What part of the leg does running work out?

[bphan002]

Can someone please be specific or does it work out every part of the leg?

I'm asking this because I'm doing leg strengthening exercises and I don't want to work it out the next day when it should be resting or is it okay?

Is the adductors part of the leg and is that being worked out when running?

[DragonSpawn]

Most of the major leg muscles are used in some way. The front of the thigh is used in straightening the knee and the back of the thigh in bending the knee. Gluteus muscles pull the leg back, and the core muscles in the front (don't remember the name) pull the leg forward. The calf muscles are used to push off the ground and the shin area muscles are used to bend the ankle.

[GaryT85]

the above post sums it up well..

i would say the hamstrings get 'worked' the most though.

the leg movement created by hamstrings contracting is the main aspect of getting you to move forward, so it would seem like they do the most 'work'




(also something to consider, hill running/varied runs in general would shift focus on different parts of the leg)

[Nutjob]

in the quadriceps you have 4 muscles (vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris), which move 2 joints (hip and knee joints). these movements are hip flexion and knee extension.

in the hamstrings and buttocks you have 4 major muscles (semitendinosis, semimembrinosis, biceps femoris and gluteus maximus), which also move 2 joints (hip and knee again). these movements are knee flexion and hip extention.

in the lower leg you have 2 muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) which also move 2 joints (knee and ankle). the ankle movement is called plantar flexion, and the gastrocnemius also assists the hamstrings in knee flexion.

just a note, on the front of the lower leg is the tibialis anterior muscle which moves ankle only (movement is dorsi flexion)

[bphan002]

So is it safe to say that no abductors and adductors are being worked?

[Nutjob]

Well abductors take the leg away from the body to the side and adductors pull the leg in so maybe some but not in any degree to the rest of the legs...