Running cadence: is 180 steps per minute right for you?

There is no single good running cadence. The 180 steps per minute figure grew out of observations of competitive runners, and the best cadence varies between runners.

By RunFast · Updated 14 October 2026 · 6 min read

Running cadence is the number of steps you take per minute, counting both feet. A good cadence for running is not one number for everyone: a 2026 review of cadence beliefs found that the energetically optimal cadence varies between runners rather than being fixed at 180 steps per minute.¹

Your cadence also varies with how fast you run, your build, your shoes and the surface you run on.¹ Changing it is possible, but the research hasn’t shown that a higher cadence reduces injury risk or improves performance.^{1, 2} So count yours, compare it with itself rather than with a target, and if you want to try a small change, try it on easy runs.

Where 180 steps per minute comes from

Cadences near 180 steps per minute became a familiar figure through observations of competitive runners.¹ Observing what some fast runners do is not the same as testing whether every runner should do it. The same review concludes that the energetically optimal cadence varies between individuals rather than being fixed at 180 steps per minute.¹ So 180 is a cadence some runners have, not a target that suits everyone.¹

What cadence do runners have?

There is no single average running cadence to compare yourself with, because cadence varies substantially with running speed, morphology (your build and size), footwear and surface.¹ So the same runner can have a different cadence on a slow easy run, in a race and on a trail.¹

Across 51 observational studies with 1,115 participants, a higher cadence showed a small association with a lower oxygen or energy cost of running.³ That is a link seen when comparing runners, not a trial, so it doesn’t show that raising your own cadence would lower your energy cost.³

What happens when you change it

Runners can raise their step rate with gait training: a 2026 meta-analysis of 20 studies in 483 adult runners found step-rate training effective in single sessions and in programmes over several sessions.⁴ In single sessions, step rate rose by 16.15 steps per minute on average, and in multi-session programmes by about 12 steps per minute.⁴

What that does to the leg has mostly been measured in the lab, straight after the change.² In a 2022 meta-analysis of 37 studies, increasing step rate reduced or did not change measures of how the ankle, knee and hip are loaded and move, and reducing it increased them or left them unchanged.² An older systematic review of 10 small studies, mostly in men, found that a higher stride rate (a shorter stride) at the same speed appears to reduce several biomechanical factors associated with running injuries.⁵ A 2026 meta-analysis of 32 studies found that a higher step rate can lower the load on the joint behind the kneecap, the patellofemoral joint, and those are measures of load, not of pain or injury.⁶

The studies in a 2025 systematic review of 18 studies typically used moderate increases of 5–10%, and these brought consistent biomechanical changes.⁷ There is a cost to weigh too: very limited evidence suggests that increasing step rate raises perceived exertion, so a higher cadence may feel harder.²

How to measure and try a change

Measure it. On an easy run, count every time either foot lands for 60 seconds; that number is your cadence. If counting both feet is awkward, count one foot for 30 seconds and multiply by four. If your watch or phone shows cadence, read it from a stretch of steady running instead. Check it at the same kind of pace each time, for example on easy runs or on a tempo run at threshold pace, and compare like with like.

Try a change. If you want to test a slightly higher cadence, a running cadence metronome (any metronome app) or music with a steady beat can cue the rhythm: set it a little above the number you counted and match your steps to it. Keep your usual easy pace, which you can find with the pace calculator, and take shorter, quicker steps rather than running faster. Try it for a few minutes at a time on easy runs, and go back to your normal rhythm if it feels forced. A marathon training plan or any week that keeps most of your running easy gives plenty of runs to try it on.

Where the evidence is thin or mixed

The reviews say more about what a higher cadence does in the lab than about what it does for runners over months. A 2026 review found that responses to a higher cadence differ between runners and have not been shown to consistently reduce injury risk.¹ The 2022 meta-analysis concluded that there is insufficient evidence to determine the effects of changing step rate on injury and performance, and only 2 of its studies looked at injury.² Because most of its studies measured immediate effects, the longer-term effects of changing step rate remain largely unknown.²

The 2025 systematic review is more positive about injury prevention, but its 18 studies differed widely, and the two reviews above found the injury evidence insufficient.^{7, 2, 1} So the evidence on cadence and injury is mixed, and it rests mostly on lab measures of load.^{2, 5} On running economy, a 2016 review of lab studies concluded that recommending a general economical running technique should be approached with caution.⁸

In practice, a small change in cadence is something you can try, not something you need. If you try it, judge it by how your running feels over a few weeks, not by reaching a number.

Common questions

Is 180 steps per minute the best running cadence?

Not as a rule: the figure grew out of observations of competitive runners, and the energetically optimal cadence varies between individuals rather than being fixed at 180 steps per minute.¹ An ideal running cadence is the one that suits you at the pace you’re running.

Does cadence change with pace?

Yes: cadence varies substantially with running speed, as well as with build, footwear and surface.¹ Compare your cadence at the same kind of pace from run to run, not across paces.

Should I increase my cadence?

You can: runners can raise their step rate with training, but there is not enough evidence to say whether that changes injury risk or performance.^{4, 2} A higher cadence has not been shown to consistently reduce injury risk.¹ If you want to try, make a small change on easy runs. If you have pain when you run, see a clinician rather than changing your stride on your own.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you have an injury, a health condition or are pregnant, ask a doctor or physiotherapist before changing how you train or eat.

Related guides

• 80/20 running: what the research says80/20 running means keeping most training easy. A 2024 meta-analysis found a small VO2peak advantage for polarised training, but small studies in recreational runners found no significant difference in performance.
• What is a tempo run, and does it work?A tempo run is a sustained run at about threshold pace. Older reviews favoured polarised or pyramidal training over threshold training, and the 2025 and 2026 network meta-analyses found no significant or definite difference.
• How a marathon training plan is builtA marathon training plan combines rising weekly distance, a long run, easy and hard running, lighter weeks and a taper. The research backs some of these parts and says little about how to combine them.

Sources

1. Patoz A, Gindre C, Lussiana T, Breine B. The Heel-Strike Fallacy and Cadence Beliefs in Distance Running: A Narrative Review. Sports Medicine - Open. 2026. doi:10.1186/s40798-026-01120-y
2. Anderson LM, Martin JF, Barton CJ, Bonanno DR. What is the Effect of Changing Running Step Rate on Injury, Performance and Biomechanics? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine - Open. 2022. doi:10.1186/s40798-022-00504-0
3. Van Hooren B, Jukic I, Cox M, Frenken KG, Bautista I, Moore IS. The Relationship Between Running Biomechanics and Running Economy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Sports Medicine. 2024. doi:10.1007/s40279-024-01997-3
4. Goss DD, Xu J, Hertel J. Effects of step rate based gait training on running biomechanics: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Gait & Posture. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2025.110009
5. Schubert AG, Kempf J, Heiderscheit BC. Influence of stride frequency and length on running mechanics: a systematic review. Sports Health. 2014. doi:10.1177/1941738113508544
6. Yu S, Yuan P, Xu Y, Shangguan Y, Wang X, Wang Z, Zhuang M, Song Y. Effects of running technique characteristics on the patellofemoral joint load: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Gait & Posture. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2025.110025
7. Figueiredo I, Reis E Silva M, Sousa JE. The Influence of Running Cadence on Biomechanics and Injury Prevention: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2025. doi:10.7759/cureus.90322
8. Moore IS. Is There an Economical Running Technique? A Review of Modifiable Biomechanical Factors Affecting Running Economy. Sports Medicine. 2016. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0474-4