No Butts About It; Bigger is Better!
The thrill of running often distracts us from the reality of what is happening to the body with every stride. Did you know that your body must deal with 2.5 to 3 times its body weight with each stride? To put this into perspective, stand on one leg. This puts 100% of your body weight on that leg. Now take a barbell, add about 150% of your body weight to it, and lift it onto your shoulders; then stand on one leg. This is how much stress your bones, tendon, ligaments, muscles, and cartilage support with each stride! In addition to these vertical forces, you also must deal with acceleration and deceleration forces of about 50% of your body weight, all while being kicked in the side with lateral forces 10-15% of your body weight. No wonder running is hard!
The typical runner tries to compensate for these forces by overstriding (reaching) which turns them into a quad dominant runner. Years of overstriding wires your muscle memory to favor the quads and hip flexors which turns off the glutes and core.
Being a quad dominant runner creates three big problems.
It will eventually destroy your knees. When you overstride, the quad must work harder, which increases torque on the knee and kneecap (patella) which acts as a pulley for your quad.
The quad has a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers. So, at a given running pace, your quads will be working closer to max capacity which will lead to a fatigued and acidic state sooner. When the quad gets too acidic, the pH level drops, and it can’t contract/relax as it should. AKA --> you hit a wall. NOT good for endurance runners!!
The quads cannot match the total body control your glutes are capable of.
So, what can the glutes do about all of this and what does this mean for you as a runner??
The glute max has three primary functions, all of which can benefit your running.
Powerful, fatigue-resistant, extensor of the hip joint. Extensors are the muscles that drive your hip from the front to the back of your body. (Your quads are flexors and do the opposite). Because you run forward, the glut max generates the push to drive your foot and leg backwards after it lands.
Primary external rotator of your hip joint. External rotation pulls your leg (knee) away from your body. Rotational control from the glute max will keep your knee from falling inward and keep it tracking correctly.
Postural Control. The glute max attaches to the bottom of your pelvis. When it fires correctly, it will keep your core/trunk upright by pulling it straight. If the glute max is turned off, it can’t hold you upright. Your entire trunk/core will lean forward (much more than the normal 10 degrees) which is when everything falls apart.
You need a solid core to help your glutes work, yet your glutes affect your posture and core; somewhat of a catch 22! Therefore, you can’t simply train muscles to achieve a skill, you need to train movements. You need to train your hips to move without your posture falling apart. Correct movement starts with your ability to maintain a stabile spine while moving into positions such as a squat or deadlift pattern. Intensity is fundamental to these exercises. Go as heavy as you can while maintaining perfect form. Your goal is to build a resilient movement strategy under stress; that’s the skill that will improve your running endurance. Rule of thumb: if your form doesn’t breakdown and your lift speed doesn’t decrease more than 50% within the set, add weight. Once you improve your glute recruitment, you’ll be shocked at how much better your run feels! Try these exercises 2-3x/week for the next 4-8 weeks and see what you think!
LANDMINE SINGLE-LEG DEADLIFT
Position one end of a 45lb bar on the floor in the corner to anchor it. (add weight as able/while maintaining perfect form!)
With the free end of the bar perpendicular to your body, stand on your outside leg and hold the bar in the opposite hand. Leg your arm hang down straight. Raise your free arm out to the side for balance if needed.
Hinge your hips back while keeping your spine completely straight and lower the bar while raising your back leg behind you.
Push your hips forward into he bar to return to the starting position.
Face the opposite direction to work the other side. Complete 3 sets of 8 on each leg
TIPS: Always look in the same direction as your chest is facing. Moving your head before beginning the bend will bring the spine out of neutral. If you don’t have access to a bar, use a kettle bell or dumbbell.
ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Stand in front of an Olympic bar with your shins touching the bar and feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down and hold the bar with an alternating hand grip. Imagine twisting your arms outward as if snapping the bar in half to lock the shoulder blades back and down along the ribs.
Keeping a straight spine, drive your hips up into a standing position.
Push your hips back, away from the bar as your lower it straight down to the floor (or you’ll feel tightness in your hamstrings).
Push your feet down through the floor to drive your hips forward from the glutes and return to standing position.
Complete 3 sets of 8 reps. (The 8 rep goal is 1.5-1.8 times body weight with perfect form)
TIPS: Make the weight as heavy as possible without rounding your low back. The bar must track straight up and down as the hips move back to front. Keep your shoulders locked back and down on your ribs through the entire movement to help stabilize the spine. Head position is critical for spinal stability, it should follow your chest the entire time!
KETTLEBELL SWING
Stand with your feet set slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and hold a kettlebell in front of you with both hands, arms straight.
Press your hips back as if you’re squatting while leaning your torso forward, allowing the kettlebell to drop down and back between your legs.
Explode quickly to get the weight to shoulder height, enough that you have to brace the core to “brake” the weight from moving higher.
As the weight falls back down, hinge backward again at the hips. Complete 3 sets of 8 reps.
TIPS: You should feel this in your glutes and hamstrings, NOT your low back. To increase difficulty, have a friend stand in front of you and push the weight down with each rep. Choose a weight that you can move quickly.
SQUAT
Set up the Olympic bar in the rack at approximately the height of your shoulder blades. Walk under it so that the bar is resting just above your shoulder blades and across your traps.
Sink your ribs down in front to find a neutral spine and maintain this position as you reach your hands up to grip the bar.
Focus on breathing 360 degrees around your spine. Imagine you are trying to inhale and expand a belt around your waist. You aren’t going to hold the breath, but instead focus on using your breath to provide tension for your spine.
Perform a “pull up” as you pull the bar down into your upper trap. This will establish a solid base through the core and improve your spine position as you drop into the squat.
Now stand up straight and step back out of the rack to begin your set.
Push your hips back to drop into a squat. There is no need to squat past the point where your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Push your feet through the floor to return to standing.
Complete 3 sets of 8 reps . The 6-rep goal is 1.3-1.5 times body weight.
TIPS: The key to maintaining a neutral spine with a squat is your setup. Keep this sequence in mind before each and every set. Proper form at the top of the squat ensures success once you drop down.
VARIATIONS: Box Squat- Place a bench behind you so that at the bottom of each rep you will briefly make contact. This helps you learn proper squat depth and ensures a proper hip drive.
Offset squat- For a core challenge, place an additional 10% of the total weight on one side of the bar. The offset load can help target imbalances. Split your sets to train both sides.
DONKEY TOES
Begin on all fours with your thumbs pointing forward and your fingers pointing out to the sides. Come up onto your hands and toes, keeping your arms and thighs perpendicular to the ground (like a human coffee table)
Maintaining a stable spine, lift one thigh toward the ceiling while keeping your knee bent to 90 degrees.
Return to all fours and repeat with opposite leg.
Build to 2 minutes of alternating continuous movement.
TIPS: If you need to build up gradually, start off with 4 sets of 30 seconds to learn proper movement. Only extend hip as far as you can without your back arching!
