Steps per minute (cadence)

What it is

Steps per minute is how many times your feet touch the ground in one minute, left and right together. Runners call it cadence. The app shows it as "steps/min" or "spm".

How we measure it

Each pod records movement 100 times a second. On a shin or foot pod we find every landing, time each stride and turn that into steps per minute. Any single pod gives you cadence. With one pod that is not on a leg (for example only the pelvis, or the phone at your lower back) the number is an estimate.

Typical range

Cadence rises with speed, so the same runner has a lower number on easy runs than in a fast race. There is no single target number that suits everyone.

How sure we are

High. Counting steps is the most reliable thing a motion sensor does. Errors under 1 % are normal. See how confidence works.

What you can try

If the app suggests it, try quicker, lighter steps: about 5 % more steps per minute than your usual at the same pace.

1. Set a metronome to the number the app gives you (for example 164 if you usually run 156).
2. Run 4 × 20 seconds with it on an easy run.
3. Practise on your next 2–3 easy runs, then record a run on a similar route and compare.

Research links a 5–10 % higher step rate to a lower landing load at the knee and hip and to landing closer under your body. See also where your foot lands.

Good to know

Cadence is one lever among many. It is the default first cue because it is easy to change and well studied, not because it is the most important number.