When it comes to incorporating strength training to improve your running, being effective AND time efficient is a big priority. Let’s be honest… in order to become a better runner, you must spend the majority of your time running. This leaves only a small window for other key areas such as strength training.

What if I told you there was one exercise in particular that will have you running on all cylinders while addressing key limitations runners commonly encounter which can increase the risk of injury?

[Enter the Split Squat]

Over the years, I’ve grown more and more fond of the Split Squat. It’s essentially a stationary lunge but the benefit goes far beyond that for endurance runners.

Running is undoubtedly a tough sport. It requires single leg strength, stability, and balance, while experiencing forces up to 2-6x one’s bodyweight. That’s why strength training, and the Split Squat in particular, is so necessary in order to teach the body how to better withstand these forces to run strong and remain healthy.

Now, why do I regularly prescribe the Split Squat for my running clients? It so easily checks all of the boxes to address…

• Mobility of the hips, knee, and great toe

• Strength of the quadriceps and hip abductors

• Single leg stabilization and balance

• And so much more!

In addition, you can so easily progressively load the Split Squat to make it more challenging over time and best fit your level of strength. This can be done by using various types of resistance, such as: dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, etc. Rest assured, when you find a challenging resistance, this is no simple exercise!

From a coaching standpoint, I find it’s important to help my runners build strength while also addressing any underlying limitations that predispose them to injury or limit performance. Based on the findings from the initial evaluation & running analysis, I may coach this exercise differently depending on the client to ensure quality of movement is also a priority.

For example…

Limited great toe extension… Is this movement smart to improve toe range of motion or should we try the rear foot elevated version?

Poor single leg stability and knee alignment… Naturally getting them into a split stance position will address that but we can also add reactive neuromuscular training to enhance stability.

Tight hips… Adjusting the stance to be more narrow will help us work around hip tightness and we can lengthen the stance over time as other drills improve hip range of motion.

What I’m getting at here is, it’s important not to simply complete an exercise in a general way, but figure out how it can check multiple key boxes at once to improve strength, boost running performance, and allow you to function better in your day to day life. That’s strength training with a purpose and we all can benefit from it.

Click the video below to learn more about the Split Squat exercise…

If you have any questions about the Split Squat or want to develop a strength training program that fits your needs while making you a better runner, click here to contact me. Thanks for reading!