Get Your Glutes On
Not only do our glutes assist in walking, running, standing, sitting, twisting and bending, they also help us look good in jeans!
The gluteal muscles, or the glutes, are a group of 3 muscles which make up the buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The three muscles originate from the ilium and sacrum (hip bones) and insert on the femur (thigh bone). They are therefore instrumental in providing strength and stability for the pelvis, which is the centre of stability for all joints above and below.
Unfortunately, our gluteus are generally under-utilised - there are lots of lazy-butts out there! Weak or non-firing glutes can lead to a whole range of injuries, particularly for runners.
We live much of our life in flexion as we are often sitting at our desk or in cars, therefore the hip flexors tighten and the gluteal muscles are not engaged. If you then head out for a run, the glutes are essentially asleep and fail to fire. This forces the opposing muscles - the quads (thighs) and hip flexors - to try to pick up the slack. As the body tries to compensate for lack of glute action, there is resulting strain and instability in the joints resulting in pain in the hip, knee, back or anywhere else along the chain.
So how do we wake up these lumps of lazy muscles?
Strengthen: There are a number of activation and strengthening exercises that can be done to increase glute strength. Resistance bands are a great way to activate the gluteal muscles, particularly the glute medius and minimus which run around the side of the hips. Other great exercises include: shoulder bridge, lying hamstring curl and clams (see exercises below).
Stretch: When one area of the body is not activating, it’s often the case that the opposing area is over-activating. Therefore, lazy glutes are often connected with tense and tight hip flexors. So while focussing on switching the glutes on, also make sure you are stretching out the front of the hips and thighs.
Activate: Before you head out for a walk or a run, “get your glutes on”. Simply take one leg out behind you and pump it up and down a few times, telling your glutes they need to start working. Then as you are walking or running, concentrate on what muscles you are activating and try to focus on tensing the muscles around your bottom and see if you can get some action.
These small actions take only a few minutes out of your day, and could save you many hours of pain and frustration in the future, so why not give it a go?
by Angie Black
Hey! I’m Angie. I’m passionate about fitting exercise into your life, for the rest of your life.
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