Have you ever wondered what muscles work in your body when you run?
When you’re running, all your muscles, ligaments, and tendons work. These parts team up to keep you going can make you stronger, more flexible, and stable. You can avoid common running injuries and it makes your running more efficient.
Running builds muscles at first, especially for beginners. Once you run regularly, muscle growth slows down and you may not see changes.
If you want to build more muscle, doing strength training is more effective than just running.
This information is for a beginner looking to figure out what’s going on with his body or regular runners wanting to understand better.
So, let’s dive into the basics and answer the question:
What Muscles Does Running Work?
1. Quadriceps
The four muscles in the front of your leg, known as the quadriceps, play a huge role in bending and extending your knee.
You can strengthen them through specific exercises like squats, walking lunges, and step-ups to improve endurance and these workouts in your routine are good for getting stronger and avoiding certain types of injuries.
2. Glutes
The glute muscles, including the maximus, minimus, and medius, are responsible for propelling your body forward and stabilizing your pelvis.
Weak glutes can lead to issues, including knee pain.
Do exercises like step-ups, hip thrusts, and side planks to strengthen these muscles.
3. Hip Flexors
Your hip flexors, a group of three muscles in the front of your hip, are basics for running.
They work the hardest during sprint and hill workouts when your knee drive is more explosive.
Sitting for long hours can weaken and tighten these muscles, affecting your stride and potentially causing pain.
Doing lunges and knee raises a few times a week can keep your muscles strong and flexible.
4. Hamstrings
Your hamstrings are muscles at the back of your thighs, and they’re important for making your running better.
Doing exercises like Bulgarian split squats and good mornings, along with stretching regularly, helps make your hamstrings strong and flexible.
Another good exercise is bending forward while keeping your back straight.
Thiese excercises make your running faster and also improves your balance.
You should stretch them regularly to move better and avoid feeling tight. it’ll make your lower body strong.
5. Calf Muscles
The calf muscles, the ones called soleus, are important while you’re running to help you push off the ground.
Doing calf raises is like giving them a little workout, making this pushing power even better and lowering the chances of getting hurt.
Adding calf raises to your exercise is good. If you want to make it a bit tougher, try holding a dumbbell while you do them.
That way, your calves have to work even harder, and you’ll be all set for stronger runs.
6. Core
Having a strong core is the basis for stability when you’re running.
Imagine your core as a team of muscles, like the transverse abdominis and obliques, working together to protect your spine from getting too banged up.
One exercise to make your core even stronger is the dead bug exercise.
Good for overall stability, especially when you’re running fast, going uphill, or tackling those long runs.
So, add some core workouts to keep you steady and strong on your running.
7. Upper Body Muscles
While we talk a lot about leg muscles, don’t overlook your upper body.
Your arms, shoulders, chest, and upper back significantly impact your performance and posture.
Keeping your back straight and strong helps you stay steady and avoid back pain when you’re running.
Exercises like bent-over rows and push-ups are like workouts for these upper body muscles.
