Aerial or terrestrial runner: these two words describe two natural ways of running. Aerial runners bounce and spend more time in the air; terrestrial runners stay close to the ground and roll through each footstep. Neither style is better than the other. Knowing yours mainly helps you avoid forcing a stride that isn’t yours.
The short answer
- Aerial runner: short ground contact, long flight time, a stiff spring-like leg, landing on the forefoot or midfoot.
- Terrestrial runner: longer ground contact, a low gliding stride, more knee bend on landing, more often a heel strike.
- How to find out: the Volodalen method scores 5 criteria from 1 to 5. Above 15 out of 25, you lean aerial.
- What the science says: at the same fitness level, both styles have similar running economy. There’s no need to switch sides.
Contents
Where does the aerial vs terrestrial runner idea come from?
The concept comes from the Volodalen method, developed by French coach Cyrille Gindre and researcher Thibault Lussiana. Their starting point was simple: watch hundreds of people run and you see two broad families of strides, with every shade in between. They call these “motor preferences”, the way your body naturally chooses to move.
This is more than a coach’s hunch. A 2016 study of 91 runners showed that a coach’s visual rating matched measurable differences: terrestrial runners had longer ground contact times and more leg compression, while aerial runners had longer flight times, more up-and-down movement of the center of mass and a stiffer leg.
A second study in 2017, using 3D motion analysis on 54 runners, confirmed that what the observer sees reflects objective parameters.
Keep in mind this is a spectrum, not two sealed boxes. Many runners sit in the middle with a mixed profile.
Aerial or terrestrial runner: the key differences
The aerial runner works like a spring. The calf muscles switch on before the foot even touches the ground, the ankle flexes little on impact, and the runner reuses elastic energy stored in the tendons to bounce forward.
The terrestrial runner relies more on the back of the thigh, bends the leg more and directs the push forward rather than upward, doing less work against gravity.
In a study of 31 runners with the same vVO2max, aerial runners spent on average about 255 ms on the ground versus 284 ms for terrestrial runners, and about 101 ms in the air versus 80 ms.
| Criterion | Aerial runner | Terrestrial runner |
|---|---|---|
| Ground contact time | Shorter | Longer |
| Flight time | Longer | Shorter |
| Vertical oscillation | Marked, bouncy stride | Low, gliding stride |
| Leg on landing | Stiff, little bend | More bent, it “absorbs” |
| Foot strike | Forefoot or midfoot | More often heel |
| Main muscles involved | Calves, tendon elasticity | Hamstrings, quads |
| Direction of push | Mostly upward | Mostly forward |
The test: are you an aerial or terrestrial runner?
The most reliable way is to have someone film you from the side, on flat ground, at your easy endurance pace, after a few minutes of warm-up. Your own feeling is misleading: we rarely see ourselves run the way we actually do. Watch the video in slow motion and score each of the 5 criteria from 1 (very terrestrial) to 5 (very aerial).
- Head movement: your head clearly rises and falls with each stride (aerial) or stays at an almost constant height (terrestrial).
- Elbow movement: your arm swing is mostly forward (aerial) or mostly backward (terrestrial).
- Pelvis position at contact: a high, braced pelvis (aerial) or a lower, slightly “seated” pelvis (terrestrial).
- Foot position at contact: the foot lands under the pelvis (aerial) or clearly in front of it (terrestrial).
- Foot strike: forefoot or midfoot (aerial) or heel (terrestrial).
Add up your scores to get a total between 5 and 25. Above 15, you lean aerial; 15 or below, you lean terrestrial. If you’re around 14 to 16, you have a mixed profile, which is very common.
Good news: your profile barely changes with speed. In the 2017 study, runners kept the same profile from 10 to 18 km/h. One video at an easy pace is enough.
Should you change the way you run?
No, and that may be the most useful takeaway from this article. When researchers compared 58 aerial and terrestrial runners at 12 km/h, they found no difference in running economy, VO2max or peak speed.
Another study of 52 trained runners between 10 and 14 km/h concluded that no running pattern is more economical than another, and explicitly advised against changing a runner’s natural stride to improve efficiency.
Both styles reach the same result by different routes. The aerial runner recycles elastic energy; the terrestrial runner limits vertical work. Trying to turn a terrestrial runner into an aerial one by forcing a forefoot strike suddenly shifts the load to the calves and Achilles tendon, with no proven performance benefit.
That doesn’t mean technique doesn’t matter. Running drills, core work and cadence work are still useful, as long as you add them gradually and don’t try to copy someone else’s stride. And if pain shows up, see a health professional rather than changing your stride on your own.
What your profile really changes in your training
You often read that strength training should match your profile: plyometrics for aerial runners, weights for terrestrial ones. This idea has been tested. In 37 recreational runners followed for 8 weeks, those whose strength work matched their profile did not improve more than the others. All of them improved their running economy, VO2max and peak speed.
Strength training still matters, whether you’re aerial or terrestrial. That’s the role of the RunMotion Coach strength training module, which gives you sessions suited to your goal and experience, built into your running plan.
Your profile is a tool to understand yourself, not a prescription. The fundamentals are the same for everyone: plenty of easy running, quality sessions based on your vVO2max (you can calculate your vVO2max with a test), a gradual increase in training load and real recovery.
Where your profile can help is with comfort choices. One study found that the enjoyment of running was linked to different parameters depending on the profile: aerial runners liked short, reactive ground contacts, while terrestrial runners felt worse when their flight time got longer. Listen to these sensations when choosing your shoes or your easy pace, rather than following a ready-made rule.
A plan that starts with you
RunMotion Coach builds your plan around your level, your goal and your schedule, and adjusts it as you train. Try it free for 7 days.
FAQ
Can a terrestrial runner become an aerial runner?
Nothing shows that you can, or should, change profile. Your classification stays stable across speeds. Researchers have observed that faster runners tend toward a more aerial stride, but they present this as a hypothesis, not as a training outcome.
Are aerial runners faster?
Not at the same fitness level. Aerial runners often choose a slightly faster natural pace, but their vVO2max and VO2max did not differ from terrestrial runners in the studies cited here. Both profiles are found among the best runners.
Should my profile guide my choice of running shoes?
It can point you in a direction, but comfort while running remains the deciding factor. Try several models and pick the one in which your natural stride feels at ease.
Is one profile more prone to injury?
The studies cited here don’t show that one profile gets injured more. The two simply load different structures: more the calves and Achilles tendon for aerial runners, more the knees and thighs for terrestrial runners. Hence the value of all-round strength training and sensible progression, whatever your profile.
Aerial or terrestrial: keep your natural stride
Knowing whether you’re an aerial or terrestrial runner helps you understand your stride and accept that it doesn’t look like your club mate’s. Above all, remember that both profiles are equally efficient: your natural stride is a starting point, not a flaw to fix.
Your next step? Get filmed on your next easy run, go through the 5 criteria, then focus your energy on what really helps you run faster and longer: consistency, gradual progression and recovery. If you’d like a program that organizes all of this for you, start your free RunMotion Coach trial.
Sources
- Gindre C, Lussiana T, Hébert-Losier K, Mourot L. Aerial and terrestrial patterns: a novel approach to analyzing human running. Int J Sports Med, 2016, 37:25–29. doi:10.1055/s-0035-1555931
- Lussiana T, Gindre C. Feel your stride and find your preferred running speed. Biology Open, 2016, 5(1):45–48. doi:10.1242/bio.014886
- Lussiana T, Gindre C, Mourot L, Hébert-Losier K. Do subjective assessments of running patterns reflect objective parameters? Eur J Sport Sci, 2017, 17:847–857. doi:10.1080/17461391.2017.1325072
- Similar running economy with different running patterns along the aerial-terrestrial continuum. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2017, 12(4):481–489. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2016-0107
- Patoz A, Lussiana T, Gindre C, Mourot L. Predicting temporal gait kinematics: anthropometric characteristics and global running pattern matter. Front Physiol, 2021, 11:625557. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.625557
- Patoz A, Breine B, Thouvenot A, Mourot L, Gindre C, Lussiana T. Does characterizing global running pattern help to prescribe individualized strength training in recreational runners? Front Physiol, 2021, 12:631637. doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.631637
- There is no global running pattern more economic than another at endurance running speeds. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2022, 17(4):659–662. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2021-0345
