Unlocking the Power of Your Glutes
I know a lot of us want to shape our for that bikini or to fit in those jeans better, but I want to explain a few key notes regarding glutes.
Strong glutes are important for several reasons other than looks:
1) Help prevent injuries in your low back, hips, knees, ankles bc they help stabilize a lot!
2) Help with balance
3) Help with athletic performance as well as day to day activities
4) Help with proper gait
These are just some examples of why you should train your glutes!
In the years I've spent training clients, majority of my clients that dealt with horrible back pain had weak glutes. Coincidence? I think not. Mind you, if you are involved in an accident (depending on the severity of it) strong glutes may have nothing to do with your pain i.e. car accident, a bad fall, etc.
For those of you that sit in an office all day, you most likely have weaker glutes than you think! If you can't put an apple between the cheeks and crush it, then you must train harder!
Jk on that last one, hope that made ya chuckle
But seriously, sitting on a chair for several hours a day will inhibit the glutes and tighten your hips. Glutes MUST fire when walking. I see so many people with horrible Gaits and rather than pushing off their big toe and having their glutes fire to propel them forward, they're walking with their feet bowed out allowing the glute to stay dormant while walking putting more load on the hips.
Fun Fact: did you know that improper walking can exacerbate bunions and foot pain?
Strengthen your glute medius! We rarely do lateral movement in our daily lives, so our glute medius are usually under developed.
Remember to train your glutes with concentric motions as well as eccentric motions. So on glute days don't only focus on the exercises that tighten/shorten them focus on exercises that will lengthen them under load.
When warming up for your leg day, never neglect warming up the glutes, you would be surprised how many people just walk straight to a leg extension for their "warm up"
Exercises to incorprate on your leg day to target the glutes!
1) Banded Clams
2) Single Leg RDL
3) Slow Step Downs
4) Bridges "hip thrusts"
5) Lateral Banded Walks
6) Bulgarian Squats
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or ask one of our trainers for help.
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