If you are beyond 50 years, it’s likely you’ve been taught to perform squats incorrectly. The standard was to never go deeper than legs parallel to the ground. Anything deeper than that was said to “ruin your knees.”

Stopping knee flexion at that pressure point creates unnecessary stress for the knees, lower back, and other joints. Thankfully, more people are discovering that full flexion of all joints is healthy.

During compression, such as squatting, synovial fluid is squeezed out of the cartilage. During decompression, such as standing up from a squat, the fluid is drawn back into the cartilage, bringing with it oxygen, nutrients, and lubrication.

Just about any movement that activates the knees, ankles and hips is going to activate this process. However, the ATG split squat takes this to new levels.

Here is a photo of an Olympic lifter supporting significant weight while set in a deep, single leg split squat. Source: medium.com

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Runners of all ages struggle with committing to strength training. Yet, the time comes when the regular reminders they get from sore ankles, knees, and lower backs pushes them to it.

If I could only do one strength exercise, it would be reverse sled pulls.

Unlike some strength exercises, it’s almost impossible to get hurt. If the weight is too heavy, you cannot pull it, so there’s no risk. A general guide is working up to pulling half of your bodyweight for 15-20 minutes.

Think of backward walking as a light version of sled pulls. You are not pulling any weight but are still working the same muscles that counterbalance the muscles we regularly use for running.

With or without weight, walking in reverse builds muscles that we seldom use, but that counterbalance those that we sometimes overuse when running. Walking and pulling a sled in reverse work muscles and ligaments differently than moving forward, thereby promoting balanced development across our joints.

Resources:

The ATG Equipment List - The reverse sled pull strap is the one I prefer.

Freak Athlete - Source for pull strap and sled.

History of backward sledding

Ben Patrick's story about backward walking benefits

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It’s that time of the year when more of us are likely to encounter hot and humid conditions. My feeling is you should not completely avoid these conditions, because you may encounter them again at an important race. Thus, it’s helpful to learn how you adapt.

In his bestselling book, Why We Run: A Natural History (originally titled Racing The Antelope), author Bernd Heinrich explains why early humans were successful in tracking antelopes that are clearly faster than humans.

Animals with fur have limited cooling capabilities. In contrast, our largest organ is our skin, and its ability to perspire allows us to thermoregulate and stay cool for extended periods of exercise.

Having recently moved to South Florida where heat and humidity are unavoidable this time of the year, I can affirm that over time we can indeed adapt to heat and humidity by following sensible practices.

I've broken these practices into three categories.

1. Staying cool

• Shade
• Clothing
• Hydration & electrolytes

2. Tolerating heat

• Playful exercises
• Segmenting workouts
• Leg cramp supplements

3. Safety

• Sunscreen
• Skin protection supplements
• UV Index

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Enjoy your next run!