That’s called writing something without thinking about it, gotta stop posting late at night :) Given how much I sit and how tight my hams are, I should have known better. An amendment is in order.

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Squats and deadlifts.  

I can’t help but wonder what would happen to the muscle activation once runner have habituated running at a high cadence. Just getting a runner to start turning over 10% faster is something that will require a different muscle activation rhythm than they will be used to and I would expect unlikely to automatically provide the most efficient muscle activation for this new movement pattern.

The fact that the 5% case was little different, and only the 10% faster cadence showed notable differences makes me wonder if runners can accomodate a small difference in cadence relatively efficiency but push it too far and then have to more consciously engage muscle to up the cadence.

For myself my cadence has risen over the last three years, since I got back into running. What would have once felt forced and inefficient is entirely natural.  My leg and torso muscles have strengthened and very likely stiffer so I’d guess this will be contributing to the higher cadence as much as efforts to change my running form.   My efficiencies have upped as well, I’m now consume 10 to 20% less calories per mile depending upon pace according to my HR monitor.  There are lots of other factors that can explain the increase in efficiency, increase in stiffness and cadence are likely to be in the mix.

Another great way to reduce Biomechanical Overload of smaller lower limb muscles. If the glutes aren’t firing in late swing to load the spring (spring mass model), other smaller muscles will compensate to maintain momentum. Eg Inappropriate firing of gastrocs in late stance to push the body forward(posterior overload), prolonged contraction of tib ant(anterior overload). I use cadence as a key tool to promote early activation of glutes when treating injured runners with compensatory biomechanical overload syndromes.