Yoga is an all-around good practice for runners wishing to cross-train, find balance in their routines, and ease tightness in their muscles. However, certain yoga poses are better than others for runners’ bodies, and are specifically targeted to vulnerable points such as hamstrings, calves, hips and knees to keep runners strong and flexible.
Yoga Poses For Tight Hamstrings And Calves
Hamstring muscles bear significant impact for runners, and tend to grow tight and inflexible after months and potentially years of pounding the pavement and supporting runners as they move. Several yoga poses in particular can both strengthen and loosen tight hamstrings to prevent injury and make runs smoother. According to John Hanc of Runner’s World (“Flex Time,” 2008), the wide-leg forward bend is an excellent pose for runners’ hamstrings. Hanc instructs runners to stand with legs about five feet apart, toes pointing straight ahead, then bend slowly forward at the waist and rest arms and head on the floor. Paige Greenfield of iYogaLife.com (“The Ten Best Poses For Runners,” 2009) also recommends this pose, and adds that the forward bend also stretches tight calves and inner thighs.
In addition to the forward bend, Hanc recommends the standard yoga pose, downward-facing dog, for tight hamstrings and glutes. In this pose, runners move from an all-fours position to raising buttocks in the air, creating a V-shape with the body, face turned toward the ground and hands. Hanc adds that in addition to stretching hamstrings and glutes, downward-facing dog also opens the chest to enhance breathing and loosen tight shoulder muscles.
Yoga Poses For Tight Hips And Knees
Though they receive less attention than hamstrings and calves, the hips can grow tight as well through repeated running. Tight hips in turn can cause both leg and knee injuries if the hip muscles are not properly stretched. Yoga’s bound angle pose is an excellent hip opener, according to both Hanc and Greenfield. In this pose, runners sit with the soles of their feet pulled together, and their heels as close to the groin as possible. Pressing the soles together and pushing the legs toward the floor will stretch and strengthen the inner thighs, pelvis and hips.
One additional pose that will strengthen hips and all leg muscles is the chair pose, in which runners stand, extend the arms over the head, and squat until thighs are nearly parallel with the floor. Hanc instructs runners to keep their heels flat on the floor, and to remember to breathe into the pose. This move is particularly good for hips and quadriceps, both of which can become tight in runners’ bodies.
All yoga poses are good for runners’ bodies, and Greenfield recommends that runners take at least one weekly yoga class for a full-body stretch. However, these poses in particular can both loosen and strengthen tight hamstrings, hips and calves and keep runners flexible and healthy as they continue their running routine.
Anne Valente - Anne has worked as a feature writer for Sauce Magazine, a food monthly in Saint Louis, and as a music writer/columnist for Playback ...
