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Physiorun
The Classroom
Your Weekly Running Strength Class
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This Week’s Class
ITB Classroom For Runners
A hip control and lateral stability circuit — built to deal with the real cause of IT band pain in runners.
3 rounds throughout · 9 exercises
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IT band pain is one of the most common complaints in running clinics, and it’s also one of the most misunderstood. The usual response is to foam roll the band itself, stretch it hard, and hope the tightness eases off.
The band itself is rarely the real problem. It’s thick, fibrous tissue that barely lengthens no matter how much you stretch it. The pain usually shows up because the hip and glute medius aren’t controlling the pelvis well enough during stance, letting the hip drop and the knee roll in with every stride — which is exactly where this week’s circuit is aimed.
Nine exercises, three rounds — hip control, glute strength and lateral stability, trained the way running actually needs it.
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The Circuit · 3 rounds
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Hip Control
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1
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Split Lunge Left × 1 minute × 3
Hold a staggered split stance with the left leg forward, bending both knees while keeping the pelvis level and square. Trains single-leg strength and hip control in the exact loaded position your stride passes through on every stance phase.
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2
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Split Lunge Right × 1 minute × 3
Repeat the same staggered split stance with the right leg forward. Builds the same single-leg strength and control on the opposite side, so neither hip is left weaker than the other.
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3
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Side Lying Circles Left × 1 minute × 3
Lying on your left side, lift the top leg and trace small circles with the foot leading. Targets the glute medius directly — the muscle responsible for stopping the hip dropping and the knee rolling in on every stride.
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4
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Side Lying Circles Right × 1 minute × 3
Lying on your right side, repeat the same small circles with the top leg. Builds the same glute medius control on the other hip, closing off any side-to-side imbalance.
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5
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Banded Bridge × 1 minute × 3
With a band around your knees, bridge up through the hips while pushing out against the band the whole time. Forces the glutes to work against a constant outward pull, building the hip strength that keeps the pelvis level during stance.
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6
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Seated Alternate Leg Lifts × 1 minute × 3
Sitting tall, lift one leg at a time, alternating sides at a steady pace. Builds hip flexor control and core stability, supporting the pelvis from the front as the glutes work to control it from the side.
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7
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Wall Drops Left (Hip Drop to Wall in Standing) × 1 minute × 3
Standing tall on your left leg, use the wall for balance and let the right hip drop down under control before lifting it back level. Trains the left glute medius to control pelvis drop eccentrically — the precise failure point behind IT band pain.
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8
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Wall Drops Right (Hip Drop to Wall in Standing) × 1 minute × 3
Standing tall on your right leg, let the left hip drop down under control before lifting it back level. Builds the same eccentric control on the right glute medius, so both hips can handle the job on a run.
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9
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Side Plank Star × 30 seconds × 3
Hold a side plank with the top leg and arm reaching out into a star shape. A whole lateral-chain exercise — glute medius, obliques and shoulder all working together to hold the body level, exactly as they need to on a single-leg stance.
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Watch the full class
Follow Along on YouTube
▶ Watch the Class on YouTube
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Weekly Blog
What Actually Causes IT Band Syndrome (And Why Stretching Won’t Fix It)
Pain on the outside of the knee gets blamed on the IT band almost automatically, and the usual response is to foam roll it, stretch it, and hope the “tightness” eases off.
The problem is the IT band itself is a thick, dense strip of fascia running down the outside of the thigh. It barely lengthens no matter how hard or how often you stretch it — any relief you feel is usually short-lived and more about calming the area down than actually fixing anything.
The real driver is usually further up the chain. When the hip and glute medius can’t control the pelvis during stance, the hip drops slightly or the knee rolls inward on every step — and that small, repeated movement is what increases friction between the band and the outside of the knee, thousands of times over on every run.
Which is why this week’s circuit isn’t built around stretching anything. It’s built around building the capacity to control that drop — lateral hip strength through bridges and side-lying work, single-leg stability through split lunges and wall drops, and whole lateral-chain control through the side plank.
Nine exercises, three rounds, all built to train hip and pelvis control rather than stretch a band that was never really the problem in the first place.
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Top Tip of the Week
Control the Drop, Don’t Fight It
On the standing and single-leg work especially, the goal isn’t to stop the hip dropping altogether — it’s to control how far and how fast it drops, and to bring it back level with purpose.
Think “push the floor away through the outside of the hip” rather than “squeeze the knee” — the drive should come from the glute, not from gripping the leg.
Build that control here, and you’re training exactly what breaks down when IT band pain shows up on a run.
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Nine exercises, three rounds — glute strength, hip control and lateral stability, built to deal with the real cause of IT band pain, not just the symptom. Build the control, then go run.
James
Physiorun
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Runner’s Injury Guides
Dealing With Something Specific?
If you’re carrying a niggle right now, these dedicated guides walk through what’s going on and how to work through it:
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