Welcome back, Angie Krueger! The certified personal trainer is serving up a series of strength moves for runners to help power every stride. Angie’s back story: Aside from having run 27 marathons in 27 different states, Angie was recently featured on AMR’s podcast (episode 194, where she explained, among other things, what “cough muscles” are and how to activate them for better results. Intrigued, aren’t you?). Recently she shared the DOs and DON’Ts of a plank, and here, she shares the secrets to the power squat. Come back every other Tuesday for a follow-up move to help you #findyourstrong.
This week’s focus is the squat. Squats are good for the glutes (your butt) and your quads (top, front legs muscles comprised of four muscles), and the stronger your quads and glutes, the better your legs can help you on your run.
1. Set yourself up so your feet are outside of your hips and toes slightly pointed out.
A view from the front, including feet placed outside the hips.
2. Hinge from your hip, bringing your hips and butt back and down until it is even with your knees, not lower. Lower than knee level can open up your knees to injury.
Angie showing great form with slight hinge in hip.
3. Squeeze your butt cheeks tight together on the way up to engage your backside and make sure all of the weight is in your heels, not your toes. In a squat you need to make sure you are keeping your knees behind your toes. Think: Port-a-potty squats. You don’t want to touch the port-a-potty but you also don’t want to pee on your toes, so keep knees behind them.
4. Repeat 3 sets of 15.
Modification: If you need a challenge, add a jump or hold dumbbells to the move.
Watch out for:
Poor form with knees over toes.
or poor form with legs straight and complete hip hinge.
Add the squat to your plank for a mini strength-training session you can fit in daily (while the kids are in the bath, waiting for the water to boil while cooking dinner, pre-run, or hey, at the gym!), and check back in two weeks for a follow-up move to add to your AMR strength-training circuit.
Tell us: where’s the strangest place you’ve squeezed in a workout?
Probably the funniest place I squeeze in a work out is at a gas station. When my husband and I take a car trip overtime we stop for any reason I grab my jump rope jump for 1 minute drop and do a plank and alternate each stop with squats and walking lunges. Its kind of hysterical to watch my husband try to pretend he is NOT with me!!! haha but the 5 minutes of movement each stop makes me feel so much better about all the sitting time in the car!
Love it!
butt clenches and holds while in line…anywhere! In line at the DMV, waiting to pick up dry cleaning, at CVS, etc., etc., etc.