We all want to make sure that our clients are getting the proper nutrition and training regimens.
Your glutes are more than just a part of your body. They also play a crucial role in most full-body movements. To have strong glutes, you need to be able to use them effectively. Unfortunately, many people aren’t using their glutes the way they should be.
What are glute muscles?
Your gluteal muscles are divided into three parts, the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus. These muscles are used for various movements. Strong glutes can help improve your clients' overall health and appearance. It is a vital component of a full-body kinetic chain. They play a critical role in all movements performed by the body. Your body is trying to correct a muscle imbalance. It needs to strengthen the glute muscles to prevent injury and maintain good health.
What is activation?
A good activation drill is more than a quick stretch. It prepares your nervous system for an exercise
The importance of warm-ups lies in the activation of muscles. Without proper muscle activation, neural pathways from the muscle to the brain can be diverted. When performing a squat, make sure to engage the gluteal muscles of your body. Doing so will help prevent injury and strain on the other muscles in the joint.
Without activation, your muscles will get lazy and rely on other parts of the body to compensate. This causes a muscle imbalance. Sometimes, clients seem to think that they can do more than they can. This is when the gluteal amnesia occurs.
It’s important to activate the muscles that are used to perform glute exercises prior to starting the exercise. Doing so will help improve your performance and muscle engagement and leads to better and faster results. They can also help improve efficiency and strengthen neural patterns. You probably would have heard this from so many trainers by now.
Getting your glutes ready for a workout is like a wake-up call to the muscles that are holding you back. Charlee, CSCS, founder of Le Sweat, and James Shapiro, NASM-certified personal trainer and owner of Primal Power Fitness explained that these exercises are designed to mimic movements that will be used during a strength-training session. According to Charlee, glute activation can help with the development of dormant butt syndrome, which occurs when the muscles are no longer active after prolonged sitting. This condition can also lead to decreased range of motion in the body.
James explained that it's important to warm up your glute muscles before any kind of strength training. They play a huge role in many multi-joint movements. In upper-body movements, the glutes should be activated to make sure the chain of muscles is working.
Performing complex compound movements can be challenging, as some of the muscles are firing to stabilize the body while the others are pushing the weight around. While performing an overhead press, James noted that the glutes should be engaged to help minimize low back stress. While doing activations before lifting weights is important, doing them can also help improve your glute muscle group's recruitment and retention. Doing these exercises can help improve both your upper and lower body's muscles growth.
Charlee explained that the exercises used for glute activation are similar to those used for other types of physical therapy. These drills and exercises are designed to improve joint mobility and reduce joint pain. They are also used in the field of physiotherapy to aid in the pre-hab and rehab phases of a person's recovery. Though it's not really necessary, James explained that you should be mindful of how long you're doing this type of warmup to ensure that it's not draining your body.
Some of the exercises mentioned by the trainers are very effective at increasing the glute's activation. They include: Glute bridge, Banded Hip Hinge, Monster Walk, Squat Walk, Leg swings, reverse lunge and Kickback.
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