Pilates Fitness Friday: Longer Strides and Psoas Use

Long walking stride by the lake showing greater hip extension that lengthens the psoas.

How extending your walk and running will change your psoas use

When you walk a bit longer or start adding short runs into your week, your psoas wakes up fast. It is one of those muscles that pretends to be quiet in class, then makes a scene the moment you take it outside. The change in demand is simple. Longer strides ask it to lengthen. Running asks it to lift. If your posture drifts, your psoas complains.

Longer walks give you more hip extension. You take the leg further behind you which forces the psoas to open with each step. You feel less tightness because the lengthening happens repeatedly and under light load. It is one of the easiest ways to improve your gait without needing any equipment.

Running shifts the work. You need more hip flexion. The psoas becomes the engine that lifts your thigh for every stride. Even slow running increases this demand. It explains why people who run without any strength work often end up with tired hips or a stiff lower back.

Your pelvis matters. An anterior tilt keeps the psoas short and annoyed. A posterior tilt drags on it. A balanced pelvis gives the muscle space to do its job without pulling on your lumbar spine. When you get this right, walking and running feel smoother. Your Pilates sessions feel cleaner too.

The glutes play a big role. Weak glutes push the psoas to do double work. Strong glutes give you a steady base which lets the psoas lift and lengthen without strain. If your walk feels uneven or your run feels heavy, this is where you look first.

You will notice the changes in your Pilates work. A psoas that is warm and active supports smoother roll downs and steadier supine sequences. You feel more control in standing exercises because the hip flexors are not clamping around your spine.

Keep the steps simple.

Increase your walk by ten minutes.Add a short run once or twice a week.Keep an even stride.Avoid overstriding.Use your breath to stay relaxed in the ribs.Finish with a basic lunge stretch.