Squats for Runners
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
In last week’s post, guest blogger Amanda Long was recalling her challenge to complete 100 Squats daily for 30 consecutive days. If you didn’t read it yet, you can do so by clicking here and then return to today’s post. As you may recall, the first thing she did before starting the challenge was to document herself on what is the way to properly perform a squat. The squat is a great exercise that every runner should add to their repertoire, but, same as with all physical activity, it needs to be practiced properly so injuries can be avoided.
The squat is a multi-joint exercise that works on hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps and hips, which power and control your stride
I’ll start by stating that I am not a physical therapist or a doctor of any kind, so I am not offering medical advice here. But one of the advantages of living well into the 21st Century is that Google and YouTube are at our fingertips so we can obtain recommendations by qualified personnel when it comes to mostly every activity in life.
First order of business is recognizing there is more than one type of squat. We are only interested here in squat for runners. The thing to understand is that as a runner you only need a certain amount of strength training. Twice a week is sufficient since you are not training to become a power lifter.
The squat is a comprehensive exercise perfect to help you maintain strong legs, able to sustain the constant pounding through mils on end on the asphalt. It is a multi-joint exercise that works on hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps and hips, which power and control your stride. The stronger and more flexible you become, the better you will run and the less likely to get injured you will be. If that weren’t enough, you could also become a faster runner.
While squats can be done with a variety of weights, it is important that novices start using just their body weight. Three sets of 10 as part of your strength routine, or after running, are a good way to start. The key, as with any exercise, is maintaining the proper posture throughout the series of movements that comprise a squat. Last thing we need is getting injured while getting stronger to avoid injury.
According to an article published by Runner’s World on January 19, 2019, the sequence for a proper squat is as follows: “Start standing with feet just wider than hip-width apart, toes pointed slightly out, and hands clasped at chest for balance. Initiate the movement by sending your hips back first, then bend knees to lower down as far as possible while keeping your chest lifted. You should lower down until thighs are at least parallel to floor. Press through heels and engage glutes to return back to the starting position.”
There are numerous YouTube videos teaching the proper way of performing a squat. I can’t recommend one over the other. So, when researching, make sure you look for a reputable source, hopefully a physical therapist or a strength coach. Make sure you pick up a video for runners, not for bodybuilders. And make sure not to overdo it. 100 a day is not for everybody and certainly not for beginners.
The two videos I personally liked the best are the ones below, but feel free to search the ones that work for you. Also, to get additional information on the benefits of squats for runners, I invite you to read a Runners World article on the subject, published in January 2019, by clicking here.
One day, towards the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, feeling bored and unmotivated, stuck inside my house, I came across a Buzzfeed video of four coworkers taking on the \”100 Squats Per Day for 30 Days\” challenge. My immediate reaction was, \”that is ridiculous\”. However, after giving it some thought and watching the four people go through the challenge in their unique ways, I was inspired to give it a shot myself, besides, what else was I doing?
Day thirty rolled around and I was excited to get my last one hundred squats in so I could measure myself and see if there were any results. Regardless of muscle measurements, I knew that I felt stronger, could see definition in my legs, and felt more powerful during my training runs. I got out the measuring tape and was surprised and excited that I had gained three and a half inches overall in just thirty short days. My glutes stayed the same, but my quads became bigger and stronger.