If you’re an avid runner, you in all probability have a good suggestion of how your coaching shapes your strides. Nonetheless, fascinating new analysis reveals that your individual traits may additionally make clear the way you run—and all you want is a straightforward character take a look at to learn how.
In an April 2024 PLoS One research, researchers discovered that your Myers-Briggs character kind can decide for those who run in an earthbound model or in a extra springy, dynamic trend (each of which may have an effect on your efficiency).
Right here’s what to know in regards to the Myers-Briggs character take a look at, what the research authors found, and apply the findings to your individual coaching.
What’s the Myers-Briggs character take a look at?
Formally often known as the Myers-Briggs Sort Indicator (MBTI) evaluation, this software is supposed that can assist you perceive your character and apply these insights to spice up their private {and professional} effectiveness, per The Myers-Briggs Firm.
The take a look at identifies you as one in all 16 MBTI character varieties, based mostly on the next 4 classes.
Extraversion-introversion
These are reverse methods of directing and receiving power.
Individuals with extraversion get their power from the outer world of individuals and experiences—and focus their power and a focus outward, as effectively by actions.
When you have introversion, you gas up on power out of your inside world of ideas (and have a tendency to focus your consideration in that very same inward path).
Sensing-intuition
This class refers to other ways of taking in data.
When you’re on the sensing aspect, you give attention to what’s “actual” by taking in data out of your 5 senses.
These on the instinct aspect, alternatively, choose data by affiliation and give attention to the probabilities of what could possibly be.
Considering-feeling
These are reverse methods of creating selections and coming to conclusions.
When you’re within the pondering class, you’re all about goal logic, and also you attempt to analyze conditions with out getting emotionally concerned with them.
When you’re within the feeling class, you favor to make selections based mostly on values and weigh the human motives behind sure conditions.
Judging-perceiving
This class covers the other ways folks method the skin world.
When you’re on the judging aspect, you wish to hold issues deliberate and arranged. You get pleasure from making a choice and having the closure that comes with that.
However, for those who’re on the perceiving aspect, you favor to maintain your choices open—choosing a spontaneous, adaptable way of life.
“The outcomes of this research are actually attention-grabbing, and in my expertise as a working coach, there are actually methods through which a runner’s character influences how they run, prepare, and reply to teaching.” —Alexa Duckworth-Briggs, working coach
What’s the analysis behind Myers-Briggs personalities and working?
Within the PLoS One research, researchers wished to grasp how your Myers-Briggs character kind impacts your working model. They analyzed 80 runners who accomplished randomized 50-meter working trials at varied speeds and assessed their character traits utilizing the MBTI take a look at.
The outcomes confirmed that the sensing-intuition class, particularly, was related to working model. The researchers discovered that runners who fall into the “instinct” class are likely to deal with their legs like elastic springs, utilizing a dynamic working type with a stretch-shortening model.
In the meantime, those that had been on the “sensing” aspect erred towards working in a extra earthbound trend. These runners launched themselves ahead with every stride, quite than upward.
“This exploratory research provides compelling proof that character traits, particularly sensing and instinct, are related to distinct working biomechanics,” be aware the authors within the research. “Sensing runners, who take note of bodily realities and like sensible and particular info, are likely to undertake a extra grounded working type.”
Nonetheless, there are just a few limitations of this analysis: For one, it’s a comparatively small research, solely 80 runners. Plus, though the researchers recruited runners with various coaching backgrounds, almost 70 of them had been male and all of them recognized as Caucasian (so the research lacked gender and racial variety).
The query of which working model is “higher” additionally is determined by the context.
“A working model that entails extra dynamic, elastic actions is mostly related to higher efficiency in sprinting and actions requiring explosive energy,” says Alexa Duckworth-Briggs, a U.Okay. Athletics-certified working coach for We Run, based mostly in Studying, England. “In distinction, a extra earthbound working model is likely to be extra environment friendly over longer distances, the place conserving power is essential.”
“I see loads of worth in a research like this. If nothing else, it’s going to hopefully get coaches athletes in a extra holistic method. One cue actually doesn’t work for all athletes.” —Kristen Hislop, CPT
What do the research outcomes imply for runners?
Though these research outcomes aren’t definitive in the case of how your character would possibly have an effect on your working, coaches agree that character traits can have an effect on your general coaching.
“The outcomes of this research are actually attention-grabbing, and in my expertise as a working coach, there are actually methods through which a runner’s character influences how they run, prepare, and reply to teaching,” Duckworth-Briggs says. “The try to formalize our understanding of those hyperlinks is fascinating—and will open up prospects to additional tailor a runner’s teaching to go well with them higher.”
For example, based mostly on the outcomes of this research, intuitive runners would possibly discover it useful to incorporate working drills or leaping workout routines of their coaching to develop their pure propensity for dynamic working.
Intuitive runners may also profit from understanding how they transfer up and down when working (known as vertical oscillation) and tuning into their working rhythm to hone in on how a lot time their toes spend on the bottom, provides working coach Kristen Hislop, CPT, a USAT Degree 1 licensed triathlon coach and AFAA licensed private coach.
In the meantime, a sensing runner would possibly do higher by fascinated by the really feel of the bottom beneath their toes.
“I usually say to consider the bottom as a treadmill with no motor,” Hislop says. “You land on it and need to get the tread shifting.”
As a result of the research assessed working model over 50-meter repeats (which isn’t a quite common distance outdoors of dash coaching), extra analysis is required to grasp folks’s character and working model over longer distances, particularly once they’re fatigued.
Nonetheless, the outcomes might encourage runners to contemplate their very own character kind and the way it impacts their working, even outdoors of the sensing-intuition class.
“Extroverted runners, for instance, would possibly discover they excel in group settings and aggressive environments,” Duckworth-Briggs says. “Or a choice for pondering or feeling would possibly affect how a runner responds to suggestions from a coach or aggressive stress. These insights can show very helpful in tailoring a runner’s method to their coaching.”
Understanding an athlete’s character profile may additionally assist coaches higher tailor their instruction for runners.
“I see loads of worth in a research like this,” Hislop says. “If nothing else, it’s going to hopefully get coaches athletes in a extra holistic method. One cue actually doesn’t work for all athletes.”
When you’re a runner, you might discover it useful to take the Myers-Briggs character take a look at to be taught extra about how your character could possibly be affecting your coaching, the stress of races and competitors, objective setting, and past.
By higher understanding your character, you might discover you higher perceive your sport.
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- Gindre C, Patoz A, Breine B, Lussiana T. Thoughts to maneuver: Variations in working biomechanics between sensing and instinct shod runners. PLoS One. 2024 Apr 3;19(4):e0300108. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300108. PMID: 38568899; PMCID: PMC10990178.
