WestPac Wellness Club
Stride smarter. Protect your knees.
L
162
steps/min
R
Session timer

Run at target cadence for a set interval, then relax to your natural pace.

Cadence zones
130–154Overstriding risk
155–161Developing
162–175Optimal zone
176+High efficiency

What's your current cadence?

Find this in Garmin Connect or Strava after an easy run. Most recreational runners sit between 150–165 spm.

Please enter a value between 130–200 spm
Enter your baseline cadence above
to generate your personalised plan.

Why cadence matters
for your knees

Joel Nucum — Doctor of Physiotherapy

🦵

The overstriding problem

When your foot lands too far ahead of your centre of mass, it creates a braking force at the knee with every step. Repeated thousands of times per run, that load is one of the most common drivers of runner's knee, IT band syndrome, and patellofemoral pain.

📐

How cadence fixes this

Increasing your cadence naturally shortens your stride so your foot lands closer to your body. This reduces the braking force and peak knee load. Research shows a 5–10% cadence increase can meaningfully reduce knee stress — without consciously changing anything else about your form.

🧠

The motor pattern piece

This isn't just mechanics — it's neuroscience. Your nervous system has a deeply ingrained running pattern built over years. Changing it takes deliberate, repeated exposure. The 8-week programme gives your brain time to make the new cadence automatic, not forced.

👁️

Why the L/R visual helps

Hearing the beat and seeing which foot should land creates dual-channel reinforcement — auditory and visual cues pointing at the same target simultaneously. This is how motor learning consolidates fastest.

⏱️

Why gradual matters

Increasing cadence too quickly shifts load onto your calves, achilles, and foot. The 2.5 spm per week rate is intentional — slow enough for tendons and bone to adapt, fast enough to produce real change in two months.

🔄

How to apply it on a run

Use Run Mode and the session timer. Start each run with 5–10 minutes at your weekly target, then relax to your natural pace. Gradually extend the cadence interval as weeks progress.

⚠️

A clinical note

If knee pain persists at rest, at night, or worsens despite load reduction, please see a physiotherapist in person. This app supports movement health; it does not replace clinical assessment.

From the physio
"The goal isn't to run faster or look more efficient. It's to help your body break the pattern that's been causing pain — one run at a time. The same cycle stops here."
— Joel Nucum, DPT · Nucum Physio / WestPac Wellness Club
Educational use only

This app provides general movement education and is not a substitute for individualised physiotherapy assessment or medical advice. If in doubt, consult a registered physiotherapist.

Run Mode
162
steps / min
LEFT
RIGHT
One foot lands on each beat.
Start with 5–10 minutes, then run naturally.

The tool above is free and always will be.

Below are three structured sessions built around it — a free sample of exactly what's waiting inside the app.

Join the Club!

Hafa Adai & Welcome

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Hafa Adai & Welcome //

Free Sample Program
Cadence Coach
Sessions
Three runs built around the tool above — each one a different format so you can find what works for your body right now. Set your metronome, follow the session, and let the rhythm do the work.
3 Sessions
All levels
25–32 min each
Free to use
1
Cadence Awareness Run
Walk-Run · Beginners · Returning runners
▾
~25
Min
6 × 90s
Run Intervals
Low
Load
🎯 Before you start: set the metronome above to your Week 1 cadence from the 8-Week Plan. Match one foot to each beat. Pace is irrelevant — rhythm is everything.
🚶
Warm-Up — 5 min easy walking No metronome yet. Let the body settle.
×6
Repeat 6 rounds 90 seconds running at target cadence 90 seconds walking recovery
🚶
Cool-Down — 5 min easy walking
Coach note
"The walk breaks are deliberate load management — not optional. You're asking your nervous system to learn a new pattern, and rest is when that learning consolidates. Don't skip the walks."
2
Cadence Interval Run
Intervals · Recreational runners · Knee pain
▾
~32
Min
3 × 5 min
Run Intervals
Moderate
Load
🎯 Before you start: set the metronome to your current week's target cadence. Use the 5-min session timer in the tool above to track each run block.
🚶
Warm-Up — 5 min easy walking
×3
Repeat 3 rounds 5 minutes running at target cadence 2 minutes walking recovery
🚶
Cool-Down — 5 min easy walking
Coach note
"If knee discomfort rises above 3/10 during a run block, take the walk break early. Load management is the skill being trained here — not fitness. Pain is information, not failure."
3
Cadence Continuous Run
Continuous · Intermediate runners · Building consistency
▾
~30
Min
20 min
Continuous
Moderate
Load
🎯 Before you start: set the metronome to your current weekly target and keep it running for the full 20 minutes. If maintaining cadence breaks conversational pace, drop 2–3 spm until both feel comfortable together.
🚶
Warm-Up — 5 min easy walking
20m
20 minutes continuous running at target cadence No walk breaks. Conversational pace throughout.
🚶
Cool-Down — 5 min easy walking
Coach note
"This session is where the pattern becomes automatic. If you can hold your target cadence conversationally for 20 minutes, your nervous system has genuinely adapted. That's the goal — not a number on a watch."
WestPac Wellness Club
These sessions are a taste of what's inside the app.
Join and access the full Cadence Coach Sessions program plus the complete library — structured, progressive, and built by a Doctor of Physiotherapy.
Running
Cadence Coach Sessions
3 sessions
Running
Return to Run
8-week program
Knee
Rehab + Prehab
8 phases each
Lower Back
Rehab + Prehab
8 phases each
Hip
Rehab + Prehab
8 phases each
Shoulder
Rehab + Prehab
8 phases each
Strength
Running Strength
3 phases
Education
Resource Library
Pain · Load · Anatomy
Follow-along videosEvery exercise
Education modulesBuilt into every program
$19.99 AUD
/ week · cancel anytime
≈ USD $14/week at current exchange rates.
All prices in Australian Dollars (AUD). USD equivalent is approximate and subject to change.
Join WestPac Wellness Club →
No lock-in. Built by a Doctor of Physiotherapy.

Take a look…

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Take a look… *

The app isn't only for runners. Whether you're managing a knee, hip, lower back, or shoulder problem — or trying to prevent one — every region has its own dedicated 8-phase rehab and prehab program, built on the same clinical approach.

WestPac Wellness Club is built for resilience — and for everyone dealing with the four most common areas where pain stops people moving. If your issue isn't running-related, there's a program built for that too.

Join the Club.