Ever feel like you are working out really hard doing squats, lunges, deadlifts, hip thrusts, etc but your butt muscles never actually feel sore? Keep reading because this post is for you!
One of the biggest connections we must remind patients about is the connection between their brain and their glutes! The terms “glute amnesia” or “lazy glutes” doesn’t mean that your glutes aren’t working, if that were true you would not be able to stand or walk. It means you just aren’t feeling your glute muscles like you should, meaning that mind to muscle connection just isn’t there.
These are some of our favorite drills to kick start those glutes and build that mind to muscle connection. The first exercise to start with is a bridge. This is a basic exercise, but there are some key components to remember. Don’t let your knees drive inward and think about engaging your glutes by squeezing them before you even lift your hips up. Be aware to not roll up into a bridge, you want to hinge the hips straight up and squeeze! To advance this exercise you can add a band around your knees, which will remind you to push out and activate your glutes even more. To progress from the band, you can try a single leg bridge, again focus on squeezing your glutes and avoid rotation of the pelvis.
The second exercise is a clamshell. This is a super common PT exercise, but it’s often done incorrectly or inefficiently. Start will your legs back, and hips forward. You want to create a straight line from your knees up to your shoulders. Lift the top knee up keeping your feet together and hip pointed straight up. You should feel this in the side of your butt cheek. As you take your knee and drive it upward, we often recommend starting by just holding it. You can even give it some resistance with a band or with a partner’s hand. Eventually your glute muscle will kick on, once you feel it try to go another 5 seconds! Then, you can go into your reps, and you should be feeling that deep glute burn by the end!
Next exercise is a side lying straight leg raise. I would say this one is a progression from the clamshells. Your bottom leg is bent, and your top leg is straight and in line with your body. The top leg is slightly behind the bottom and the rest of your torso. Turn your foot out and back slightly and raise your leg. It’s not necessary to raise your leg super high. Again, think about pulling your leg up from your top glute.
Last exercise you will need a band. Put the band around your mid shins. Think about a 45-degree angle and kick back, this will isolate the glutes.
For all the above, focus your mind on the glute muscle you are trying to work! It sounds crazy, but I promise if you do this instead of thinking about your to do list or your grocery list, you will get WAY more out of your glute activation drills. The purpose of these again is to ACTIVATE, not necessarily strengthen. When you use these as a warm-up, the hope is that it helps you then feel your glutes working harder when performing those functional movements like lunges and squats. Check out our YouTube video for demonstrations and more!
Are you an active adult or athlete living in Roswell, Johns Creek, or Alpharetta, and experiencing an injury that is holding you back? Since 2008 our proven 3 step plan has helped people stay in the game and keep doing all the awesome activities they love. Please give us a call or text at 678-400-0300.
