Dr. Jordan Metzl wants you to strengthen your butt. It’s integral to running healthier, happier, and with far fewer injuries.
As the biggest muscle group in the body, the glutes power your stride. When they work well, they give your form more smoothness by giving you a strong, stable foundation.
And as Dr. Jordan Metzl is fond of saying:
“A strong butt is key to a happy life for runners.”
But all too often, we neglect our butt. Through a combination of training mistakes and lifestyle factors, it becomes weaker and unable to generate as much force as we’d like.
A weak butt also predisposes you to a host of running injuries. Glute strengthening is critical.
And for those runners with a history of injuries, a focus on strength training is often the difference between healthy and injured. Shawn is a good example of how strength work can fix your “hip-knee-butt” problems:
“I just ran injury free at the HURT 100. I’ve been dealing with a “hip-knee-butt” thing for the past 4-5 years, and this is the first time in a long time that I wasn’t impeded by stiffness and pain; I had “lift” in my hips and never needed to swing out from the knee to overcompensate. I feel the healthiest I have in a long time. Thank you!”
Today on the Strength Running Podcast, I’m speaking with Dr. Jordan Metzl about injury prevention, why the butt is so important, and how you can make yourself more resilient to running injuries.
Dr. Jordan Metzl on Preventing Running Injuries
A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Metzl is one of the most highly regarded doctors for runners. He delivers lectures around the world and has published numerous peer-reviewed papers.
In addition to his medical practices in New York and Connecticut, Jordan has written several books for athletes including:
He’s the creator of the IronStrength workout for runners and is a multiple marathon and Ironman finisher.
Today on the podcast, we’re discussing how to keep you healthy and running stronger.
Our topics of discussion include:
- The importance of having a strong butt
- Strength training’s (bloated?) injury prevention benefits
- Balancing high mileage with staying healthy
- The injury risks of highly cushioned shoes like the Nike Next%
Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or Google Play.
Links & Resources From the Show:
- Follow Jordan on Instagram
- Prevention advice from the pro’s
- Visit Jordan’s website
- Strength routines for runners
- Our injury prevention email series
Thank You Inside Tracker
This episode would not have been possible without Inside Tracker, who is offering a 10% discount on any of their tests with code strengthrunning.
They test over 40 biomarkers, like various stress hormones, to determine if you’re training too hard, too little, or have any physiological weaknesses that can be remedied by either diet, exercise, or lifestyle changes.
In other words, you learn about problems that have actionable solutions.
After getting your results, they communicate what you can do to lift or lower your results into the optimal range. For any runner who wants every advantage, to see what they’re truly capable of achieving, I highly recommend Inside Tracker. I’ve personally used their ‘Ultimate Package’ tier and loved the process and results.
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