Kick some BUTT!

Time to kick some BUTT!!!

Saddlebags, flat-butt, or “the connector” whichever issue you have we hear it time and time again in the gym. You want to look as good going as you do coming. In the 80s and 90s we had the era cardiovascular training which fashioned itself after the skinny-no hips women in spandex and matching headbands. All of that cardio created a Bull market for flat butt woman and brought is things like Chic jeans and Wranglers. This trend also started to create some functional issues. Low back pain and injury skipped happily singing through local gyms and chiropractic practices took off. Why? Because Low back pain and lower body injuries can be the result of delayed and reduced gluteal activation. Second cousin to this are problems with compensation issues in the hamstrings, hips, and low back. Muscle groups are not built like rows of houses with easements and yards separating the two, they are apartment buildings with joint power, water, and lighting systems so if one unit has an issue it will always trickle down to the other tenants. Thankfully the 21^st century has brought fitness trends back to the weight room. This trend started in the weight rooms of athletic departments and it was not long before the general public wanted to know why tiny gymnasts to NFL linebackers where all lift weights. Strength, that was the key word, everyone wants it and it is the fastest way to prevent injury. It also did not hurt that trainer also started teaching gym rats that extra muscle cells mean higher metabolisms and higher success with weight loss and body shaping.

“Twin Powers Activate!” (Bad 80s reference) get it? There are two….and they should match….

Activating the gluteal muscles would seem like second nature, but it isn’t. When I started working as a personal trainer I never had any idea how often I would have to talk about the butt. So many people pay little or no attention to what their gluteus are doing and we use them in almost every exercise so here is how we activate them.

                Gluteal muscles are a group of four muscles. Three of these muscles make up the butt. Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medias, and Gluteus minimus. Then finally anterior and lateral to these is the tensor fasciae latae muscles (say that three times fast). First step to building a stronger backside is to active those gluteal muscles that have had way too much time in your office chair or on your couch. I want you to start with these three basic stretches;

First the “Cobra”

Lying on your stomach put the palms of your hands down flat on the floor directly under your shoulders. Take a deep breath, and then press your chest away from the floor while trying to keep your hips and pelvis on the floor. Hold this for 15 seconds then go back to the starting position. Repeat 10 times

 

Next comes the Hip Flexor stretch

Start in a kneeling position with your front foot flat on the floor and the knee of your back leg on the floor. Walking your front foot into a deep lunge press your hips down toward the floor and forward stretching the hip on your back leg. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds then back to your starting position. Repeat 10 times with each leg.

 

And finally the Single leg hip bridge

Lying on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor, extend one leg out straight then extend your hips toward the ceiling using your bent leg. Hold this position for 15 seconds then return to your starting position. Repeat 10 times with each leg.

 

Now that you have properly activated your gluteal muscles it is time to start strengthening and toning a great posterior.  Come closer and I will tell you the super-secret exercises that will help develop a great looking behind….. Squats, Lunges, and Dead lifts. I KNOW!! It’s crazy. The trainers at Health and Fitness Academy know how to perform these exercises with proper form in hundreds of different ways and would be happy to help you strengthen your glute, Low back, and core to fight of the dreaded “Connector”. We can be reached at 208.557.2823 or email me directly at ghouston@mvhospital.net.