The Pre-Run Glute Warm-Up Mistakes Keeping Your Legs Feeling Weak on Long Runs
- Marie Whitt
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
I'm a little flabbergasted that even in the year 2026, we still have internet myths going strong like, "If you're a runner...
“Your glutes are weak.”
“You’re not activating them when you run.”
“Do this one glute exercise and it’ll fix everything including your Boston Qualifying time!"
And look, none of the exercises are necessarily bad.
But the way they’re often taught? The way they go viral?
The way runners apply them as a one-size-fits-all solution?
The way they become an excessive 20 minute running warm up?
That's the part I can't get behind as a running physical therapist.
Because trust me, what's starts out as a reasonable 3-5 pre-run circuit, quickly morphs into a list of 50 exercises that you can't keep up with.
And often, this leads to a spiral of guilt and panic niggle.
I’m not here to tell you, “You’re doing everything wrong".
If you love these exercises I'm critiquing, if they make you feel unstoppable, if you have the best runs of your life after doing them...
then keep on, keeping on, boo.
I’m here to add nuance to the conversation so you actually understand:
what exercise you’re doing
why you’re doing it
and whether it’s even helping your running
Because most of the time, the problem stems from how it’s being performed, coached, and (not) progressed.
Let’s break down a few of the biggest offenders.
Banded Clamshells
I’ve seen banded clamshells handed out to runners like bananas at the end of a marathon.
(And honestly, that’s an insult to the banana because it's at least a useful source of post-run carbs.)
Most runners are told: “You need clamshells because your glutes are weak.”
So you grab a band, crank out reps, feel the burn… and assume it’s working.
But what’s usually missing:
no attention to how your torso and pelvis are positioned (not aligned in a straight line)
no deliberate core engagement
no understanding of where you hips need to sit throughout this exercise to engage your glutes rather than your hips flexors
So instead of engaging your glutes and actually warming up for your run, you’re just… going through the motions.
That's why I'd upgrade your banded clamshell to a side plank + clamshells with transverse abdominus contraction.
The takeaway:
The band isn’t the star of the show like the internet would have you believe.
Wiht this exercise, it's much more subtle, but your ability to keep your hips in extension, engage your core with a gentle TA brace, and actually control your breath during the hip abduction and slide plank portion combined...is what determines whether this exercise does anything for your running.
Fire Hydrants
Fire hydrants are another one that runners have been told to do "for ages".
(I remember college coaches telling me to do these as a warm up. Maybe this is why I don't like them...)
Supposedly, fire hydrants are fixing the “You’re not using your glutes when you run” problem… by lifting your leg out to the side over and over again?
The problems I see (and feel) with this exercise:
your hips tend to rotate open
because you're so focused on increasing how far your knee moves up (greater range of motion)
that any thought to glute engagement or core control go right out the window.
So while you may feel that you’re working hard, especially if these are banded… they exercises my not necessarily be working well for you.
If I’m actually trying to help a runner build a better glute–core connection, I’m going here instead: to a bear crawl position (I have the exercises in the video below).
The takeaway:
If you struggle with your "glutes working", start with mind-muscle connection, neuromotor control. Control > chaos. Every time.
“Hip Airplanes Fix Everything”
This one’s been making the rounds lately.
(It's the one where you're balancing on one leg, pushing your knee into a foam roller, trying to work on hip mobility and control doing a hip airplane… it's kind of a lot.)
And it’s often paired with messaging like: “You need more hip internal rotation for better running form" and "this exercise will help get rid of that knee pain you feel as your fatigue during your log runs."
Here’s the thing:
If you're hips are uber tight, then yes, please work on hip joint mobility.
If you know you need to build stronger glutes, let's get to work.
(but realize, you also probably need stronger quads if you've got some long-run knee aches.)
When an exercise gets overhyped and positioned as the fix, we lose context real fast.
Because the truth is running form is variable.
Bodies are different.
And more hip internal rotation isn’t automatically better for your knee.
That's why I like this alternate exercise that I do as part of my strength training AND running warm up when my right knee is being a diva and acting up: a 3-Way Single-Leg Wall Press (definitiely watch the video for this).
Why this works:
You’re moving through positions that actually resemble phases of your running stride while:
building single leg balance
engaging the stance leg ( from foot, quad, to glute)
activating the moving leg glute in a controlled way, running-stride specific way
The takeaway:
I'm not claiming this is a “magic” exercise, although I do hope it decreases pain and calms down your knee like it does for mine! But the point is it’s all about building muscle coordination, control, and strength in positions that actually matter for running.
WRAPPING UP
If you take nothing else from this, remember:
No exercise is "wrong" or "bad".
But viral exercises are often incomplete and lacking nuance...and individualization for you.
They’re missing:
context
coaching
progression
and an understanding of why you’re doing them
So instead of asking: “Is this exercise good or bad for running?”
Start asking: “What is this actually doing for me? and am I doing it well enough for it to matter?”
Until next time running fit fam...
Dare to Train Differently,
Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit
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