Muscle Group of the Week - Glutes
Article Summary
Muscle Group of the week is the Glutes. Kathie discusses the benefits of training the glutes and how to train them effectively for the asthetic you desire.
Older adults can benefit from strengthening glutes for everything from bone density to healthy posture to alleviating knee and back pain.
The glute muscles help with posture alignment, balance, and more. Being one of the biggest muscle groups on the body it is one of the best to train to burn more calories and make your body work more efficiently.
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Benefits of Strong Glutes
Their biggest job is in keeping us upright and pushing our bodies forward. Strong gluteals are important for proper pelvic alignment, propulsion during walking and running, and even standing on one leg. Gluteals also help support the lower back during lifting, and help prevent knee injuries.
Strong glutes support the lower back. When the glutes are not strong enough to perform their hip extension function, muscles that weren't designed for the job will take over. Over time, these "helper" muscles may become overstressed, resulting in pain and compression in the lumbar spine, hips and knees.
Weak Glutes
Weak glutes can cause strain on the hip itself, as well as the lower down joints of the knees and even the ankles.
When your glutes are weak, your pelvis rotates forward, causing misalignments throughout your body and creating improper angles of the pelvis and knees.
Telltale signs of weak glutes
Pain in your lower back or pelvic area. Often, lower back pain is associated with a weak core. Click Here for an article on abdominal strength.
Having a hard time with stairs.
Feeling fatigued from standing briefly.
The Best Glute Exercises
Glute bridges. Laying on your back with knees bent and pointing up at the ceiling, lift the hips up and squeeze the glutes. ...
Split squats. The movement here is like a lunge, but it really works the glutes. ...
Glute kickbacks. Use a resistance band to make this more challenging.
How long does it take to strengthen glutes?
For less-serious cases of glute imbalances, this process might take 4 weeks. For more serious glute imbalances, the process could take 3-6 months. It's impossible to tell. Just be consistent and diligent and you should be able to restore proper function.
Better alignment.
Many of us suffer from poor posture, tight, shortened hip flexors and glutes that "forget" how to activate properly. All of this contributes to the most commonly observed postural deviations: swayback and kyphosis-lordosis. What's more, forward tilting hips push the abdomen out, creating the illusion of a 'gut,' even in the absence of excess belly fat.
Increase bone density
Bone density peaks somewhere between 5-10 years after we reach skeletal maturity. Starting as early as age 30, old and damaged bone is restored faster than new bone is formed resulting in increased risk of osteopaenia (lower than normal bone density) and oseteoporosis ( a progressive bone disease).
Fat Loss and Fat Loss Maintenance
Studies suggest that for every pound of muscle you build, your body will burn an extra 50 calories per day. Given that the glutes and hamstrings are two of the largest muscle groups in the body, their potential contribution to fat loss is not to be underestimated!
“Training the glutes can provide valuable insight to muscle imbalances and posture.” -Kathie Owen
Glute Activation
Activating your glutes means first loosening up tight muscles from sitting all day at a desk and then getting them activated BEFORE you move on to the big lifts like squats and lunges.
How often should you do glute activation exercises? When you're sitting a lot in your daily life, it's best to do these exercises every day. If that's not feasible, aim to do them at least two to three times each week.
Not only do strong glutes decrease your risk of injury, they can also help improve your overall athletic performance. Your glutes are responsible for accelerating, decelerating, changing directions, and creating explosive power in jumps.
Healthy back side
Having a well-balanced, developed and toned backside is aesthetically pleasing for both men and women alike. By taking time to specifically train the glutes we not only shape our backside but give better shape and symmetry to the entire lower body.
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