When Tristar Athletes are running rarely do they think about their legs as “stiff” or as “springs” that recoil and return energy. Much of the time we think about how hard we are running or perhaps our form and pace. An area that can help to improve your running speed is “leg spring stiffness or “LSS”.
Conceptually and practically speaking the more stiff your legs are the less energy you must produce to propel yourself forward with each step. LSS can be calculated by such running power meters as stryd or a Garmin foot pod. This metric as a number on your watch will tell you how stiff the muscles and tendons are. Over time you can track the economy and improvement of your running.
What is a “good” LSS value? LSS is individual and cannot easily be compared across different runners and should be standardized for body weight in your own comparisons over time. For this reason, trends in LSS/kg for specific speeds should be the focus of the analysis.
Dynamic mobility and biomechanics drills along with strength training and hill repeat workouts have been shown to improve leg stiffness
and running economy. All that said, LSS for most athletes ranges from 6 to 14 kN/M.
More Tristar Athletes Running Power Resources
