How Strong Are Your Glutes ?

Don’t worry . . i won’t make this a chemistry class . .

But first i need to explain a couple of things about the BUTT.

3 muscles that make up the butt:

• Gluteus Maximus
• Gluteus Medius
• Gluteus Minimus

WHY DO WE NEED THEM STRONG ? ?

PREVENT INJURY (knee pain, lower back)

The glutes are part of the posterior chain (along with the hamstrings, and lower back muscles).

If those glutes are not firing during workouts the other muscles are going to take the unnecessary loads . . this will lead to exhaustion and fatigue of those other muscles doing all the work and overtraining causes INJURY.

BIGGER LIFTS

The stronger the posterior chain . . the maximum output those muscles can create . . which translates into bigger numbers on those compound movements.

IN OTHER WORDS: THOSE GLUTES NEED TO ACTIVE AT MAXIMUM POTENTIAL)

IT LOOKS SEXY

Need i say more ??? DAMN !!

HOW STRONG ARE YOUR GLUTES ? ?

Here are 2 simple tests to determine how strong those puppies are . .

TEST 1 – PRONE HIP EXTENSION TEST

Prone Hip Extension

• Raise one leg straight up to the roof as high as possible
• Keep that leg nice and straight, avoiding a bend in the knee

If you can lift that leg 2-3 inches off the ground without struggling . . you’re AWESOME !!

Look out for:

• A significant bending of the knee
• Your lower back will  “dip” . . it will hyperextend and compensate for the weak glutes

If you’re shaking, that’s fine. It just means your glutes could do with some TLC !!

TEST 2 – BENT LEG HIP EXTENSION

You will need a tennis ball for this one.

Step 1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor (sit up position).

Step 2. Place that tennis ball below your bottom rib (check out picture), and bring that knee up, squeezing that tennis ball hard between your thigh and rib.

Step 3. Squeeze and lift those hips as high as you can. Repeat 10 repetitions at a slow and controlled pace . . and keep squeezing that ball . .

If you can perform 10 reps without losing that ball but can’t get those hips high enough so you form a straight line with your body . . they need some work.

Why one leg at a time ??

Because we tend to have one side that is a little or a lot stronger than the other so if there is weakness in one side it’s important that we know that NOW and deal with it . .

LET’S MAKE THESE BAD BOYS STRONG !

Before i show you a few exercises . . it’s important to know what kind of training the glutes respond well to . .

Deadlifts . . squats . . they’re all BIG lifts . . that involve BIG muscle groups . . but the glutes are not the primary muscles involved.

The glutes are one of the largest muscles in the body but they take a back seat in those big lifts and only come out to play when they have to (weak hamstrings, quads, bad form, high level of intensity).

Just because you’re sore from lunges does not mean they’re the best movements to do . . IN FACT . .

Glute Activation in:

Deadlift: 55%

Kneeling Squat: 67%

Sumo Deadlift: 52%

Zercher Squat: 45%

As opposed to the exercises below that i’ve posted . . which have over 100% Glute Activation . .

The glutes respond the best to movements where the leg is bent and the hip is hyperextended . .

FACT: Sprinting, Jogging, Treadmill Walking has proven to active DOUBLE the amount of muscle as the STAIRMASTER . . GO FIGURE.

Glutes are made up of more than 50% slow-twitch fibres . .  which means they love HIGH REPS.

BLAH.BLAH.BLAH

on to the good bits . .

1. HIP THRUSTS (Glute Activation: 119%)

BEGINNERS . .

Unilateral Single Leg Hip Thrust

ADVANCED . .

Barbell Hip Thrust

TIPS:

• DO NOT rush this movement . . you want it slow and controlled
• SQUEEZE those glutes & hold at the top for 2 seconds . .
• Make sure you put some sort of foam padding on the bar so you don’t hurt yourself !!
• To make it harder, set yourself up on a smith machine . . the range of motion is greater so it will be a lot more effective.

 

2. SINGLE LEG REVERSE HYPER (Glute Activation: 122%)

Bent Leg Reverse Hyper

TIPS:

• Make sure you’re performing one leg at a time . . we want to really focus on that one glute . . get as much isolation as possible
• If you haven’t used this machine before, you won’t need any weight . . TRUST ME.
• Make sure the movement is slow & controlled
• DO NOT hyperextend that back . . you never want that leg above parallel with that bench

3. PENDULUM QUADRUPED HIP EXTENSION (GLUTE ACTIVATION: 112%)

BEGINNERS . .

Quadruped Bent Knee Hip Extension

ADVANCED . .

Pendulum Quadruped Hip Extension

If you have any other glute suggestions . . please feel free to share !!

Let me know how you go with these bad boys !!