There is a lot more to a tight behind than the way your jeans fit! And anyone that has taken Small Group OR Boot Camp this past year has heard me say countless times, “it’s all about the booty.” Your behind is made up of 3 major muscles including the glute maximum, glute medius, and the glute minimus. They are the largest muscle group in the body and play a vital role in how we walk, run, stand and sit. Your glutes are incredibly important, but they’re often weak and underworked. Hey, no judgement!
What Causes Weak Glute Muscles?
Many people suffer from under-active or weak glute muscles. In our sedentary society, people are spending less time moving around and more time sitting. As a result, they aren’t properly using their butt muscles. Many of us have jobs that require us to spend so much time sitting that our glutes stop working as efficiently, effectively, and strongly as they should. Once our glutes stop firing, our hip flexors get tight and can lead to injury. YUCK, who has time for that?
Benefits of a Strong Butt
When you build a stronger booty, here are a few of the benefits you can expect.
- Prevent Back Pain
Your behind works to stabilize the pelvis and keep the integrity of movement in the hip joint. When they’re strong, your lower back doesn’t bear the brunt of your motion. By working out the glutes, you will provide the base of your spine with a good cushion, which will help stabilize your hips and prevent pain in the neck, lower back, and surrounding muscles.
- Increase Athletic Performance
Our glutes play an essential role in helping us balance, change direction, run, stop, and jump. If we want to be stronger athletes, it’s time to start squatting. Squats are one of the best exercises to target the gluteus maximus. Stronger glutes can improve your speed, agility, and jumping skills. Focusing on your glutes is a great way to take your skill to the next level in almost any sport IR in just daily life.
- Prevent Knee Pain
Our knees absorb about one-and-a-half times your body weight with each step. That pressure, plus regular wear and tear, takes its toll. Strong glutes will keep our pelvis stable and from swaying side to side. If your pelvis isn’t stable, it puts a lot of pressure on your knees and ankles to compensate. When your backside is strong, it helps prevent this naturally, keeping you safe from a knee injury.
How to Test Your Glute Strength
The Trendelenberg test is a simple way for you to evaluate how healthy your behind is. To do this, stand up straight, and lift up one of your legs as though you were going to hop. The more difficult it is for you to keep your hips level, the more you need to work on your glutes.
Having trouble with your glutes, let me know. As a coach, it is my job to help develop my clients in a 360-degree fashion. Lets get you fit!
In Health,
Coach C