Pose Method of Running [Paperback]

When I first read the Pose Method book, I was a bit skeptical, as it recommended such an incredibly different approach to running. However, after years of intermittent layoffs due to injuries, I was willing to try *anything* to be able to run again.

After reading the entire book and practising running in Pose for a few months, the theories have gelled in my mind, and I can understand exactly where Dr. Romanov is coming from. Now it all seems so clear, I don't see how people can run any other way, and I know why injuries are so terribly common in the running population.

Dr. Romanov provides good theoretical background for the Pose Method, explained in layman's terms, with a nice, chatty tone. In fact, the tone of the entire book is helpful, friendly, and supportive. It is neither dry nor didactic, even when reviewing the grounding in physics needed to understand the action of gravity in assisting ones running.

One can tell by reading this work that Dr. Romanov's goal is to help people run -- nothing more, nothing less. He has discovered perhaps the greatest key ever found to running with fewer injuries and less effort and is sharing that discovery with the running world.

The book contains many drills, exercises and stretches, which are extremely good to have on hand for future reference long after the reader has absorbed the text. Illustrations are good, probably about an 8 on a scale of 1-10. Sometimes it's hard to track exactly what movement is being requested, or what the difference in execution or benefit is between one and another. However, doing a few, or doing all over time, can only be helpful.

Dr. Romanov wraps up this book with ways to review ones progress, and to identify and correct errors in form. This helps the self-taught student avoid stumbling into common pitfalls, and instead optimize results without necessarily having the benefit of personal coaching.

Any runner who is tired of being injured, or who has reached a plateau in speed and is willing to revolutionize his or her form in order to reach a higher level of performance would benefit from and enjoy this book. A great read, and a great value.

Okay, this review will be a little... different. I have a LOT of criticisms against this book, and I will mention them first.

CONs.

1. PRICE. I bet you're all complaining about this ridiculous price, and even after purchasing this book, I still cringe knowing how much I paid for it. Oh, sure, it's worth it (else I wouldn't have given it five stars), but it's just a book, for heaven's sake! I mean, the price is in the range of coffeetable collector-type hardcover books with great pictures. Perhaps the Pose people shouldn't self-publish -- maybe they should get a publisher so that this book will be more in the $14.95 range. Then again, going to a Pose clinic is tons more expensive, but still... it's a high price (and none of that usual "20% off from Amazon" type of discount, too!)

2. OVERLY VERBOSE. Some people say it's "chatty"... well, as chatty as an American can get with a Russian scientist (haha!, sorry, Dr. R!). Then again, Dr. Romanov IS a Russian SCIENTIST, and a running sports scientist at that. But this book is overly verbose. It's about 300 pages. If someone were to make a Cliff's Notes version, the handbook could be condensed to probably about 25 pages or so. But you didn't order a Cliff's Notes version. And yet, I think that a good condensation of this book (not a mere distillation of ideas), and if Dr. Romanov were American or a native English speaker/writer, I think this book could have been done in 200 pages or less. For instance, the first few chapters are trying to convince you that the Pose Method is THE best method of running. Hey, I already bought the book, so could we get on with the details?

But when I say overly verbose, if you think this review is already lengthy, try chatting it up with Dr. Romanov. Go to his website, and see his video segments there that expound on the little details -- and you'll see that even in his videos which are about 3 minutes, someone else could have probably done it in under 2 minutes. Is it because he's Russian and still translating in his head? Could be.

Overly verbose: there's just too much detail that sometimes it gets boring to read, that it detracts from the original idea. However, I'll take that anytime over lacking detail. It's just that it could have been more CONCISE, and still convey Dr. Romanov's ideas completely.

3. PICTURES. There are almost no PICTURES, but there are lots of ILLUSTRATIONS. This is a minor complaint, as the illustrations have a lot of detail and are anatomically correct, but, in this reviewer's opinion, more pictures could have been added (but I guess you could buy the companion DVD, but <gasp!> look at the price on that thing! ... that said, I'll probably order it anyway).

Okay, that was a lot of CONs. Now the PROs: Well, there's only one:

THIS BOOK TEACHES YOU HOW TO RUN CORRECTLY.

I am a firm believer in the Pose method. And guess what? What I spent buying this book, I save on SHOES!!! I now go for racing flats (normally half the price of those ultra-cushioning-structured-high tech shoes). It was a bit hard transitioning to the POSE method, and after my calves were in knots after just a few kilometers (heh! metric system, fellas, METRIC system! haha!), I thought "Man, this Pose method has to make my muscles re-learn how to run... OR, there must be something wrong with what I'm doing." True enough, it was the latter -- I was still pushing off (propulsive action) rather than just free-falling (confused about the terminology? get the book and you'll see what that's all about). I still have to master the Pose method, and running still gets my calves to ache (note to self: don't focus on the landing, focus on the pulling off the ground).

Do read the other reviews here. By and large, they have positive things to say about the Pose method, and this review has been overly verbose as it is (must be contagious). And yet, with this one PRO, it makes up for all the CONs, and this book gets the five stars it deserves.

Do note, my criticisms are not against the POSE method, but on the book (price, length, pics). Too bad there aren't any Pose clinics/seminars yet in my country!

So, here ends the review, and hope you found it useful. Despite the price, I urge everyone to get the book.

This book is the real thing. After reading and doing some of the exercises in this book, I can run a mile more than a full minute faster at the same level of effort as I did before applying the Pose Method. And I have not even started to do more mileage or interval training, which I had given up years ago because it always led to more injuries. Another benefit from my using the Pose Method is that my knees no longer hurt after several miles, and the burning I used to get in my quadriceps muscles (front thighs) after long runs is gone. This is directly related to Dr. Romanov's points about landing on one's toes. I also notice that my hamstrings(muscles at back of thighs) are getting stronger and larger,without incurring injury. I have always wondered why most of the elite distance runners, especially the Africans, have such large thighs, especially their hamstrings. Now I know, they naturally and unconsciously run according to most or all of the principles of the Pose Method! If you don't believe me, videotape or Tivo an elite running race, and watch the runners in slow motion. And notice how well developed their hamstrings are compared to those of the average recreational runner.

Reading this book, watching myself run, and remembering how I used to run thirty years ago, it occurs to me that many young people instinctively run with the pose method, and that age, injuries (running and non-running related), a sedentary lifestyle, and age-related atrophy of abdominal, back, and hip muscles all combine to turn our running form into the worst type of ground-pounding jogging. Many people who give up running or jogging say they do so because their joints cannot take the pounding anymore. They assume that the pounding has always accompanied their running, and it is just that their bodies cannot take the same amount of stress as when they were younger. Well, there have been recent studies that suggest young runners actually place less mechanical "pounding" stress on their bodies than older runners running at the same or slower speeds. Dr. Romanov's book makes many points addressing the reduction or elimination of inefficient and harmful pounding mechanical stresses during running. In a very real sense, this book can be a fountain of youth for runners. It will give you back your younger running speeds and times, prevent recurrence of injuries, making you the runner you were when you were younger, or even better.

The Pose Method was initially counter-intuitive to this runner, whose running form had gradually deteriorated through the years. But it does work and it works wonders. You have nothing to lose but your injuries and frustrations of not running faster and farther. Dr. Romanov is doing the running community a great service. He truly does want everyone to be the best runner possible, and injury-free at that. Also, get the video or DVD to see exactly what Dr. Romanov means in the exercise drills.