Are You a Quad-Dominant Runner?

Knee pain is the bane of many runners’ existence. This resilient joint is plagued by ailments, including runner’s knee, arthritis, and IT band syndrome, to name a few. Sure, it could be caused by overuse or age, but your running form might be to blame. To be more specific: You could be a quad-dominant runner.

Being quad-dominant is exactly what it sounds like: You rely mostly on your quadriceps muscles to propel you forward during your miles, Janet Hamilton, RCEP, CSCS, exercise physiologist, run coach, and owner of Running Strong, explains.

“Ideally, you’d like your muscle groups to have relatively balanced strength and mobility profiles so that no one muscle group dominates the activity, but that’s often not the case,” she says.

Even if your knees don’t ache, using your quads too much could lead to less power and efficiency during your training runs and races. But don’t worry, you’re not doomed to suffer this fate forever—there are things you can do to break the cycle of relying too much on this muscle group.

Many of us are quad-dominant runners

When you use your quads too much to power your stride, you’re essentially pulling yourself forward more than pushing the ground away behind you, adds exercise physiologist Tom Holland, MS, CSCS, CISSN, adjunct professor of biomechanics at the University of Bridgeport.

Primarily using your quads while running tends to happen if you spend most of your day sitting, according to Hamilton, as being sedentary can lead to losing strength in your hip muscles and less mobility in your calves, hip flexors, and hamstrings. It’s also common in runners who have weaker glutes or naturally run with a heel-strike pattern, Holland adds.

“The body is an extremely intelligent machine and will always choose the strongest, most familiar muscles, even if they aren’t the most efficient ones for the specific activity,” Holland says.

In addition to reduced efficiency and knee pain, quad-dominant running can lead to faster fatigue.

“The quads are great at absorbing force and controlling knee bend, but they’re not built to be the main driver of moving forward, especially at speed,” Holland says. “When you rely too heavily on them, you often create a type of ‘braking’ stride, with the foot landing too far in front of your body, which is much less efficient and much more fatiguing. It puts more load through the knee joint—especially the patellofemoral area—and the quads fatigue faster because they’re doing both control (the braking) as well as propulsion work.”

Over time, being a quad-dominant runner can also limit your hip extension, shorten stride efficiency, and contribute to imbalances like tight hip flexors and calf issues because your muscles aren’t working as a system, Holland explains.

The fix: Establish glute dominance

This might not come as a surprise, but getting your booty to carry more of the load is the way to more balanced running. Glute-dominant runners get most of their power and drive from the hips, specifically the glutes and hamstrings, rather than from the knees, according to Holland.

“This is usually the result of better hip mobility, stronger posterior chain development, and better running mechanics, including the foot landing closer to under the body rather than out front,” he says.

Some people become glute-driven naturally through specific sports such as sprinting, strength training, or simply good genetics and natural running form, Holland explains.

“The glutes are the largest muscles in the body, and running is essentially a repeated single-leg hip extension drill. When you utilize the glutes as a runner, you get a natural ‘push the ground behind you’ stride, which is more efficient and less stressful on the quads and knees,” he says.

Additionally, using your glutes spreads the workload across bigger muscles, optimizes energy use, and creates better alignment from the ankle up to the hip, which results in running that looks easier, feels easier, and allows you to potentially run faster and farther, Holland explains.

Are you quad- or glute-dominant?

To explore whether or not you’re a quad-dominant runner, examine how you run: If you over-stride, land with a straight knee, and feel like you’re “pulling yourself forward,” you’re most likely quad-dominant, Holland adds. If your stride feels shorter, your foot lands closer and more under your body, and you feel a strong push from behind you, you’re more likely using your glutes.

But if you’re feeling sore in your knees or quads and suspect it’s because your quads are taking over, getting help from a professional is the best step. Hamilton suggests having a physical therapist or exercise physiologist evaluate your segmental mobility, muscle flexibility, skeletal alignment, and biomechanical gait pattern for personalized recommendations.

“You may think you’re quad-dominant, when in fact you’re really just super tight in your calves or weak in your lateral hips,” she says.

Strengthen your glutes

If you’re a quad-dominant runner who wants to engage your glutes, strengthening exercises for your hips and hamstrings are a good place to start, Hamilton says.

“Glute bridges, single-leg glute bridges, and dead lifts are a great way to engage the glutes and get them activated,” she says. “Doing these exercises as part of your warm-up, and then running with a mindfulness of ‘engaging’ the glutes, may help.”

Hip- and glute-activating workout for runners

This program, designed by Kendell Jno-Finn, DPT, owner of M3 Endeavors in Trussville, Alabama, will improve your overall strength. Add it to your schedule twice per week with at least one rest day in between.

Bodyweight squats

Reps/Sets: 3 sets of 12-15 reps

How to: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your hips down and back as if sitting in a chair, keeping your chest upright and knees tracking over your toes. Press through your heels to return to standing.

Muscles Worked: Glutes, quads, hamstrings, core

Step-ups

Reps/Sets: 3 sets of 10 reps per leg

How to Do It: Stand in front of a sturdy step or platform. Place one foot firmly on the step and press through that heel to lift your body up, bringing the other foot to meet it. Step down with the same foot you started with. Alternate legs. To make this move more advanced as you get stronger, use a taller step or platform.

Muscles Worked: Glutes, quads, hamstrings

Single-leg bicep curls

Reps/Sets: 3 sets of 12 reps per leg

How to Do It: Hold a light to medium-weight dumbbell in each hand and balance on one leg. Curl the weights toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your torso. Lower the weights. Do 12 on one leg, then switch to standing on the other leg.

Muscles Worked: Glutes (stabilization), biceps, core

Reverse lunges

Reps/Sets: 3 sets of 10 reps per leg

How to Do It: Start with your hands overhead, then take a large, controlled step backward with your right foot. Lower yourself so that your left thigh is parallel to the ground and your right leg is in line with your right ankle. Return to standing for one rep. Maintain overhead arm position for the entirety of the set.

Muscles Worked: Glutes, quads, hamstrings

Banded side steps

Reps/Sets: 3 sets of 15-20 steps each direction

How to Do It: Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. With your torso upright, squat very slightly with your butt and hips back. Step your right foot out to the side, maintaining tension in the band, return to center, then step your left out. Continue moving back and forth. You should feel this work in your butt, core, and hips.

Muscles Worked: Glute medius, hip abductors

Single-leg shoulder press

Reps/Sets: 3 sets of 12 reps per leg

How to Do It: Balance on one leg. Hold light- to medium-weight dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing to your shoulders. Press the weights overhead and twist your arms out so that your palms are facing out at the top.Lower them back to shoulder height. Complete 12 then switch to the other leg.

Muscles Worked: Glutes (stabilization), shoulders, core

Single-leg bridge

Reps/Sets: 3 sets of 10-12 reps per leg

How to Do It: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground, hip-width apart. Extend one leg straight out, keeping it in line with your opposite thigh. Press through the heel of the foot still on the ground and lift your hips toward the ceiling, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knee. Pause at the top and squeeze your glutes, ensuring your hips stay level. Slowly lower your hips back down without letting them touch the ground. Complete all reps on one leg, then switch to the other.

Muscles Worked: Glutes, hamstrings, core

Single-leg bodyweight deadlifts

Reps/Sets: 3 sets of 12 reps

How to Do It: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips and extend your right leg straight behind you. Keep you back straight while lowering your torso toward so that your chest is parallel to the ground. Return to standing by engaging your glutes and core. Complete 12 reps then switch legs.

Muscles Worked: Glutes, hamstrings, lower back

Panther walks

Reps/Sets: 3 sets of 15 seconds forward and backward

How to Do It: Begin on all fours with your knees hovering about 1-2 inches off the ground. You should immediately feel your abs light up. Move one hand and the opposite foot forward an equal distance while staying low to the ground. Crawl forward for 15 seconds, then reverse and move backward. Keep your hips steady and avoid swinging them side to side. For an added challenge, balance a yoga block or shoe on your lower back to ensure your hips aren’t shifting.

Muscles Worked: Hip flexors, glutes, core, shoulders

Running drills to engage your glutes

Holland also recommends adding running drills and hill repeats to your routine to work on strengthening your glutes in order to engage them on runs more. The running drills below can be used as a dynamic warm-up to engage the glutes before you run.

Running drills: 

Do each move for 30 seconds, three times.

• High knees
• Skipping
• Butt kicks
• Fast feet

Hill repeats:

• Warm up with a 5- to 10-minute easy run
• Do 4-10 hill repeats (20-60 seconds up, walk down)
• Cool down with a 5- to 10-minute easy run or walk