Spinning your legs without real speed

Last Thursday, I did a gait analysis with a runner. She didn’t mention anything about hip extension, she came in for advice on her running form and shoes.

But when I watched her run, it jumped out immediately: her hip extension was very limited. And that’s something I’ve been seeing more often.

When runners can’t extend the hip fully, their stride cuts off early.

To compensate, they try to make up for it with cadence, spinning the legs faster. But here’s the problem:

• You can only turn your legs over so fast.

• Without stride length, speed stalls and efficiency drops.

Cadence and stride length are the two sides of the speed equation. If one is missing, your ceiling gets a lot lower.

Why Limited Hip Extension Holds You Back

When your stride ends early (because the hip can’t extend), you:

• Limit power from your glutes and hamstrings.

• Take short, choppy steps.

• Waste energy with fast turnover.

It’s like riding a bike stuck in the wrong gear, lots of spinning, not much speed.

How to Fix It

Most runners are:

• Tight in the front (hip flexors, quads).

• Weak in the back (glutes, hamstrings).

So we need to strengthen the posterior chain, and create space in the anterior chain. Here are some tips that will help do that:

Strengthen posterior chain (the back)

• Romanian Deadlifts → build glute + hamstring strength.

• Hip Thrusts or Glute Bridges → direct glute power.

• Single-Leg RDL → running-specific stability.

Lengthen anterior chain (the front)

• Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch → open the hip capsule.

• Couch Stretch → hit quads and hip flexors at once.

• Dynamic Lunges → mobility you can actually use while running.

Putting It Into Practice

Even 10–15 minutes, 2–3 times a week makes a real difference.

• Do strength either before/after easy runs.

• Save stretches for after runs or as a quick “desk break” during the day.

Within weeks, your stride feels longer and smoother. Not because you’re forcing it, but because your body finally lets you use its full range. That’s when speed starts to unlock.

If you’ve been stuck spinning your legs without real speed improvements, it might not be your fitness holding you back, it could be your stride. A running gait analysis can spot these limiters and I can show you exactly where to improve.

Thank you for reading,

Tim 👟