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JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - Some people define running as being an exercise created by the devil and used by the Marine Corps as a tool to torture them. Others define it as shuffling forward a little faster than normal.
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines running as “to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step.”
We all generally know what running is, but what components work together to create it?
I’m speaking of the muscles involved in running of course – and there are a lot of them.
Knowing which muscles are actively involved in running can help an athlete to know which muscles to work out, which muscles to warm up before exercising and which muscles are at risk for injury.
Plus, it won’t hurt to know a little extra knowledge for one of those nerdy running discussions you find yourself the victim of someday.
Disclaimer: I only have enough space in this illustrious paper to cover a few of the big muscles.
Alright, our first contestant is the quadriceps.
The quadriceps are located on the front of the thigh and are composed of four different muscles. Their job is to extend the knee.
According to Live Strong, the quadriceps are vital to a runner’s stride.
Be careful with this muscle group. It’s used for walking and other everyday actions as well, so there’s a great possibility of injuring it if not properly stretched or if overworked.
Injuring your quadriceps would force you to take up to a month’s worse of convalescent leave from running – perhaps a happy thought for some but a nightmare for the committed or competitive runner.
On the back of the thigh are the hamstrings, which help bend the knee during a run.
As you lift your leg up and forward, bending the knee and then swinging back to run, the hamstrings get a full workout.
Active, the website, goes as far as to label your hamstrings the “powerhouse of your legs.”
Stretch these babies too, or else you’ll find yourself back on the couch with an icepack. A severe hamstring injury can take months to heal.
Our final highlighted muscle is the Tibialis Anterior, located on the front of your shins. This muscle helps runners point their toes and bend your ankles.
You’re actually more familiar with this muscle than you think. It’s the reason for the shin splints most athletes have had the pleasure of experiencing at one time or another.
Running on uneven ground is a factor in risking the wrath of your Tibialis Anterior, so don’t go sprinting off into the unknown and then complain when your shins hurt.
There are many, many more muscles involved in the process of running and knowing about them can improve the way you train, the stretches you perform and the safety measure you take.
| Date Taken: | 11.13.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2014 13:30 |
| Story ID: | 148790 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Muscles behind the movement, by Sgt Mary Carmona, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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