As you may know, everybody walks and runs differently. And if you’ve ever considered improving your walking or running game, you should have thought about how to calculate your ideal stride length.
While terrain and speed are important considerations, your height also plays a significant part. Knowing your stride strength can improve your performance and possibly increase the effectiveness of your workouts.
How then can you calculate your stride length by height? Well, it’s easier than you may think! Using your height gives you a more specific and personalized stride length.
In this article, you’ll learn the different methods to measure your stride length. We’ll cover everything from formulas to stride length calculator apps, so you’ll be prepared to hit your stride confidently.
Table of Contents
What is Stride Length?
Stride length refers to the distance you cover in two steps, one with each foot. To make a stride, place your two feet together and begin to walk. You can begin with any foot, but suppose you begin with your left foot:
- Raise your left foot and move forward.
- After doing this, you’ll notice your left foot is in front of the right one, and both of them are on the floor.
- Then, raise and extend your right foot forward past your left foot, allowing it to land on the floor.
- Both feet are now on the floor with the right foot in front of the left.
Your stride length is the distance you covered during this activity. Otherwise, we say you can calculate your stride length by measuring the distance between your right heel (starting position) and your right heel (ending position), or the distance between your right toe (starting position) and your right toe (ending position).
See Also: Steps To Calories Converter
What is Step Length?
Step length refers to the distance you cover in one step. To make a step, place your two feet together and begin to walk. You can begin with any foot, but suppose you begin with your left foot:
- Raise your left foot and move forward.
- After doing this, you’ll notice your left foot is in front of the right one, and both of them are on the floor.
Your step length is the distance your left foot covered from your right heel to your left heel, or from your right toe to your left toe. Meanwhile, your left step length and right step length might differ.
How To Calculate Average Stride Length
You can measure your stride length in different ways to know your personalized distance.
Measured distance short walk
This technique works well in a large room, gym, or hallway.
- Gauge and mark a given distance like 20 or 50 feet.
- Increase the pace of your normal walk and count how many steps it takes to cover that distance.
- Then, divide the feet count by the step count. After you calculate it, you get your step length in feet.
Wet foot walk method
This is a technique recommended by Rob Sweetgall of Creative Walking, Inc., with which you can measure your step length to set your pedometer.
- Make a pool of water on a section of a street or walkway where you can walk at your own pace before and after you get there.
- Step onto the water and begin walking at your normal pace. Continue at your normal pace for ten more steps.
- Now, on a few wet footprints, calculate the distance between the heels of your left and right footprints and average them.
- The feet can be obtained by dividing the inches by 12 if your pedometer is set in feet. Your step length in feet is your step length in inches divided by 12.
Read Also: How Long Will It Take You To Run a 5K?
Measured distance long walk
The average stride length can be measured more accurately by using your step count during a longer walking distance than you can with the short walk technique. Check out the following:
A football field with goal lines spaced 300 feet apart:
- Count your steps in your head.
- Divide 300 by the number of steps you counted.
Suppose you do this on a regulation track at a school, for instance. Note that a few of them are ¼ mile, which is equivalent to 440 yards or 1,320 feet. So, it might be challenging. However, the others are 400 feet or 1,308 meters. In this case, it is necessary to ask the coach the appropriate one for the track.
- Walk exclusively in the lane, then make a step count.
- Divide the number of steps by 1,320 or 1,308.
Online mapping apps
Create a walking path and measure it using an online mapping app. Next, compare this to the reading on your pedometer. Another option is to use GPS-based walking apps on your smartphone.
Although these are frequently 10% inaccurate in terms of distance, unlike other measurement methods.
Calculate Average Stride Length By Height
Calculating your stride length with your height only gives you a rough estimate instead of a personalized result. However, there’s a specific way to calculate and estimate the average stride length for your height. This method is mostly used in pedometers and other activity trackers.
For males, your stride length is your height in inches multiplied by 0.415
For females, your stride length is your height in inches multiplied by 0.413
| Height | Women’s Stride (inches) | Men’s Stride (inches) |
| 5 ft. 0 in. | 25 | 25 |
| 5 ft. 1 in. | 25 | 25 |
| 5 ft. 2 in. | 26 | 26 |
| 5 ft. 3 in. | 26 | 26 |
| 5 ft. 5 in. | 26 | 27 |
| 5 ft. 5 in. | 27 | 27 |
| 5 ft. 6 in. | 27 | 27 |
| 5 ft. 7 in. | 28 | 28 |
| 5 ft. 8 in. | 28 | 28 |
| 5 ft. 9 in. | 28 | 29 |
| 5 ft. 10 in. | 29 | 29 |
| 5 ft. 11 in. | 29 | 29 |
| 6 ft. 0 in. | 30 | 30 |
| 6 ft. 1 in. | 30 | 30 |
| 6 ft. 2 in. | 31 | 31 |
| 6 ft. 3 in. | 31 | 31 |
| 6 ft. 4 in. | 31 | 32 |
| 6 ft. 5 in. | 32 | 32 |
How to calculate stride length for Fitbit
With Fitbit’s Edit Profile feature in the online dashboard, you can adjust your step length (which the app calls stride length). Fitbit is a platform with which you can calculate your stride length.
If you notice that your Fitbit app is tracking several steps at once, change the settings to “dominant hand.” This will make arm motions less sensitive to motion. However, if it appears to count too little, adjust the settings to “non-dominant hand.”
Additionally, you can modify your stride length or step length through the Edit Profile feature on the online dashboard. If you want to set it within the app, go to Account > Advanced Settings> Stride Length menu.
Whether it’s counting too fast or too little, you can always calculate your walking or running stride length with the Fitbit app. You can do this by changing the settings to “dominant hand” or “non-dominant hand.”
Calculate your stride length with the Apple Watch
With your iPhone, you can view and modify your step length through your Apple watch. Go to Summary in your Health app and make changes to your Favorites. Then, your average stride range will be displayed under Step Length, and you can manually adjust it by adding data.
FAQs
Females: Height in inches multiplied by 0.413 equals stride length. Males: Height in inches multiplied by 0.415 equals stride length.
To find your step length, divide your distance in centimeters or inches by 10. Then, divide your result by 10. Your final answer is your step length.
For a 6 ft. 0 in. man, the average stride length is 59.76. Then a 6 ft. 1 in. man has an average stride length of 60.59.
Stride length = velocity divided by 0.5 cadence (speed/0.5 cadence).
The stride length of an average person is approximately 2.1 to 2.5 feet.
Conclusion
As we’ve discussed, there are many ways to calculate your stride length, even according to your height. So, figuring out your stride length based on your height is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.
You can use a stride length calculator app or the simple formulas we’ve provided to customize your running or walking regimen to fit your stride.
Meanwhile, with the aforementioned methods, you can optimize your activity regardless of your wellness goal or whether you are just curious about your stride.