These three Pilates-inspired moves will correct a common postural imbalance holding back most runners, says an experienced instructor
Strengthen your glutes, hamstrings and abs to run faster with fewer injuries
Luke Meessmann knows a thing or two about running.
A five-time veteran of the London Marathon, he started out in exercise science and rehabilitation before moving into Pilates as an instructor and owner of Absolute Studios.
From this experienced vantage point, the Australian believes there is one common postural imbalance holding most runners back from giving their all.
“Everyone is individual,” he caveats, speaking to Fit&Well. “But across the population, the most predominant postural imbalance we tend to see is an anteriorly tilted pelvis.”
This typically means the abdominals, glutes and hamstrings aren't as strong as they could be.
Instead, the hip flexors and quads on the front of the thighs take over, pulling the pelvis forward, forcing the lower back into too much of an arch.
This effect, he says, is compounded by a rounding or hunching of the upper back and shoulders due to our use of phones and laptops.
“For running specifically, if you have strong abdominals, glutes and hamstrings, you stand a much better chance of not having back and knee pain,” Meessmann explains.
“You need strong quads [for running], but you need a balance, especially around the hip and knee joint, because we tend to be overly hip flexor and quad dominant.”
Regularly strengthening the glutes, hamstrings and abs with the exercises Meessmann has suggested below will help tilt your pelvis back into a neutral alignment.
“When you train those areas and get them strong and get the balance back, you move better, you move more efficiently,” he says.
“You waste less energy because you have better balance around the joints and have much less chance of tearing a hamstring because it’s not used to working at a higher capacity.”
Best Pilates exercises for runners
Attending a mat or reformer Pilates class will likely strengthen all three of these crucial muscle groups for runners, but you can also target them at home with just your bodyweight.
Meessmann recommends dead bug, Superman and glute bridge marches.
“These moves target the glutes, hamstrings and abs, but also train neuromuscular control and coordination between your lower and upper body,” adds Meessmann.
“Running isn’t just a leg workout—it’s very much an upper-lower body coordinated exercise.
“You can absolutely do these exercises on the mat, but if you have access to a reformer, that will challenge the neuromuscular component a little bit more.”
He suggests adding these moves to your regular resistance training workouts, or tagging them onto the end of one of your lighter weekly runs.
Perform them as a circuit, working for 45 seconds, then resting for 15 seconds, repeated two to three times in total.
1. Glute bridge march
Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Engage your core, gently pressing your lower back into the floor.
- Keeping these muscles switched on, push through your feet to lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
- Lower your butt to the floor under control.
- Perform three reps like this to warm up your glutes and hamstrings, then pause at the top of the exercise and alternately lift your legs in a marching action.
- Focus on keeping your hips and pelvis stable as you alternate sides.
Meessmann says: “Adding a march introduces a great neuromuscular component. The glutes and hamstrings provide stability, but the abdominals, and especially the obliques, provide anti-rotation force. That’s why the obliques are massive for running as well.”
2. Dead bug
Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec
- Lie on your back with your knees stacked over your hips and bent to 90°, shins parallel to the floor, and arms extended straight up.
- Keep your lower back gently pressed into the floor throughout to keep your deep core muscles engaged.
- Start by keeping your arms still and alternate extending and lowering one leg at a time until it’s just above the floor with your ankle flexed.
- Once this feels under control, make it harder by lowering an arm behind you until just off the floor, moving your opposite arm and leg in unison.
Meessmann says: “A variation on the classic Pilates toe tap, variations in how you move your arms and legs challenge trunk stability, while simultaneously training upper and lower body control and efficiency.”
3. Quadruped (or superman)
Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec
- Get on all fours, with your knees directly below your hips and your hands directly below your shoulders.
- Gaze down at the floor throughout to maintain a neutral spine.
- Start by alternately extending your leg behind you, keeping your ankle flexed and moving with control.
- Once this feels comfortable, make it more challenging by reaching your arm in front of you, moving your opposite arm and leg in unison.
- Think about lengthening your body from your heel to your fingertips with each rep.
Meessmann says: “A reverse of the dead bug on all fours, this strengthens the glutes and hamstrings, while training abdominal control over the pelvis and trunk, plus coordination with the opposite arm and leg movement. That’s where the crossover into running comes into play.”
Luke Meessmann is the founder and master trainer at Absolute Studios in London, UK. Since earning a graduate diploma in science for exercise rehabilitation from the University of Wollongong in Australia, he has amassed over 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry and spent thousands of hours coaching clients and training other professionals. Meessmann is an APPI certified matwork Pilates instructor and has been working with Dynamic Reformer Pilates since its early days in the UK, helping shape how it is taught through developing training programmes and mentoring instructors along the way. Having dealt with his own challenges around mobility and back pain, he knows first-hand how powerful this method can be when it’s done properly.
