Can’t seem to grow your derriere?

Is your caboose just not willing to put in the work in your leg exercises?

Your glutes are the largest muscle group in your body. Although being a very powerful and
important muscle which contributes to posture and functionality, it is often underused - even when
performing exercises that should involve large amounts of recruitment. This lack of engagement can
seriously hamper potential body composition or performance gains.

It’s like leaving your strongest player on the bench, never bringing them on, or letting them even
practice!

The glutes extend (backward movement of your thigh), adduct (bringing leg across the front of the
body) and abduct (bring the leg out to the side), externally rotate the hips and stabilize your posture.
These motions are essential in sports performance with movements such as sprinting, jumping,
throwing, rotational and lateral movements.

If you think that a lack of glute activation doesn’t bother you, then you should know that even
walking requires you to have a muscular balance between your hip flexors and extensors and a
muscle imbalance here, can lead to gait pattern changes – so your future self could seriously regret
not addressing this matter. Not to mention the increased risk of injury associated with muscular
imbalance including ACL, ankle and knee injuries.

So What’s Causing the Problem?

Recognizing your dominant muscles for hip extension can assist in planning appropriate exercises to
help resolve issues or imbalances you may have when performing resistance training.

A great exercise to use is the glute bridge – as demonstrated below.

For more advanced client’s I recommend performing this exercise single legged as it should
demonstrate if you have any imbalances that are specific to one side.

Video of Glute Bridge here (need to ask Alex for vimeo details)!

How to perform the glute bridge.

1. Lay flat on your back in a semi supine position

2. Flatten your back on the ground before you lift – “Pull your belly button down”
3. Brace your core
4. Shins should be in a vertical position
5. Drive hips and chest up at the same time
6. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement and hold.

Repeat this exercise for 2 sets of 10 repetitions with a 5-second isometric hold at the top of the
movement. Actively engaging your glutes at the peak of the contraction will ensure that you avoid
any hyperextension, and increase the neural drive to your glutes.

When performing this exercise which muscles do you feel working the most?

 Lower Back
  Hamstrings
 Quads
 Glutes

If you feel any of the above other than your glutes you may have some imbalances that might need
addressing.

A common coordination issue seen during this exercise is the inability to activate the glute muscles,
meaning that when performing the glute bridge you feel it in the musculature which is
overcompensating for your weak glutes.

Feel it in your Hamstrings?

It is normal to feel a little tension in your hamstrings although at the peak of contraction you should
be able to squeeze your glutes hard. If your hamstrings are the dominant stretch you can feel this
may be down to a multitude of factors. Some of the primary reasons for this issue include; excessive
anterior pelvic tilt- this will cause the hamstrings to be over-innervated to protect against the strain
which would be placed on the lumbar or vertebrae. This problem is especially true in females’ due to
the greater level of anterior pelvic tilt. Lumbar disc issues, previous hamstring injuries, and acute
hamstring strains can all potentially be the cause of this perceived tightness in the hamstrings.

Although your hamstrings may be tight it may not be the best idea to stretch them directly as they
could be weak from being lengthened, due to tight overactive hip flexors. Stretching them without
addressing your overly tight hip flexors could lead to further dysfunction.

Try stretching your hip flexors and quadriceps and strengthening (not stretching) your glutes and
hamstrings. Using resistance exercises through full range of motion increases flexibility and
strengthens the muscles.

Feel it in your Lower Back?

If you feel it in your lower back this could be down to a multitude of factors, for instance, you may
be arching your back first, before extending your hips. This could also be down to a lack of
knowledge of sound exercise form and poor lumbopelvic control.

Core stability and strength exercises should be used in this instance to help improve your motor
control and movement pattern for this exercise.

Feel it in your Quads?

If you feel it in your quads then you could be very quad dominant and need to learn how to work
those glutes!

Your body will always try to find the easiest way to perform a physical task, so if your quads have
become your dominant leg muscles and your glutes are weak and inactive, you will struggle to get
the maximum out of the largest muscle in your body

Strengthen your glutes and hamstrings – pelvic bridges, hip thrusts, isometric goblet squat holds and
reverse lunges
 Closing thoughts

The common problem of poor muscle recruitment of the glutes, could be holding you back. Try to
establish a mind muscle connection with your glutes and see if you can tap into the power you have
been sitting on.

Your training plan may have plenty of squats, deadlifts and lunges - but are you fully recruiting the
glutes during these movements?

You can use the glute bridge exercise not just to help identify your movement restrictions but also to
help in your pre-workout routine. Use it in your RAMP warm up to assist in getting the muscles firing
correctly.

1. Akuthota, V., Ferreiro, A., Moore, T. and Fredericson, M., 2008. Core stability exercise
principles. Current sports medicine reports, 7(1), pp.39-44.

2. Loudon, J.K., Jenkins, W. and Loudon, K.L., 1996. The relationship between static posture
and ACL injury in female athletes. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 24(2),
pp.91-97.