Guest Post By: STUFTmama
Experts are always talking about how having a stronger core will help runners. Sometimes though, we forget about how important it is to have properly conditioned glutes as well. Glute strength is essential to help prevent injury and maintain proper running form. Who doesn’t want a stronger, better-looking backside anyway?
Our glutes become weaker the more we sit and don’t use them. If you don’t use them, you lose them. For those that spend a good amount of time sitting each week, their glutes muscles get stretched out instead of contracting. It even makes it harder to build strength and utilize those muscles the right way when we run.
Here’s why glute strength is important:
It controls the entire lower leg and provides stability in running. Without proper stability, your running mechanics are poor and other muscles have to compensate for the weakness which increases the risk of injury. We need strong legs and glutes to have a powerful run and to endure those long distances. Running in itself won’t quite do it for us (especially if our mechanics are off).
I personally love strengthening my glutes. I know a lot of runners who avoid working on strength for their lower body because they don’t want to be sore for the workout they might have the next day, but doing proper strength moves once or twice a week for your glutes will have a huge benefit. I’d take a run on tired, strong legs over an injury any day.
The best thing about being able to strengthen your glutes is that you really don’t need any additional equipment or fancy gym machines. You can do some simple exercises at home (even with your kiddos close by) or at the gym.
Any type of lower body exercise will not only hit the hamstrings and quadriceps, but will engage the glutes. Here are my three favorite basic exercises that pretty much hit the entire lower body at once.
Basic Squats or Jump Squats:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and lower into a squat like you would be sitting in a chair. Your body weight should be in your heels. You can do this with hand weights or without. You can pick up speed and even add a jump for an extra benefit to build strength and power.
Reverse Lunges:
Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and alternate stepping backwards and then bringing your leg back to the starting position. Reverse lunges put more emphasis on the glute muscles as you use them to bring your leg back up. You can also do these with our without weights and/or with a jump.
Sumo Squats:
For these squats your legs go out much further than your hips and your toes point out diagonally to the side. Keep your hips tucked under (to help work those glutes) and chest up as you lower down. Make sure to keep your knees over your heels at the lowest point. You don’t want them to go over your toes to cause any stress on your knees. Add hand weights and/or a jump for an extra challenge.
There are many other smaller moves you can do to concentrate just on your glutes, but I like to multi-task when I’m doing any kind of strength or cross training. We want to run and train and supplement with strength work, so using moves that are bigger are more beneficial and take less time. It’s the best of both worlds.
Kristin (STUFTmama) is a 3:17 marathoner who has completed 19 full marathons. She is an ACE-certified group fitness instructor, personal trainer and physical education teacher. Her five-year-old twin boys keep her busy and she blogs over at stuftmama.com