Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Health & Fitness

6 yoga poses that help with mobility for runners

The top 6 yoga poses for runners to increase mobility and strengthen your core

By
man running in shorts outside on the road
Jakob Owens / Unsplash

Feeling the breeze on your face as you run past the trees is exhilarating. If you’re a runner, you probably know and love this familiar feeling of getting your blood pumping and your muscles moving. Of course, runners love running, but it can be hard on the joints. Mix it up and try other forms of exercise, like yoga, to protect and strengthen your joints and muscles. This meditative movement practice has long been loved by athletes and runners alike. Here are six yoga poses to boost your mobility and future runs.

cartoon illustration animation drawing of man doing lizard yoga pose
Lioputra / Adobe

1. Lizard pose (utthan pristhasana)

Lizards are fast with flexible hips and can stretch their legs out to the side. While you probably won’t be running with your legs out to the side like a lizard, you’ll definitely feel the stretch in your hamstrings and hips with the lizard pose.

  • Start in the lunge position. 
  • Place your hands on the floor on the inside of your front foot.
  • You can modify this pose by dropping your back knee to the floor.
  • Lower your body and rest your elbows on the floor to feel the stretch if you can.
woman wearing gym clothes doing downward dog yoga pose on yoga mat in gym
Logan Weaver / Unsplash

2. Downward dog (adho mukha svanasana)

Downward dog is an excellent way to stretch tight hamstrings, which is common among runners. You also engage your arms and legs and feel the stretch in several areas of your body at the same time.

  • Start on all fours in tabletop pose and make sure your wrists are in line with your shoulders.
  • Tuck in your toes and push your hips up and back until your legs are straight.
  • Your body should be in an upside-down V position.
Man and woman doing triangle yoga pose on mat indoors on wooden floor
Nomad Soul / Adobe

3. Triangle pose (trikonasana)

Triangle pose is another excellent choice when you want to stretch your hamstrings. 

  • Stand with your feet about 4 feet apart and turn your right foot 90 degrees so your feet are perpendicular to each other.
  • Stretch out your right arm and hold your right ankle.
  • Raise your left arm straight up to the sky.
  • Repeat on the other side.
illustration drawing of woman doing butterfly yoga pose on mat
About Time / Adobe

4. Butterfly pose (badhakonasana)

The butterfly pose has a cool-sounding name and helps open up your inner thigh muscles, which are sometimes overlooked. 

  • Begin in a seated position.
  • Bend your knees and place the soles of your feet together.
  • Interlace your fingers or place your hands on your toes, ankles, or shins.
  • Lengthen your spine and draw your shoulders down and back.
  • You can press your knees further to the floor with your hands or elbows.
man doing cow face yoga pose outside
Pikoso Kz / Adobe

5. Cow face pose (gomukhasana)

This yoga pose works both your shoulders and hips simultaneously for a deep and rewarding stretch. 

  • Start in a seated position with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor about hips-distance apart.
  • Reach your left arm under and through your left leg so you can grab your right ankle with your left hand.
  • Bring your right ankle toward your left hip and allow your knee to lower.
  • You can also reach one arm over and your other arm under and clasp your hands together behind your back.
  • You can modify this pose with resistance bands or yoga straps.
Man doing seated forward bend yoga pose outdoors on mat
Werner Pfennig / Pexels

6. Seated forward bend (paschimottanasana)

A seated forward bend expands your back and leg muscles, which are important for running.

  • Start in a seated position with your legs straight out in front of you.
  • Hinge at your hips and lean into a forward bend.
  • Walk your hands forward toward your feet as much as you can.
man seated indoors by brick wall on a yoga mat doing seated yoga pose
Klaus Nielsen / Pexels

Add variety to your workout routine with yoga

Yoga adds variety to your workout routine. Runners are known for having tight hips, and these yoga poses help loosen and stretch the hips and strengthen your lower body and core, ready for running. Practicing yoga is also a beneficial way to boost your endurance as a runner because, with stronger muscles and more flexibility and agility, you can probably run longer distances and race in those marathons. 

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green is a content writer specializing in healthcare, wellness, and nutrition. With over ten years of experience, she…
The best pre-workout meals – everything you need to know
Maximizing athletic performance in the gym requires the right nutrition beforehand
Man eating before a workout

As in most things in fitness, there is never going to be a one-size-fits-all situation. Whether that's diet, exercise, routines, supplements, habits, the list goes on, just because something works for someone else does not mean it will work for you. A pretty commonly asked question on that fact is whether you should eat a pre-workout meal.

First thing, you need to establish which group you fall into. Do you feel fully optimized during your session, either with or without food? Some people feel less sluggish on an empty stomach and love to recover with a feast. Others feel lethargic and struggle throughout without proper fuel. If you're the latter, this article is for you. If you aren't sure, try both for a couple of weeks and compare your training performance.

Read more
How to do a perfect pushup every time, according to a pro trainer
Forget what you know about pushups and do them the right way — read this to learn
Clarence Hairston

Knowing how to do a pushup doesn't always come naturally. Many know Clarence Hairston as one of the more motivating Tempo
coaches, leading seven or eight live fitness classes each week, as well as a few goal-focused programs a month. Each program is designed to build strength and lose weight. Before getting into fitness class instruction, the PT stud was just a lowly Air Force recruit in boot camp looking to prove himself at pushups.

"I thought I was the coolest guy ever, and in 60 seconds, I was able to do 12," Hairston, from his home in Alameda, California, told The Manual. But rather than washing out and returning home with his head hung in shame, he began to work in earnest, striving to get better every day. By training's end, he could do 30 pushups — a modest improvement compared to his capability now, but proof of the payoff that comes with consistent and careful work.

Read more
How to train for your first century bike ride (tips to help you get you through all the miles)
Before you know it, 100 miles will be easy
Sole cyclist on an open road

After getting a great bike and tackling regular rides during the week and maybe a longer weekend ride, many cyclists start entertaining thoughts of riding a full century. All of those shorter rides become so enjoyable and build the cyclist's confidence until they are ready to push their physical limits -- and there's no better step than a century.

Century bike rides are when cyclists complete 100 miles during one ride. Century rides can be organized, and you can ride them on your own, with a group, or as a competitive event. Supported rides with volunteers who provide refreshments at regular intervals are another smart way to take on the long-distance challenge.

Read more