*I am not a physical therapist or doctor and do not have the expertise to treat injury. If you are injured you should consult your doctor or a physical therapist to discuss a treatment plan.
Apparently weak glutes area a fairly common problem among runners (and athletes in general), as I found out the hard way through my own deficiencies. Based on my physical therapy assessment last weak I have a very weak left glute and as a result my left hamstring is carrying the load, so much so that the PT says that my left hamstring is visibly bigger than my right. Yikes! Which is why I’m experiencing tendonitis in the hamstring: it is being loaded in a way that it cannot handle.
My job: to get my butt in gear. Literally. I need to build strength in my glute and retrain my neuromuscular pathways so that my glute muscle “fires” when it should during the running stride.
My PT has me doing that a variety of strengthening exercises and form drills. On the right side I have no problem performing these drills correctly, but on the left I really have to concentrate on “firing” the glute and keeping the hamstring from taking over; it has been doing the job of the glute for so long and under a heavy training load that it is very reluctant to start delegating. Sounds like someone I know…after all it is my hamstring.
My PT took some helpful pictures from our last session so that I could have a bit of a tutorial for my “homework”. Here are the moves he has me doing:
Please keep in mind that the cues I talk about here are specific to my body: my weaknesses and imbalances. It is best to do these exercises under the watchful eye of a professional so that you can learn proper form to ensure you’re doing the move correctly. If you’re not activating the correct muscle while performing the drill then you’re really not helping yourself at all.
Leg Raise on All 4’s (Glute): On knees and elbows begin by activating the glute and raising the leg primarily with the glute. Keep the knee at a 90 degree angle. Ensure that your core is engaged. I have to be careful not to arch my back so core engagement is key. Lift and lower. 2 sets, 10 repetitions.
Bridge (Glute): I have a hard time performing this one correctly. My back very easily slips into an arched position so I have to consciously tilt my pelvis forward, engage my core and then activate the glute to lift the torso off the ground. Stretching the arms out helps engage the core. Do you see that face? It takes a lot of concentration for me to get this right.
Backward Lunge (Glute): This is basically a lunge to the back. Start with the leg drawn up in front, as if in running and then extend the leg behind you in a lunge. The arms alternate as in running. The key for me is (again) to keep my back from arching by tilting the pelvis forward, engaging the core and firing the glutes. I did this in front of a full length mirror so I could also watch the angle at which my legs went back behind me; the objective was to keep the leg tracking in a straight line vs. crossing the mid-line of the body.
Single Leg “Runs” (Glute/Form): Very similar to the backward lunge: stand on one leg with the knee raised then swing the leg back in a running motion. The arms alternate as well. The focus here for me, is keeping the pelvis from rotating back as the leg swings back. It seems that some of my leg extension is coming from my pelvic rotation=not good. I try to focus on engaging my core and firing the glute to keep the standing leg steady and the hips square. I did this in facing a full length mirror so I could also watch the angle at which my legs went back behind me; the objective was to keep the leg tracking in a straight line vs. crossing the mid-line of the body.
Forward Lean (Form): This one is pretty simple, but is helping to train my body to be in the forward lean vs. leaning back as I often do. Simply stand and bend forward at the ankles until you have to put your foot out to keep from falling forward.
High Knees on Wall (Form): A variation of high knees that incorporates the forward lean. Lean against a wall and lift knees rapidly in a set of three (so as to alternate the starting leg). I focus on keeping the arch out of my back and keeping the glutes engaged.
Butt Kicks (Form): Another running form drill that helps train the neuromuscular pathways. Exaggerate running by kicking the leg all the way back until it touches your butt. I really had to focus on the alignment of my pelvis and the arch of my back. It seems that at this higher speed I lost a lot of the correct form.
Single Leg Crossover (Eccentric hamstring): This exercise is meant to help repair the hamstring by elongating the muscle while it works. To perform the crossover stand on one leg with a dumbbell raised above your head, cross the body with the weight as you lower into a single leg squat. Come back up. My cues for this exercise were to keep my head and torso extended and core engaged.
I’ve got a lot of work to do to get my left glute up to par. I’ve already noticed a difference in the way I feel on my runs. I can tell when the glute is “firing” as it should be because I don’t feel that “tender” spot where the tendonitis is.
PT Cards. I put all my PT exercises on index cards and pull out 4-6 cards in the morning and then again in the evening and do the exercises listed on the cards.
As for my ITB on my right knee it seems to be resolving itself pretty quickly with stretching and rolling with my trusty PVC pipe. I was able to run 4 miles yesterday without any discomfort. The PT seems pretty confident too that it isn’t anything major and will resolve itself with time.
I’ve got to be honest though I’m not sure what kind of shape I’ll be in at the beginning of July, which is really when I need to start training for Reach the Beach and my fall races. I don’t know if I’ll be able to run the mileage necessary to be part of a four person ultra team, as I had planned. Fingers crossed and glutes squeezed together it’ll all work out.
I found these helpful articles on glute weakness:
The Plague of the Mediocre Athlete: No Glutes, No Results
Is Your Butt All That it Could Be?
Have you ever done PT? How long were you in PT? Do you still do your PT exercises? What was the most helpful move you learned?
-Sarah
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Emily @ Fit as a Mother... says
Injuries are the worst! I had major IT band issues and had to get a cortisone shot just 2 weeks before my first ever half marathon 4 years ago. And this past winter I hurt my lower back very badly and was unable to run for a couple months. Hopefully you recover quickly!
Thanks so much! I hope you’re back to running too!
Rachel says
Loved reading this-I don’t pay enough attention to form and muscle imbalances, and I thought the two articles you linked were incredible informative.
Do you think your barre classes help with glute/hip strengthening? I’ve done a few Pilates and barre classes and hope that they will help my running, but maybe I should invest in learning a few running specific exercises. Thoughts?
Barre class has been a huge help! I think it’s the thing that allowed me to get through my marathon training and marathon without a major hamstring blow out. I would definitely recommend continuing. And maybe ask the instructor to really check your alignment.
This is GREAT sarah! I know injuries SUCK, and PT sucks, but those exercises are SOOOOO good for you! When i tore my calf 3 years ago, I learned many of those exercises, and still do them to this day! They WILL prevent injuries, and they WILL make you a better runner, so keep them up! I am so glad to see that these are the ones you are doing. They are great for prehab….and I featured many of them in my strengthening leg exercise videos a few months ago
Oh, and I love that you have Kinvaras on 
I love my kinvaras!! All saucony on my feet all the time:) even have a collection of originals going:) yeah I’m excited about these moves, I can already feel an increased strength in the glute, hamstring still wants to take over but I’m keeping it in check;)
AHH THIS IS SO SO SO ME.
which leads to so so so back pain.
I’m working to get stronger. I’ve had back issues too, but these should help everything:)
MsBoggio says
New reader! I’m in PT now and had a number of sessions after the Chicago marathon. I’ve been plagued by left ankle issues due to a set of weak hips. It’s not my favorite and I should do more of the exercises but I’m learning a deeper respect for my body and my running. I really see the differences in myself with and without running. I hope you are set to rights soon and are able to begin training in earnest in a few weeks! My training for back to back halfs is down but not out - I hope to be back out there next feel if I continue feeling this good. In the meantime, one-legged squats, lunges, and clams for me!
It’s so true what you said about respecting our bodies. I feel like I learn so much when I’m injured and I think my body needed a break too. So important to care for our bodies that do so much.
Your PT sounds really great and I am all too familiar with many of these exercises! I don’t have the strength discrepancy so much as simply a right glute that doesn’t fire as well as it should. And that back arch is such a part of it. I am trying all day long/every day to keep my core alignment where it should be to avoid that back arch and keep the glute firing. Muscle memory is where it will all come to fruition. Keep up the great work!
I’m so much more conscious of my arched back now too: driving in the car: walking. I’m trying to keep everything where it should be and really retrain my brain.
I’ve never had to go to PT, thank goodness, and hope I never do. But, I may try some of these out. I have done the glute machines at the gym a few times and also I’ve done a few of these exercises in cross training classes at the gym, but never consistently. I’m sure my glutes could use some strengthening even if I haven’t had any issues.
This is good stuff! Thanks for sharing!! I have not yet had an injury from this, but someone told me that I have the same issue. I think my hamstring and glute fired pretty close to one another other, on one side…but I’m sure could definitely benefit from trying these exercises. It’s good to read everything is going well! Injuries are rough!!
I think I might have the same issue as you but on the right side. It was sort of just a niggle for several months, but then I ran 3 races in 2 days on hilly courses, and I’ve been kind of wrecked all week. I’m going to explore PT and get my gait analyzed to check on it. It’s good to know your PT is already making a difference for you.
It is but I have to keep up with it. Sometimes it is so easy to procrastinate it. Like right now;)
Rach says
It’s like you were writing this for me - where do you feel the issue with the tendinitis?
right at the base of the but where the hamstring attaches at the highest point. tightness really and sometimes discomfort
Amanda Naro (@amandanaro) says
I have never been to PT but my friend is an AT and gave me some exercises to do when I was complaining about my hip. I am weaker on the right (which is weird because it’s my dominant side). I was really good about doing the exercises for a while but then slacked and do them every now and then. I would love to get my gait and form analyzed though - I don’t have any “injuries” per say that are causing me pain but I do get some knee pain occasionally.
That’s usually the case for me just nagging things that resolve on their own (minus the pelvic floor thing) but this seems to be the real deal. Such a bummer.