Day 47, 318 To Go

February 16, 2013

Today, I'm going to talk about my butt.  Well, not just my butt, but everyone's butt.  We all have one, you know.

Honey says that I have a great ass.  She says it is the best she has ever seen.  She says it is a Super Ass.  Now I have never seen my ass from her perspective, but I'm inclined to believe her.  I don't think this is something I should just take lightly.  I think everyone, from now on, should refer to me as the Super Ass!

Hmm, that didn't quite roll of the tongue like I expected to.  I'm not sure I like the way that sounds...let's forget the whole thing and get back to the butt...uh, yeah.

So, the butt.  It is a great big muscle that resides at the top of your legs and it is often overlooked by runners.  We don't exercise it.  We don't stretch it.  We don't engage it when we run.  To sum it all up, we don't give a shit about our butts (until the next race when we are on line at the port a potty...then things change).

I want to change that.  You see, the butt muscle...the gluteus maximus, as it were...is instrumental in running efficiently and fast.  Most runners don't think that weight training is necessary, but it is.  It helps stave off injuries and it builds up all that muscle that all those miles you do break down.  Squats are your friend...and your butt's friend too.  There are also plenty of ass specific exercises you can do when you are at the gym or at home.

Here are some the ladies will like: Butt Exercises
Here are some for the men: More Butt

You can easily find a ton of exercises for your butt online, so go for it.  The bonus is that you will have a toned, super butt.  The benefit as a runner is that it will help increase your stride length which will in turn increase your speed.  It will also help you stay injury free because the more muscles you engage when you run, the less likely any one muscle will be overworked.

When I say engage the butt, I don't mean I want you to get on your knee and stick a ring...or anything else for that matter...in it (unless you're into that, then I say go for it.)  I mean that when you are running, you need to consciously attempt to utilize your gluteus when you run.  You may think you already do this, but next time you are running, give it a shot.  You will immediately notice that your stride changes a bit and that you are running stronger and more efficiently.  The trick is to do this every few minutes so you get used to it (and so does your butt) so you don't have to think about it any more.

Here are my numbers for Saturday:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.64 miles

Pace: 9:09/m

Max Pace: 6:51/m

Calories: 215

Avg HR: 132

Max HR: 143

Again, my numbers are pretty consistent with the past few days.  I have been keeping up with my running form changes and I have been engaging my butt too.  Honey would be proud.

Run for life!