Run longer/faster and with less pain
Want to run faster/longer and with less pain? Train this muscle!
If you’re an avid runner, you know that your legs can take a beating. The miles of impact can add up. Although running is a skill we’ve been doing for thousands of years, aspects of our modern lifestyle have made it hard for us to develop the fine stabilizing muscles needed for efficient running. In the realm of running, the focus often falls on the legs—strengthening the calves, quads, and hamstrings. However, one critical muscle often overlooked is the glutes. From a physical therapy standpoint, prioritizing glute strength is paramount for runners seeking to improve performance and prevent injury. The gluteal muscles play a pivotal role in stabilizing the pelvis and controlling hip movements during running. Any weakness in the glutes can lead to biomechanical imbalances down the chain causing compensation to the knees, ankles, and low back. This weakness can contributes to issues such as IT band syndrome, patellofemoral pain syndrome, and even lower back pain.
By incorporating targeted glute strengthening exercises into their training regimen, runners can enhance their hip stability, stride efficiency, and overall running mechanics. If you have more muscles working as a team, this not only reduces the risk of overuse injuries but also lets you run faster and longer. So, whether you're a seasoned marathoner or a novice jogger, don't overlook the importance of glute strength in your training routine.
If you are unsure if you have a glute weakness in your running, it’s best to go see your physical therapist for a running analysis. However if you want to get a head start here are some of my favorite glute strengthening exercises.
https://youtube.com/shorts/08en9Adlz7I?si=5qfKlOGbr99rI2_Q
How can we run better?
Do you have pain while running? Want to run better? Let’s talk about two very important stabilizer muscles that need to be active so you can run as best as possible.
If you were too get a super camera and slow down the foot while running you would see that the arch of foot naturally “collapses” AKA pronates at the beginning to absorb shock. And then the arch comes back a.k.a. supinates so that the foot is locked and can propel forward to be more energy efficient. The whole time we have a series of muscles that are controlling these movements so they don’t happen erratically.
It’s a really cool mechanical process that our bodies naturally do however if we increase our running more than usual, and we are not prepared for that we might start straining those muscles that are controlling the motion.
Let’s break down each one of those phases and what we can do to keep ourselves, healthy and effective at moving.
The shock absorption phase: this is the phase where your foot arch may seem like it collapses. And although we hear all the time that it collapsed, arch is bad. This is actually good during this phase of running. This phase happens, almost immediately after your foot makes contact with the floor. The muscle that controls this phase is known as your posterior tibial muscle that muscle points your foot and roll it inward. But in this case because it’s fighting gravity, your muscle slowly losing but it’s controlling the rate at which your arch “collapses”.
If you’re having pain with running or walking, and it’s right, when your foot makes contact with the ground, it may be due to a weak muscle here and strengthening. It can help.
The propulsion phase: this phase is right after the absorption phase and your foot arch goes back so that it is locked in more energy efficient for moving forward. The muscle that controls this phase is a set of muscles called your fibulari muscles. These muscles also point your foot, but unlike the posterior tibial muscle, they roll your foot outward. If you’re having pain during this phase of running, which may be hard to tell, without having an expert set of eyes look at it, it may be due to a weak muscle here. Often times when people have a history of an ankle sprain this muscle gets a little bit weaker and then when they go back to running, they have pain until they strengthen this muscle.
Here is a recent Instagram post. I did that highlights this interesting biomechanical process and the exercises that can help with it.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2iNQFhPet5/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==