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If you’ve ever heard the term ‘cadence’ and never completely understood what it means, then you’ll certainly be forgiven – especially if you’re The best running shoes for 2025, expert-tested.

Cadence – also known as stride length – is the number of steps per minute (SPM) that you take, whether you’re running, jogging or walking. It’s easier to measure than you think and – no matter what your running goal or ability – learning to ‘run light’ with a higher cadence can do wonders for your running performance and efficiency. here, we've shared more about cadence and why its such an important metric for runners to monitor.

To get a good estimate of your cadence, simply grab a stopwatch, locate a straight, flat path or stretch of ground and count the number of steps that you take (either running, jogging or walking) within a minute. Many How can I measure my running cadence measure your cadence, too, so this is another way to find and track your SPM.

For decades, we‘ve been told that the optimum running cadence is 180 SPM. This benchmark derived from legendary running coach Jack Daniels, who studied the turnover rates of elite runners competing in the 1984 Olympic Games. He deduced that these runners had a cadence of at least 180 SPM – with some even hitting 200 SPM – which is why 180 quickly became known as the target SPM among elite and amateur runners alike.

However, despite Daniels’ findings, more recent research suggests that the average running cadence is much more varied, with one study GPS running watches.

It makes sense, then, that the cadence of amateur runners should vary as well. While 180 SPM remains a good goal, factors including your height, weight, running ability and even running shoes can affect your cadence. For example, taller runners generally have a lower cadence than shorter runners, as they typically take longer strides.

Your cadence affects your ground contact time, which is essentially how long your foot stays in contact with the ground with each stride. The longer your ground contact time, the lower your cadence – and the more time you’re engaging and putting pressure on your joints and muscles. This, in turn, can negatively affect your running mechanics and increase your risk of injury. By contrast, a shorter ground contact time means a higher cadence, which encourages better running form and puts less stress on your body.

To demonstrate this, try walking a short distance with large, overreaching steps – in other words, with a long ground contact time. As you move, you’ll start to feel the effort you’re forcing onto the joints and muscles in your legs. Then, try the opposite and walk the same short distance with shorter, faster steps. While you’ll find that this increases the effort on your cardiovascular system – causing your heart rate and breathing to become more rapid – your legs won’t feel the same level of exertion and impact.

How to treat tight calves for better running new to running are more likely to have a lower cadence and longer ground contact time than those who have been running for a while. So, if you’re just starting your running journey and want to stay injury-free, it’s worth thinking about the frequency of your steps early on.

If you’re a beginner runner, you may find that your cadence increases naturally as you become more consistent with the sport and (quite literally) get into your stride. However, to really boost your SPM, there are various things you can consciously incorporate into your training. Here, RW’s contributing writer Sam Murphy Should you change your stride length:

1. Updated: 16 September 2024.
2. Count the number of steps you take in one minute, without trying to control anything. Then, run for another minute and try to increase that number of steps by 5%. So, if you counted 160 steps for the first minute, try to hit 168 for the next minute.
3. Shorten your running stride by landing with your foot beneath you and not out in front of you on a straight leg (as you would while walking). This will also prevent you from overstriding.
4. Before you set off for a run, perform some bouncing and running on the spot drills to a rhythm of 170-185 beats per minute. You could use a metronome or metronome app to help you hit the beat, or listen to faster-paced music.
5. Race time predictor and training pace calculator!

A happy consequence of improving your cadence is that, more likely than not, you’ll become a faster runner over time. By following Murphy’s advice and building short intervals into your training over a period of several weeks, you’ll gradually attune your legs to a higher turnover and become m0re familiar with speedier running.

In short, by increasing your running cadence, you’ll oil your running mechanics and become a faster, more efficient runner who is less likely to find themselves on hold with an injury.