Variation on the runners lunge

Jul 17, 2023

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YORK COUNTY, Pa. — In this week's FOX43 FitMinute, personal trainer with the York County JCC, Susannah Gillespie, is going to take us through a variation on the runner's pose or runner's lunge.

"We are going to get the front of the legs and the back of the legs really stretched out. You may even be able to do a split by the end of it,” Gillespie said.

Gillespie notes the importance of prioritizing stretching when in the gym because it stabilizes the body during other movements and aids the body in operating at its highest level of performance. Also, she says that when trying this move, be sure to listen to the body and how it reacts. Flexibility takes time and practice, so give yourself the space to slowly ease into those deeper movements.

“When we are working on our flexibility moves we are actually working to stretch out some of our tendons, stretch out our ligaments and get into the 'fascia' of our muscles which is an outer covering and when we get into that we are also helping to kind of push out and refresh the liquids that are in that tissue so it's almost like an oil change inside of our body,” Gillespie said.

Begin the runners stretch from your knees, on a mat.

“[For our first stretch] take a big step forward with your first leg and put your hands on your quads to just ease into it. This might be enough for you and that’s just perfect. As you start to develop your flexibility you can lean forward and eventually get your hands down on the mat, or you can even put some pillows next to you if that feels good. You are going to hold down into your stretch for a couple of seconds or even up to a minute if that feels good," Gillespie said.

"[For the] second stretch, we are going to shift the hips back straightening out the leg and either keeping the toes pointed or go ahead and flex it. The flex is going to feel a little bit more intense but that’s how we develop that flexibility. [Next] exhale through the chest, [and] let your chest get nice and let it feel heavy," Gillespie said.

To finish off the sequence, Gillespie instructs the participant to rock back forward to the original position.

"[For our third movement] you have the option to tuck those toes underneath and lift back up. You can see that line opening up just a little bit more or eventually you are going to come all the way down and get into that nice split,” Gillespie said.

When the first leg is completed, move over to the next leg and work through the same sequence. A reminder, do not feel the need to rush through the movement, and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to a trainer!

You just got better!

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