Every step should move you forward.
Overstriding does the opposite.
When your foot lands too far in front of your body, it acts like a brake with every stride. You lose momentum, waste energy, and place more stress on the tissues that have to absorb that force.
Over time, this can contribute to common running injuries like:
• Shin splints
• IT band pain
• Knee pain
• Hamstring issues
The goal isn’t to force a perfect running form.
The goal is to become more efficient.
The drills in this video help teach your body to drive the foot down underneath your hips instead of reaching out in front of you. That simple change can reduce braking forces, improve efficiency, and make running feel smoother.
Small changes in technique can add up over thousands of steps.
DM RUN if you’d like help figuring out whether your running form is contributing to your pain.
Ascend Spine & Rehab
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Dedicated to treating the root cause of your pain. Bridge the gap between pain and performance. Runners Guide: https://go.ascendspine.com/introduction-page
06/10/2026
One of the biggest mistakes I see runners make is assuming every ache, tight muscle, or restriction means they need to stretch more.
Sometimes that’s true.
Most of the time, it’s not.
Your body is constantly making decisions about what ranges of motion it trusts. If you don’t have the strength, stability, and control to handle a position, your body will often create tension as a form of protection.
That’s why so many runners stretch their hips, calves, and hamstrings every day but never feel like anything actually changes.
The goal isn’t to become more flexible.
The goal is to become stronger and more controlled throughout the range of motion you already have.
When you can create force, absorb force, and control movement through your hips, knees, ankles, and core, running becomes more efficient and your body has less reason to feel stiff and guarded.
Stretching has its place.
But for many runners, strength training is the missing piece.
Build strength. Own the position. Stay on the road longer.
If you’re foam rolling the same spot before every run...
That’s a clue.
Most runners don’t foam roll because they enjoy it.
They do it because something keeps tightening up.Something keeps hurting.Something keeps coming back.
And while foam rolling can absolutely help you feel better...
It doesn’t explain WHY the same calf, hip, hamstring, or knee keeps becoming a problem in the first place.
Our runners tell us they’re tired of the cycle:
Train.Get hurt.Back off.Feel better.Build back up.Get hurt again.
At some point, you need more than temporary relief.
You need a plan.
You need to figure out what’s actually driving the problem.
And this is what we call the root cause.
DM us “RUNNER” if you’ve been dealing with an injury that keeps coming back and let’s figure out what’s really going on.
Your shoulder doesn’t need another stretch.
It needs a reason to feel safe moving again.
One of the biggest misconceptions we see is that shoulder stability simply means getting stronger.
It doesn’t.
You can bench press a lot of weight.
You can do pull ups.
You can overhead press.
And still have a shoulder that clicks, pops, pinches, or feels unstable.
True stability is your body’s ability to control movement through every position your shoulder can get into.
When that control is missing, your body often creates tension as a protective strategy.
That’s why so many people feel “tight” all the time.
The tightness isn’t always the problem.
Sometimes it’s your body’s way of asking for more control.
Build control first.
Build strength on top of that.
If your shoulder is constantly clicking, popping, grinding, or feeling tight no matter how much you stretch it, DM us SHOULDER and we’ll help you figure out where to start.
Does dry needling actually work?
Short answer: Yes.
But probably not for the reason most people think.
Dry needling is designed to target tight, irritated muscles and trigger points that may be contributing to pain, stiffness, or limited movement.
When the needle is placed into the muscle, it can help decrease tension, improve blood flow, and allow the muscle to relax.
We commonly use dry needling for:• Neck pain• Upper trap tightness• Shoulder pain• Tension headaches• Back pain• Sports injuries
That said, dry needling isn’t a magic fix.
It’s a tool that can help calm things down and create change in the tissue.
The best results happen when we identify why the muscle became irritated in the first place and address the root cause of the problem.
If you’ve been dealing with stubborn neck or shoulder tension and want to know if dry needling is right for you, send us a DM with the word “NEEDLE” and we’ll point you in the right direction.
06/01/2026
Most people think about their spine only when their back hurts.
But your spine is so much more than that.
Your vertebral column aka “spine” has two important jobs:
• Protect your spinal cord.
• Allow you to move efficiently through life.
The spinal cord is the communication highway between your brain and body. Every movement, sensation, and action depends on that connection.
That’s why your body protects it so carefully.
Your brain is protected by your skull.
Your spinal cord is protected by your spine.
A healthy spine isn’t just about avoiding pain.
It requires strength, stability, and mobility throughout the entire body.
Strong back muscles to help support it.
Mobile hips to help reduce unnecessary stress on it.
Healthy shoulders, core strength, and efficient movement patterns to all work together to keep it functioning at its best.
Because your body doesn’t work in isolated parts.
It works as one connected system.
Take care of the structure that’s helping take care of you.
You can do sit-ups.
You can do leg lifts.
You can plank every day.
And still feel unstable.
Because true core strength starts with something most people never train…
Breathing and bracing.
Your core is designed to create pressure and stability from the inside out.
When that foundation isn’t working correctly, your body starts looking for stability somewhere else.
Usually your low back pays the price.
That’s why one of the first things we teach at Ascend is how to properly breathe, brace, and create the foundation your body was built to rely on.
Because every movement you make depends on your ability to create stability first.
Get the foundation right, and everything built on top of it becomes stronger.
DM us “CORE” and we’ll help you figure out if your foundation is supporting you… or contributing to the back pain that keeps showing up.
This Runner’s Guide to Pain is for the runner that keeps asking themselves:
“Should I stop running?”
“Do I just need rest?”
“Is this something I should get checked out?”
“Can I foam roll or stretch this away?”
“Am I making this worse by continuing to run?”
Most runners don’t need to panic every time something starts to ache. But they also shouldn’t ignore pain for months and hope it magically disappears.
This free guide is designed to help you better understand your body as a runner, identify common aches and injuries, and know when you can manage things on your own vs. when it’s time to seek help.
The goal isn’t to make you fearful of pain.
The goal is to help you stay consistent, train smarter, and avoid turning small issues into long-term problems that keep you away from running.
If you’ve been dealing with nagging knee pain, hip pain, shin pain, foot pain, or recurring tightness that keeps coming back…
Click the link in bio and download the free Runner’s Guide to Pain.
Murph 2026 🇺🇸
Finish 58:13
Somewhere around the halfway mark, my push-ups and pull-ups became more of a suggestion than a movement standard 😅
Always an honor to take on Murph and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Memorial Day is about far more than a workout, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to reflect on that alongside an incredible community.
Big shout-out to CORE FSN for putting on an awesome event. If you’re an adult looking to get stronger, move better, and prioritize your health, or a young athlete looking to improve your speed, power, and performance, this is the place to be. The coaching, culture, and people are second to none.
Proud to suffer through this one with everyone today. 💪🇺🇸
05/25/2026
If you’ve had back pain before, you’ve probably heard some version of this:
Stretch more.
Strengthen your core.
Strengthen your glutes.
Watch your posture.
Avoid anything that aggravates it.
But when was the last time someone actually taught you how to strengthen your back?
Not your abs.
Not your glutes.
Your back.
The funny thing is that nobody tells someone with shoulder pain to avoid using their shoulder forever.
Nobody tells someone with knee pain to avoid using their knee forever.
Eventually, those areas need to be strengthened.
Your back is no different.
The goal isn’t to avoid using your back.
The goal is to build its capacity so it can handle the demands of your life.
Most backs don’t need more protection.
They need progressive strength training.
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