Butt cheeks
When out walking in the mountains, do you find descents (especially long ones) harder than going up in the first place? Do you get really sore knees? Many people do, and the reasons for this can be complex and I’m not going to pretend that there’s a one-size-fits-all solution to this. But there is one thing that we can all do that will almost certainly help and won’t do any harm.
In most cases, the underlying cause of knee pain while descending is a combination of 21st Century sedentary lifestyles leading to bad posture and walking technique; and the fact that moving downhill makes it impossible to take a normal walking step the way our bodies are intended to. This all adds up to not using the muscles at the back of the legs and overusing the quads (at the front).
So here are two tips:
- To help trigger better posture and start engaging the back of the legs, simply clench your butt cheeks. Yes, it’s that simple. Just give them a good squeeze together and hold them there while you walk. You should find now that you are using the back of the legs more.
- Every so often, take a quick break and do some stretches that lengthen the back of the leg – the lunge position. A few of these at regular intervals will help increase the amount of time that you can walk downhill relatively free of discomfort.
