Do you train your cadence?

Discover more and why your running and cycling performance will thank you for it.

Emma O'Toole
July 07, 2024

Hello!

With the wealth of training data at the tips of our fingers from modern smartwatches and training devices, it’s tempting to focus on a few metrics like heart rate, power output and pace, while overlooking others.

Today we’re dialing in on cadence and why an awareness of it can give you excellent training results for not much more effort than what you’re already putting in.

CADENCE: WHAT IS IT?

Runners: It’s the number of steps per minute you take whilst running. Referred to as SPM, eg. 175spm = 175 steps per minute.

Cyclists: It’s the rate at which you turn the pedals. Measured in revolutions per minute, eg. 90rpm = 90 revolutions of the pedal per minute.

IS THERE AN OPTIMAL CADENCE?

There is no one-size fits all optimum cadence and there are many factors that can influence your cadence, from height, weight, targeted race/event goal, to your experience with running and cycling and the terrain you’re training on.

It was often touted that 180spm was the golden number for runners with the benchmark coming from a study looking at the cadence of elite runners at the 1984 Olympics. Cycling has gone through a shift in recent decades; long gone are the days of riders grinding the pedals at 70rpm in favour of spinning along nicely at 90-100rpm+. The catalyst for this is often remembered as the ‘Lance era’, where Armstrong famously spun his legs like no tomorrow to drop his main competitor Jan Ulric in the Tour de France who was churning through each pedal stroke.

HIGH VS LOW CADENCE:

Cycling: We can produce the same amount of watts in different ways. 300 watts can be produced at 90rpm or at 70rpm; the difference is the torque. At 70rpm we are generating more torque with each pedal revolution. Whilst at 90rpm, each pedal revolution is at a lower torque but we have 20 more revolutions per minute. Both cadences still produce 300 watts.

Running: Again, we can run at the same speed in different ways. 8 minute miles/4:58 min/km can be ran at 180spm or 155spm; the difference is the stride length. At 155spm we have a larger stride length than at 180spm. Runners at each cadence (spm) still run at 8 mins per mile/ 4:58min/km per km.

So if we can get the same outcome regardless of our cadence, does it really matter how we get there? In short, yes. Let’s look at the tables below for some advantages and disadvantages of high vs low cadence in running and cycling.

HIGH CADENCE: THE BENEFITS & DRAWBACKS

	Benefits:	Drawbacks:
Running:	- Improves running economy and form. - Reduces force through the hips, knee, ankles and feet. - Force reduction can be achieved with as little as a 5-10% increase in cadence. - Reduces risk of injury due to reduces force reductions. - Decreases likelihood of overstriding.	- Can feel unnatural for runners to work at a faster cadence. - Often increased cadence results in increased pace and this can then cause too much of a heart rate response and cause you to not train in your targeted heart rate/pace/running power zone.
Cycling:	- More effective for improving cardiovascular system, eg. Vo2 max work. - More efficient pedal stroke (reduction to muscle co-activation). - Less fatiguing on muscles as less torque being produced with every revolution. - More efficient acceleration in race settings.	- Need for appropriate use of gears to avoid ‘bouncing’ in the saddle and inefficient pedal stroke. - Can be detrimental to novice cyclists who do not have the stability and strength to work and hold higher cadences. - Can provide too much of a heart rate response and despite working in your targeted power zone, your heart rate is too high to elicit the desired training response.

Benefits:

Drawbacks:

Running:

- Improves running economy and form.

- Reduces force through the hips, knee, ankles and feet.

- Force reduction can be achieved with as little as a 5-10% increase in cadence.

- Reduces risk of injury due to reduces force reductions.

- Decreases likelihood of overstriding.

- Can feel unnatural for runners to work at a faster cadence.

- Often increased cadence results in increased pace and this can then cause too much of a heart rate response and cause you to not train in your targeted heart rate/pace/running power zone.

Cycling:

- More effective for improving cardiovascular system, eg. Vo2 max work.

- More efficient pedal stroke (reduction to muscle co-activation).

- Less fatiguing on muscles as less torque being produced with every revolution.

- More efficient acceleration in race settings.

- Need for appropriate use of gears to avoid ‘bouncing’ in the saddle and inefficient pedal stroke.

- Can be detrimental to novice cyclists who do not have the stability and strength to work and hold higher cadences.

- Can provide too much of a heart rate response and despite working in your targeted power zone, your heart rate is too high to elicit the desired training response.

LOW CADENCE: THE BENEFITS & DRAWBACKS

	Benefits:	Drawbacks:
Cycling:	- Develop capacity to generate and tolerate more torque. - Better motor unit recruitment meaning you are able to recruit more muscles fibres within the legs - ie. you can use more of the muscles that you have. (This is also a huge benefit of strength training for cyclists!) - Less fatiguing on cardiovascular system.	- Places muscles and joints under more strain. Higher force through the hip, knee, ankles and foot with every revolution which can increase the risk of injury. - Always riding at a lower cadence may not elicit the heart rate response and subsequent cardiovascular adaptation from your training that you are seeking. - Can get caught out in race situations as you miss the acceleration whilst you are increasing your cadence.

Benefits:

Drawbacks:

Cycling:

- Develop capacity to generate and tolerate more torque.

- Better motor unit recruitment meaning you are able to recruit more muscles fibres within the legs - ie. you can use more of the muscles that you have. (This is also a huge benefit of strength training for cyclists!)

- Less fatiguing on cardiovascular system.

- Places muscles and joints under more strain. Higher force through the hip, knee, ankles and foot with every revolution which can increase the risk of injury.

- Always riding at a lower cadence may not elicit the heart rate response and subsequent cardiovascular adaptation from your training that you are seeking.

- Can get caught out in race situations as you miss the acceleration whilst you are increasing your cadence.

Running: There are not many researched benefits to low cadence running. However, if your cadence is naturally on the lower end, suddenly increasing your cadence can be uncomfortable. It opens you up to the possibility of running too hard/fast and if you are constantly running too hard/fast then you risk overtraining.

If you are looking to gradually build your running cadence, I recommend starting with a 5-10% increase of your current average cadence and doing so for 20% of your run. This can be broken up into sizeable chunks and progressed in time. eg. a 30 minute run includes 3× 2 minute blocks at a cadence that is 5-10% faster than your average cadence.

You can find your average cadence for your runs/rides by digging into the stats section of your workout on your training device. In Garmin it’s found by clicking on your session and going to the ‘Stats’ tab. Strava also has this feature.

Check out your cadence from your next run and ride and let me know! If you would like a FREE high cadence cycling and running skills session please reply to this email with the word CADENCE and I’ll send them across to you.

Have a great weekend running and riding!

Thank you!

Emma x