How Myers-Briggs Personality Types Affect Running Style

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 might also make clear the way you run—and all you want is a straightforward persona take a look at to learn how.

In an April 2024 PLoS One research, researchers discovered that your Myers-Briggs personality type can decide should you run in an earthbound model or in a extra springy, dynamic trend (each of which might have an effect on your efficiency).

Right here’s what to know in regards to the Myers-Briggs persona take a look at, what the research authors found, and the best way to apply the findings to your individual coaching.

What’s the Myers-Briggs persona take a look at?

Formally generally known as the Myers-Briggs Sort Indicator (MBTI) evaluation, this device is supposed that will help you perceive your persona and apply these insights to spice up their private {and professional} effectiveness, per The Myers-Briggs Company.

The take a look at identifies you as one among 16 MBTI persona varieties, based mostly on the next 4 classes.

Extraversion-introversion

These are reverse methods of directing and receiving vitality.

Folks with extraversion get their vitality from the outer world of individuals and experiences—and focus their vitality and a spotlight outward, as effectively via actions.

Associated Tales

You probably have introversion, you gasoline up on vitality out of your interior world of ideas (and have a tendency to focus your consideration in that very same inward course).

Sensing-intuition

This class refers to other ways of taking in data.

If you happen to’re on the sensing facet, you deal with what’s “actual” by taking in data out of your 5 senses.

These on the instinct facet, however, desire data by affiliation and deal with the chances of what might be.

Considering-feeling

These are reverse methods of creating selections and coming to conclusions.

If you happen to’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.

If you happen to’re within the feeling class, you like to make selections based mostly on values and weigh the human motives behind sure conditions.

Judging-perceiving

This class covers the other ways folks strategy the surface world.

If you happen to’re on the judging facet, you prefer to hold issues deliberate and arranged. You get pleasure from making a choice and having the closure that comes with that.

Then again, should you’re on the perceiving facet, you like 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 operating coach, there are actually methods through which a runner’s persona influences how they run, practice, and reply to teaching.” —Alexa Duckworth-Briggs, operating coach

What’s the analysis behind Myers-Briggs personalities and operating?

Within the PLoS One research, researchers needed to grasp how your Myers-Briggs persona sort impacts your operating model. They analyzed 80 runners who accomplished randomized 50-meter operating trials at varied speeds and assessed their persona traits utilizing the MBTI take a look at.

The outcomes confirmed that the sensing-intuition class, particularly, was related to operating 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 operating type with a stretch-shortening model.

In the meantime, those that had been on the “sensing” facet erred towards operating in a extra earthbound trend. These runners launched themselves ahead with every stride, somewhat than upward.

“This exploratory research presents compelling proof that persona traits, particularly sensing and instinct, are related to distinct operating biomechanics,” observe the authors within the research. “Sensing runners, who take note of bodily realities and like sensible and particular information, are likely to undertake a extra grounded running form.”

Nonetheless, there are a couple of 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, practically 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 operating model is “higher” additionally is determined by the context.

“A operating model that includes 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 operating coach for We Run, based mostly in Studying, England. “In distinction, a extra earthbound operating model is perhaps extra environment friendly over longer distances, the place conserving vitality is essential.”

“I see plenty of worth in a research like this. If nothing else, it is 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 terms of how your persona may have an effect on your operating, coaches agree that persona traits can have an effect on your total coaching.

“The outcomes of this research are actually attention-grabbing, and in my expertise as a operating coach, there are actually methods through which a runner’s persona influences how they run, practice, and reply to teaching,” Duckworth-Briggs says. “The try and formalize our understanding of those hyperlinks is fascinating—and will open up potentialities 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 may discover it useful to incorporate operating drills or leaping workout routines of their coaching to develop their pure propensity for dynamic operating.

Intuitive runners may additionally profit from understanding how they transfer up and down when operating (referred to as vertical oscillation) and tuning into their operating rhythm to hone in on how a lot time their toes spend on the bottom, provides operating coach Kristen Hislop, CPT, a USAT Degree 1 licensed triathlon coach and AFAA licensed private coach.

In the meantime, a sensing runner may do higher by fascinated about 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 transferring.”

As a result of the research assessed operating model over 50-meter repeats (which isn’t a quite common distance exterior of sprint training), extra analysis is required to grasp folks’s persona and operating model over longer distances, particularly once they’re fatigued.

Nonetheless, the outcomes could encourage runners to contemplate their very own persona sort and the way it impacts their operating, even exterior of the sensing-intuition class.

“Extroverted runners, for instance, may discover they excel in group settings and aggressive environments,” Duckworth-Briggs says. “Or a choice for pondering or feeling may affect how a runner responds to suggestions from a coach or aggressive stress. These insights can show very helpful in tailoring a runner’s strategy to their coaching.”

Understanding an athlete’s persona profile might also assist coaches higher tailor their instruction for runners.

“I see plenty of worth in a research like this,” Hislop says. “If nothing else, it is going to hopefully get coaches athletes in a extra holistic method. One cue actually doesn’t work for all athletes.”

If you happen to’re a runner, chances are you’ll discover it useful to take the Myers-Briggs persona take a look at to study extra about how your persona might be affecting your coaching, the stress of races and competitors, objective setting, and past.

By higher understanding your persona, chances are you’ll discover you higher perceive your sport.