The 100-Up Exercise -
How to run perfectly!

The 100-Up Exercise is a simple, yet incredibly effective drill that improves running technique and running performance simultaneously. I can be practiced indoors or outdoors. It is also helpful as an injury recovery aid as it helps maintain fitness and build strength while recovering from an injury.

This simple exercise which has a basic (minor) and an advanced (major) version is one of the simplest ways to improve running form, but it also builds strength at the same time. Every runner needs to learn this simple drill!

The 100-Up Exercise was created in 1874 by Walter George, who set a number of world records in various distances. He discovered this powerful exercise while working as an apprentice when he had very limited time to train. The drill helped him improve both his running form and speed.

Walter practiced the 100-Up Exercise daily. After only two years of practice, he became the fastest amateur miler in England. After five years, he became a world record holder for multiple distances up to 10 miles.

This exercise is very easy to learn and only takes a few minutes to complete. There are two videos below and both demonstrate how to do the drill. The drill is best practiced in bare feet to provide natural feedback and develop foot strength. However, you don't need to be a barefoot runner to enjoy its many benefits!

The first video quickly and effectively demonstrates how easy it is to learn this exercise. Text instructions are below video.

100-Up Exercise Instructions

1. Stand in bare feet with a straight posture. Ensure head is over hips and hips over ankles. Keep body relaxed and focus on technique - not speed.

2. Minor version - lift knee to hip height and drive arm back. Femur (upper leg) is parallel with ground and hands are above hips, arms at a right angle. Hold briefly (essential for effectiveness), before lowering down. Do the same with other leg. Repeat until you have completed 50 with one leg and 50 with the other. It's that simple. Note: Stop whenever you can no longer maintain the correct posture. Strength comes with practice.

3. Major version - begin in the same manner as with the Minor. Increase speed but keep focus on form. Feet stay in the same place. Find your rhythm and again build up to doing 50 on each leg.

4. Try it for 30 days and watch how your form improves and also your speed.

Note: Practice the Minor until you are comfortable doing 100 of them. It's important to pause briefly with each leg lift. Pay attention to the movements as you do them to help improve your running form and consequently your running performance. Move on to the Major only when you can still maintain the proper form at a faster pace. You can alternate between the two versions as needed.

The Lost Secret of Running

The following video is from an article by the NY Times and Christopher McDougall (Born to Run). In the video, Walter George is accredited as the genius who discovered how to run better, not by training more but by training better!

McDougal refers to the 100-Up Exercise as a foolproof technique to run perfectly and he named it: "the lost secret of running. " In the article, McDougall himself reports faster racing times and a personal best using the 100-Up Exercise without a serious training schedule.

Walter George Runs Fastest Mile!

In 1886 Walter George set the world record for the fastest mile to which he accredits the 100-Up Exercise. He later shared his training secret in a book aptly titled, "The 100-Up Exercise".

George's 4:12 time was impressive and his world record stood for 29 years. No one would run the mile faster until 1915. In 2010, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.

The current mile world record is an impressive 3:43.13, held by Hicham El Guerrouj from Morocco. He has held this record since July 7, 1999, when he ran at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.

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