Best bang for your buck...or should i say butt

Strength exercises have often been prescribed to help runners with speed and power as well as injury prevention. There are many exercises out there but not many with the best “bang for your buck”. This month I highlight 3 exercises that will help you get stronger. These exercises have been seen to have the best glute firing (under EMG).

1    1. Single Leg Squat - Running is nothing but doing and plyometric squat on one leg and then switching to the other, therefore this exercise is highly recommended. 

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•     Stand on one leg 
•     Sit back like you are going to sit on the toilet, you can let your chest come forward (just make sure your are not arching your back- suck in that belly)
•     Make sure your hip, knee and foot are in line. If your muscles can't do it hold on to the door frame 
•     As you lower yourself sit back into your hip and squeeze the glutes on the way up
•     Start with 3x 8 and build to 3x 15-20 as you get stronger (make sure your glutes are doing the work not the quads) 

    2. Single Leg Dead lift: The single leg dead lift is similar to the squat however your are reaching down and squeezing your glutes up with less to no knee bend in the knee 

•     Stand on one leg 
•     Keeping your back in neutral core tight bend forward at your hips (not waist) 
•     Squeeze your glutes as you come up 
•     If you are too unstable or cannot maintain hip knee and foot alignment hold on to something 
•     Make sure your feel the glutes more than the hamstrings/ quads
•     Start with 3x 8 and build to 3x 15-20 as you get stronger (make sure your glutes are doing the work not the quads)    

3.  Transverse Lunge: Is like a regular lunge but your foot reaches diagonally backwards to purposely stick out your hip needing you to squeeze the glutes to bring it back to neutral 

•     Stand on both legs
•     Reach diagonally back with the leg you are not working, sit back into your hips
•     Squeeze your glutes and bring the other leg back to neutral
•     Start with 3x 8 and build to 3x 15-20 as you get stronger (make sure your glutes are doing the work not the quads)