of these factors explains a large deviation from your predicted cadence, it may be worth experimenting with modifying it.

What impact does modifying your cadence have?

Your cadence changes naturally with speed, experience and terrain. But are there good reasons to deliberately modify it? It helps to understand exactly how a change in cadence affects your running:

• A higher cadence reduces step size, bringing your foot landing closer to your body’s centre of mass.
• This is likely to move a rear-foot striker closer to a mid-foot striking pattern.
• A higher cadence reduces vertical oscillation and shortens ground-contact time.
• It reduces impact forces, especially at the knee and hip, and also Achillessehne loads — in general, a higher step rate lowers loading rates at the ankle, knee and hip.
• A cadence ~10 steps/min above self-selected cuts the energy cost of running by 3–7% (though not necessarily the oxygen cost in the short term).

For knee or hip pain, increasing cadence alongside other measures can be beneficial. The evidence for raw performance gains is weaker, but experimenting with a slightly higher cadence for long enough may improve efficiency. A Movaia running form analysis can help identify issues in your form and decide whether a cadence increase is warranted.

While most runners benefit from a higher cadence, in rare cases cadence can be too high for a given speed, leading to overly small steps and reduced efficiency.

How to modify your cadence

• Set a metronome app to about 5% higher than your current cadence and match the beat.
• Start by moving your arms in a running motion in time with the beat.
• Jog on the spot to match the beat.
• Laufen Sie auf einem Laufband oder auf dem Boden im Rhythmus der Musik.
• Begin with one-minute intervals at the higher cadence, then gradually extend them within your runs.

More tips to improve your cadence

• Verwenden Sie eine Wiedergabeliste mit Liedern, deren Schläge pro Minute (BPM) entsprechen Ihrer Zielkadenz — search “BPM playlist” on your streaming service.
• Give it several weeks to adapt, and repeat the process if you haven’t yet reached your target.
• More experienced runners tend to have higher step rates, so as your training load grows your cadence often improves on its own.
• Drills that train your feet and brain to move faster help too — ladder drills and plyometrics (pogo jumps, squat jumps), plus warm-up staples like high knees, A-skips, fast feet and in-place accelerations.
• As your fitness and speed improve, return to the calculator to see how your cadence stacks up.

The takeaway

There’s no one-size-fits-all cadence. With the Movaia cadence calculator you can see how you compare to runners with similar characteristics, and a Movaia running form analysis will automatically consider your individual characteristics (if provided) when evaluating your cadence.

To decide whether to modify your cadence, review your running goals, your injury history and your current running form.

Once you understand how a change in cadence affects form and efficiency, you can set sensible cadence targets. Typically, a higher cadence decreases ground-contact time, vertical oscillation and step size, reduces rear-foot landing and impact load, and lowers the energy cost of running.