The back of a girl running with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a running vest as she tries Chi Running.

Emily Warner

When it comes to health and fitness, I’m a bit of a cynic. Every new ‘health cure’ has me raising my eyebrows skeptically, tutting with an undue sense of indifference. “Yeah sure, we should all be drinking protein powder and raw eggs and microgreens,” I think.

Perhaps this is something to do with my parents. Both doctors; both with a knowledge of human physiology which can rapidly debunk some of these miracle cures. Or maybe it’s my deep mistrust of the health and fitness industry, whose target market seems to be affluent people with hypochondriac tendencies.

However, I am also a runner whose training is peppered with injuries. Just a few days ago, I completed the Copenhagen Half Marathon. But not without a healthy dose of ibuprofen, taped up shins and several hours of yoga. My mum told me at one point during my training: “I’m not sure running is good for you Em.”

“I’m fine,” I replied breezily, pulling on my compression socks and heading out the door for a physio appointment.

I’m certainly not alone in this. An article in The New York Times claimed that up to 79 per cent of runners are injured every year. Despite the article dating from 2011, this data has been the same for over thirty years. It’s not an issue that’s going away. For this reason, when I stumbled across the concept of Chi Running, I had to investigate further: What is it? How can I do it? And, crucially, does it work?

What it Chi Running?

Chi Running was developed by ultra-runner Danny Dreyer in 1999. He was fascinated by the elegant power of Tai Chi (a Chinese martial art that relies on ‘chi’ – the life force). He believes in using Tai Chi to inform the way we move our bodies and, in this way, Chi Running was born. The primary aims of the technique are to run more efficiently and to run injury-free, using gravity to propel you forward. Sounds good, doesn’t it? But maybe too good (my inner cynic was thinking).

In an interview with Floris Gierman from 2019, Dreyer explains how the core is essential to Tai Chi: “You always move from your centre.” He thinks running should be no different. Running should use the most power and strength radiating from your core instead of your legs. “The way the body is designed, is that all the bigger, stronger muscles are in your core … as you get further and further away from the core you get smaller and tinier muscles,” he said.

It sounded reasonable. Yet it is well known that the gluteus maximus (glutes) is the largest muscle in the body, followed by the hamstrings, quadriceps femoris (quads), latissimus dorsi (lats) and pectoralis major (pecs). Three of these power leg movement and none of them are in the core. However, there is a lot of stability and strength which comes from the core. So I persevered, willing to forgive some slightly questionable science.

How to do Chi Running?

Chi Running can be put into practice by making conscious changes to your running form, activating mind to muscle connection. Firstly, run tall. Reinforce your posture, making sure the parts of your body are aligned and your core is engaged. Fitness writer Dimity McDowell describes this as “attaching our head to clouds.”

Then, run with a forward lean from the ankles, as if you are falling. This means that gravity works for you instead of against you. Less effort is placed on the limbs and you can relax the more distal, injury-prone parts of the body.

Avoid heel-strike and instead land on the mid-foot, keeping your feet slightly behind your centre of gravity. Imagine riding a unicycle with your feet strapped to the pedals, McDowell writes, lifting the ‘pedals’ rather than pushing down on them to move. At the same time, focus on your cadence (the frequency of your strides). Run with a metronome if you need to.

According to Dreyer, 170-180 strides per minute is the optimal range. Any less and you spend too much time on the ground, using muscles to support yourself. Any more, and you use too many muscles for propulsion. Speed is controlled by how much you lean. As for footwear, Dreyer said: “You want to wear the least amount of shoe you can safely run in, given how you currently run and the distance you currently cover.”

Lastly, pay attention to breathwork. “Breathing is as crucial to running as your feet,” Dreyer said in his interview with Gierman. He then explained that nasal breathing allows more oxygen to enter your body and triggers the parasympathetic system. This helps you to relax during long distance running. Once again, the science behind his explanation was a bit murky and hard to follow. But Healthline reports nasal breathing can improve lung capacity, increase airflow to arteries, veins and nerves, and slow down breathing. However, the studies on nasal breathing vs mouth breathing during exercise are limited so it’s hard to reach a definitive conclusion.

Does Chi Running actually work?

I did try applying some of these techniques to my own running – the forward lean, the increased cadence, the nasal breathing – with varying levels of success.

It felt strange at first and probably looked even weirder: a girl trying to ‘fall’ towards the pavement, metronome in hand. My feet couldn’t quite catch up with my body and my heart rate soared as I tried to swap my usual mouth breathing for nasal breathing.

However, there was a certain ease to the movement, a fluidity which is usually absent from my lumbering stride. Tightening my core as I ran helped and the concentration required to maintain this form meant I was focusing solely on my body. How am I moving it? What does it feel? Can I reduce the impact even more, lower my effort, relax? This whole-body awareness taught me about the complexity of running. A sport which I used to see as ‘switching off’ or ‘zoning out’ was suddenly demanding my full attention.

The scientific studies on Chi Running are inconclusive. One study by the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy reported chi running does decrease impact on the knees and hips, but it also increases the impact on the ankle. In another study, titled ‘A Novel Running Mechanic’s Class Changes Kinematics but not Running Economy’, researchers found that while chi running did reduce impact, it did little for running economy.

Ultimately, Chi Running might not be a miracle solution but the one thing I do know is that running is more than science. It’s a mental sport as much as a physical one, and Chi Running encourages the connection between mind and body. For runners prone to injury or those looking to enhance their form, it might be worth a try.

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Featured image courtesy of Emily Warner.

I'm a second year English Literature student and Arts Editor for my student newspaper. I am many things, aspirationally; an aspirational writer, journalist, artist, author and editor. Other days, I think I just want to move to Italy and open a bookshop. I enjoy writing about art, literature, film, music, lifestyle and travel. It's also important for me to raise awareness for Type 1 Diabetes, the LGBTQIA+ community and issues of diversity.

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