RhythmFitDownload

title: Running cadence training description: Use the metronome to train at 170, 180, 190 SPM.

Running cadence training

Cadence — your steps per minute (SPM) — is one of the most underrated variables in running. Most amateur runners overstride at 160–170 SPM. Most elite distance runners sit at 180–190. Shifting cadence up reduces vertical oscillation, shortens ground contact, and often relieves knee pain — without changing your effort.

RhythmFit trains cadence with a metronome that alternates left/right tones, so each click is one foot strike. Your own Apple Music can play alongside it.

The 30-second version

  1. Library → Running → 180 SPM Easy Run

    A 30-minute template with a 5-minute warm-up walk, 20 minutes at 180 SPM, 5-minute cool-down.

  2. Tap Start, put your phone in a pocket, run

    Each click is one foot. High-pitch click = left, low-pitch = right. Your job is to land on the click.

That's it. The rest of this page is for the curious.

Why high/low alternating tones

A single-tone metronome at 180 BPM is just a fast click track. Your foot lands on every tick but you have no idea whether you're landing correctly on alternating feet — you could be skipping or double-stepping.

A 180-BPM metronome with alternating pitch turns into a 90-Hz high/low pattern. Each foot has its own tone. If you're skipping, the wrong foot lands on the wrong tone, and you feel it immediately. This is how piano teachers train rhythm independence — and it transfers cleanly to gait.

The two tones are the metronome's default behavior in RhythmFit. You don't have to enable anything.

Building a custom cadence run

For most people, "Library → 180 SPM Easy Run" is enough. For specific training:

  1. My tab → ＋ → Create manually

    Name it "180 SPM Fartlek" or whatever you're calling this.

  2. Warm-up block: 5 min, BPM 150

    Phase warmup. Easy jog, just getting moving. 150 SPM is a relaxed trot.

  3. Add cadence intervals

    Two-block pattern, alternating:

    • Phase work, 3 minutes, BPM 180. Label "Target cadence".
    • Phase rest, 2 minutes, BPM 160. Label "Easy".

    Duplicate the pair 4 times for a 20-minute fartlek.

  4. Cool-down: 5 min, BPM 140

    Phase cooldown. Walking pace.

  5. Optional — add an in-block reminder for cadence work

    On the work blocks: "Short steps. Land under your hip." (One line — fires once near the start of the interval, doesn't keep nagging.)

Music vs metronome

Two modes, pick by feel:

Metronome only. Crisp, surgical. Best for short cadence drills (< 15 minutes) where you want the audio cue to be unmissable. Pick this when you're consciously rebuilding your stride.

Metronome plus your music. Keep the click and add an Apple Music playlist underneath. Best for longer runs (20+ minutes) where you want flow. Pick this when you've already got the cadence and you're just maintaining — the click stays audible over the music.

To switch mid-workout: tap the speaker icon on the Execute screen.

Indoor cadence work

The metronome works equally well on a treadmill. The treadmill's belt speed is independent — set your cadence first (180 SPM), then dial the belt speed to whatever produces a normal stride length at that cadence. Most people end up between 9.5–11 km/h.

The Apple Watch's haptic metronome is especially good for treadmill work: ear-level audio competes with gym noise, but the wrist tap is silent and impossible to miss.

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