I had a great question the other day on Instagram as to whether or not I felt my lifting experience, and in particular the size and strength of my posterior chain, was an inhibitor or helper in my picking up of endurance running. I found it an interesting question, because while muscle size is indeed an inhibitor to endurance running (at first at least), I'd never considered the posterior chain as something which could be an inhibitor. In fact, if there's anything having a positive impact for lifters who transition into running, it's the abnormally strong posterior chains most bring with them.
For those who have trained mostly body parts or have never really gotten into the weeds with anatomy, the posterior chain is essentially the large muscle groups which span from your knees to your neck and promote extension of the skeleton. You have the hamstrings which promote knee flexion and hip extension, the glutes which perform hip extension, and the spinal erectors (longisimuss muscles) which promote spinal extension. If you've been in the gym for a while, any of your deadlift variations, low bar squats, RDLs, glute bridges, and hip/back extensions will have likely developed a solid posterior chain. Especially for those who have a really solid squat or deadlift, they tend to be very strong posteriorly, and it translates really well if they ever switch over to running.
The reason having a strong posterior chain is advantage for any form of endurance training is two-fold: you're able to generate more power per stride, and your mechanics are able to hold on longer since your posture is more fatigue resistant.
Let's talk posture first, since it's one reason which a lifter can be really thankful for if they ever break into longer distances. Your posterior chain is basically a maintenance crew for your posture, keeping you upright throughout the day. Especially when you run, having a strong posterior chain can prevent you from prematurely falling into poor mechanics as you start to get tired. You've probably seen photos or videos of runners who look like they're sunken over or hunchbacked by the end of a race, and having a strong posterior chain delays the onset of this really well. The stronger and greater total force your posterior chain can tolerate is, the longer it takes it to fatigue from submaximal loads the way strides do.
Then, if fatigue resistance wasn't already helpful, those who come into running with stronger posterior chains get more power output per stride. If you look at simple stride mechanics, the end phase is hip extension performed by the hamstrings and glutes. The stronger the glutes and hamstrings are, the more force they can propel the body forward with. Especially when it comes to hills with high grades, having strong hip extension can lead to running uphill feeling easier and less use of energy as a whole. Which, from someone who used to live and run in the mountains, is immensely helpful!
So yes, having a strong posterior chain is beneficial for lifters who end up getting into running. I'd even say it's one of the things many endurance runners should emphasize at different phases of training is to get the hamstrings, glutes, and low back as strong as possible. The stronger the backside of the body is, the better it becomes at driving you forward!
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