How to run with power and relaxation. 👇
Spread your toes.
When you spread your toes while running, you’re changing both the mechanics and the neurology of your movement. Here’s why it helps with relaxation and power:
Ground contact & stability
• Spreading your toes increases the surface area of your foot that touches the ground.
• This gives you more stability and a better “platform” to push off from.
• More stability = less gripping/tension higher up in the body (hips, shoulders, jaw).
Relaxation through the nervous system
• The foot is loaded with sensory nerves. When you spread your toes, you “wake up” those receptors.
That sensory input tells your nervous system: ‘I’m balanced, I can relax.’
• The body then reduces unnecessary co-contractions (tension) in the calves, hamstrings, and even upper body.
Stronger elastic recoil
• A relaxed foot with toes spread lets the arch of your foot behave like a spring.
• The plantar fascia stores and releases more elastic energy, translating into better power return with less effort.
Chain reaction up the body
• Spreading the toes engages intrinsic foot muscles → stabilizes the ankle → aligns the knee → frees the hips.
• That clean chain reduces energy leaks and makes your stride more efficient and powerful.
Get present in your feet. Tension rises, relaxation descends.
Think and act for your nervous system, not against it.
Gilesy
