To fully engage the glute muscles, it is essential to know when your pelvis is in the right position and how to correct it. To engage your glutes, start by laying on your back with your knees bent, keeping your core braced, and squeeze your butt muscles without arching your lower back. Lift up while keeping your glutes contracted, and at the top, squeeze your glutes as hard as possible for about 5 seconds before coming back down.
Dr. Stuart McGill has researched this phenomenon, which is called “gluteal amnesia.” When you “forget” how to use your glutes due to disuse or pain, your body compensates. To engage your core and activate your glutes, engage your core with exercises like squatting, pushing your hips forward into a full extension, and lowering yourself by bending your spine.
To learn how to engage your glutes, use three exercises: pelvis tilt, which involves rotating the pelvis forward or backwards, and glute bridge exercises. To improve your glute activation, focus on walking more and engage more of your core by sucking your belly button in towards your spine.
📹 Wake Up Your Glutes (Activate & Strengthen!)
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Are glutes the hardest muscle to grow?
Most people find it hard to grow their glutes. It’s a challenge, but many women want to grow their glutes. Katherine O’Neal. Safety and Environmental Professional at Cabinetworks Group. Published March 12, 2023. Mark as unhelpful if you find it irrelevant or not valuable. This feedback is private. This feedback is private. We’ll use it to show better contributions.
How do I know if I’m engaging my glutes?
Check if your glutes are contracted without weight. Remember the feeling. Next time you do a lower body exercise (i.e. squat), engage your glutes before starting the movement and keep them engaged throughout.
Why do my glutes not engage?
“Why aren’t my glutes working?” Most people sit too much. Glute muscles stop firing due to lack of oxygen and tight hip flexors. This makes your lower back, hamstrings, and knees feel strained and unbalanced. Add these simple exercises to your warm-up routine to get those glutes firing. Make the exercises harder by adding a resistance band. Do 2 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
Does squeezing glutes activate them?
People who did glute squeezes got stronger in their hips by 16% more than people who did glute bridges. The group that did glute squeezes also got bigger hips. Both groups improved similarly in single-leg bridge endurance and jump power. Dr. Bryan Lehecka, an associate professor at Wichita State University’s department of physical therapy, says there are several reasons for these differences. While doing glute bridges, other muscles can also work. With glute squeezes, only your glutes can work. The second reason is that glute squeezes are more convenient, Lehecka told Runners World. People who did glute squeezes were 13% more likely to do their exercises than people who did glute bridges.
How do you activate lazy glutes?
Glute bridge. The glute bridge helps you activate and strengthen your glutes before working out. … Crab walk. Use a resistance band for this exercise. Squat with a side leg lift. This exercise targets the gluteus medius. … Clam. … Fire hydrant. Donkey kick. Sitting for too long can hurt your health, but it can also make your buttocks weaker. Sitting all day weakens the gluteus medius (one of the three main muscles in the buttock), which can cause pain in the buttocks. You may have felt this: After sitting for a few hours, you stand up and feel pain or numbness in your backside. It can also cause hip and back pain.
Can tensing your bum tone it?
Butt-clenching involves tightening and releasing the glutes. It won’t give you the shape and firmness of regular lunges and squats, but it will help strengthen your glutes, which will help you maximize those lunges.
Butt clenching is a small action. While sitting, tighten and squeeze your gluteal muscles slightly, then raise yourself from the seat. Don’t tense your thigh muscles. Keep your legs relaxed. Hold each clench for 5 seconds and repeat 30 times. Walk around for 2-5 minutes every hour you sit at work.
What happens if glutes are not activated?
If your glutes don’t work right, you might have trouble:
Calf pain or tightness; Problems with pelvic alignment when on one foot; Knees moving in when running or squatting; The body favoring one side when walking or running; Poor glute function can also lead to hip, knee, foot, calf, and back issues.
How to Activate Your Glutes. If you want to know how to activate your glutes, there are several ways to do it. Your physiotherapist can choose exercises to improve your glute activation and strength. Here are a few easy, effective glute activation exercises: Glute Activation Exercises. If you’re looking for how to activate your glutes at home, we can help. You only need a resistance band for these exercises.
Why am I not feeling my glutes in the gym?
Your glutes may not be firing sufficiently for several reasons. BIM often sees tight back and hip muscles, along with weak abdominal and gluteal muscles. This is called Lower Cross Body Syndrome. Dr. Vladimir Janda coined the term.
Dr. Janda says we tend to have this postural imbalance because muscles can be either phasic or tonic. The tonic system is made up of your “flexors.” It’s older and more dominant. Your phasic system consists of the “extensors,” which emerge shortly after birth.
How do I get my glutes to engage?
Straight spine until I feel tension. Along my hamstrings. And into my glutes. Stand back. Up. Feel the hamstring tension. And glutes. Stand back up.
How to tell if glutes aren’t firing?
Provide enough power to extend the hip drive. The body moves forward during running, distributing forces. The problem is in the knee.
How to activate a lazy glute?
Lie face down on the ball. Put your pelvis in the middle of the ball, hands on the floor, legs straight, and feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your back flat and lift your legs as high as you can. Lower and do it again. Wrap a resistance band around your thighs, a few inches above your knees. Squat. Step back with one foot at a 45-degree angle. Switch feet quickly and go back to the start. That’s one rep. Repeat, switching legs, until you feel it.
Put a resistance band on your ankles and calves. Walk 20 steps to the right with your legs apart. Pick up your back foot and don’t let your knees collapse. Go back to the start.
📹 How to WAKE UP Your Glutes (DO THIS EVERY DAY!)
If you want to wake up your glutes because they are weak, underdeveloped or just not looking the way you want them to, then this …
I’ve had pain in my foot and ankle all my life due to my extremely flat feet, have been researching the relationship between strengthening the glute muscles and foot stability. These exercises are better than my past pt training. My ankle and foot pain improved immediately. Definitely doing daily as suggested! Thank you! 🙏🏾
I found this article last year and started doing this exercise along with YWTL’s for upper back strength. I was in so much pain all the time, needed a cane to walk, and couldn’t walk a whole block without feeling awful. Then I did these for a while and built strength. I started walking around the block. Now, I walk 3 miles most days and haven’t touched my cane in months!!! Thank you SO much for your work! This under 7 minute article literally changed my life! (I also got on the right medicine treatment to help my pain/chronic illness issues but had a lot of strength to work on once that barrier was gone)
As a Pilates instructor it makes me really happy to see these muscle groups highlighted in your posts. These are good exercises, and can be taken a step even further: sets of ten, then add ten pulses afterwards ensuring the leg is straight. Ankle weights can be added too, so can a thera band around both legs just above the knees.
A few years back I had theeee worst pain in my right hip that Ive ever came across as a human. It started as Sciatica from bricklaying but worsened due to piano practice. It was so bad, I was literally suicidal. So, I began exploring my inner self, pulled my shit together and have been in the gym consistently for 3 yrs now. That hip/low back pain would come and go in small amounts, but still remained a threat to me. Yesterday a guy in the gym showed me three Glute exercises. After I completed them I had an experience of PURE RELIEF AKA CATHARTHIS. I noticed instantly that my brain fog dissapeared, my legs began feeling more connected to my body, and this morning I woke up feeling clearer and energetic with ZERO back/hip pain and no more vibrating/shaky legs… At night my lower left leg would cramp and both legs would go into tremors/spasms/vibrations. After 2 MRIs and an XRAY they told me it was Moderate Osteoarthritis and Disc Disease. BS from the Medical Mafia. Turns out, It was Sciatic Nerve Entrapment IN MY GLUTES. Now, I feel brand new and will continue to work my glutes. Now Im on a journey learning what emotions are tied to what parts of the body. Thanks for these articles Guys. FYI: When humans are in pain, the human brain magnifies it and we tend to think the worst. NOTE: The only job the human body has, is to carry the human brain around. Its a good idea to look after these. In fact, you have a moral obligation to your future self to do so. Anything less is asking for trouble.
Thank you Jeff! I did this exercise today in the gym (floor ones) and I immediately felt the burns, it hurts a lot, which means I need to do these exercises often/frequently. I havent felt this “kind” of burn (and specifically huge muscle soreness on those places) when lifting heavy. I feel a huge difference. Thank you and much of love from a Moroccan/Dutch from the Netherlands.
Thank you. I’m in physical therapy for lower back pain and my right hip is rotated back and pinching nerves, mostly sciatica. I’ve had a herniated disk flare ups off and on for 10 years . I starting roofing house when I was 13 and hit it full time out of high school working for my Fathers Roofing business. Of course through my 20’s not really any problems until late 20’s early 30’s . Now I’m 39 and have been in hvac for 6 years . Pt has me exercising my core muscles and glutes . For So many years in pain my body has compensated in other ways so firing my glutes isn’t easy right now . This article helps. I will use these exercises with my other exercises I’ve been doing . Definitely felt the burning.
😍 I added the first one to my glute workout. That is the best glute activation. I have a hard time activating medius straight away and just the first one made such a difference in “feeling”. I did 3 sets × 10 reps = (30 all together) for reach leg with a 9kg resistance band which makes it even more challenging 😁
Jessie, you’re my inspiration. Thank you for being in my recommended and keeping me thinking of my fitness during quarantine! Cannot wait to come back to the gym (everything’s closed in my country). Please, keep on simple, short and super informative content, I love the format and no ‘bro energy’ (I’m a woman and not fond of ‘bro’ content and avoiding female fitness content with unattainable goals). Stay safe and kiss your dogs from me!
While training my glute medius unilaterally at the gym yesterday, I noticed a guy doing face pulls without engaging his supraspinatus muscle properly. This was so shocking and disgraceful to me that I went up to him and spat in his face. Long story short, we got into a fight and I ended up knocking him out with a spinning back fist (in a manner that resembles a unilateral band pull-apart with rotation of the torso). The poor guy was rushed to the hospital and I got kicked out from my gym, but I got an amazing pump in my right rotator cuff from throwing that shot, so it was all worth it. Now I just need to hit someone with my left to avoid developing muscle imbalances.
NOTIFICATION SQUAD GIVEAWAY – It’s back!! Alright guys, I’m giving away a complete 30 Day Workout program to 100 lucky clickers within the first hour this article is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 100, but those randomly selected within the first hour the article is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached! giveaway.athleanx.com/ytg/glute-wakeup If you don’t win, no worries, you’re not going away empty handed. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next article quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…
Jesus… I just went online knowing he had glute workout articles in the past and I needed something different and I searched “glute articles like athlean x, activate glutes” and the dude already had what I needed a month ago. I have to subscribe now, no point in searching his articles every few weeks if he’s got what I need every day lmao. Run for President my dude!
“Light your ass up this is actually where it started ” I know that is just a bad joke, but the origin of that saying is actually quite dark. In the 18th century industrial GB they had a lot of crooked and narrow chimneys that had to be sweeped. Professional chimney sweepers used their apprentices for this job which were actually small boys sold into slavery by their poor parents. If the boys worked “too slow” the chimney sweepers started a fire down in the fireplace so that they would hurry … and thats where “Light your ass up” originates from.
Thanks Jeff Joseph Pilates was a genius He instructed ballet dancers and chorus girls in the 20s and thirties in Hollywood…. remarkable man Thanks for passing this along. I was an NCAA athlete in the late 70’s under the tutelage of a Hall of Fame football coach who taught me a lot of the same training techniques i think you are one the best, I am 63 years old and Killing it!. I have done many of your 22 day challenges They work! ( as long as YOU DO THE WORK!) Keep up the good work!
Jeff….this is an awesome article…. I feel immediate relief from lower back pain! In the second part…where you’re standing and the leg goes behind with the toes upward….I have almost flexibility to do that….but I need to be doing this at work for my back pain. How I can I increase my flexibility to do that back leg lift?
Thank you so much❤ for showing me the behind the leg stand up. I already do the front ones, I call them sissy swings because that’s what I was told they were called. It seems to have helped somewhat but I’ve only been doing them for a short period of time. I lost 57 lb recently and I’m trying to get my rear end back. I lost it almost completely. And I’m very sad about that so I’m trying everything I can possibly do to get it back.
Thank you, this seems to be lot better than squats for me at the moment, as they just aren’t building my butt! My glutes are extremely lacking in muscle and any type of shape and tone..In other words my butt is flat 😳😣!! No matter how many squats I do a day it just doesn’t seem to help! So I’m going to try this, see if it helps build the muscle and give me some kind of shape back there!! 🙏🏼
👏👏👏Wow… just wow ! Thank YOU for giving us two alternative versions to perform this exercise. 🤗 I prefer the laying down version as I experience no S.I. JOINT pain that way. 👍🤞 You have such UNIQUE and EFFECTIVE ways of doing exercises which DO NOT REQUIRE going to the gym. 😚 Although I do have to walk there when the temperature drops below 95 degrees around 2am 🥵 You guys are hilarious! 😄
I’m female, 48 (former collegiate swimmer) and in decent intermediate/athletic shape now, after dropping from 180lbs to 150lbs in the last year. I’m building muscle through lifting, and dropped from 37%BF to 24%BF… I did these exercises for 4 days, is it possible that I’d see some results this quickly? I swear my butt is lifting upward. Lol. There were creases lower on my butt near my leg and they appear to be gone. I feel the beginning of a thick athletic booty coming on. Haha. I love doing these exercises at the end of my workout, as kinda a winddown. They are not even that painful, I’ve just consistently did 2 sets of each for 4 days. I’ll look in the mirror again to confirm, but I’m hooked on working my gluteus medius. Thanks Jeff! I love your tips. I feel like I need to purchase a t-shirt to support all the science he shares. 💕🦿🍑
Do you have anything for rebuilding muscles in the shoulder after an accident with fractures involved? It was like 2 1/2 years ago,but my left shoulder feels like it’s frozen & the right side bothers me also even though they said nothing happened to it. I still don’t have full mobility on the left,but I have much more than I did when it first happened. There’s different things that I was curious about as well as I do have lower back pain,but I also had a fracture in my right sacrum & I had a fracture in my right, & left pelvic area as well but that is something that’s been on my mind that it’s been this long & it should feel better now & I know there’s more natural ways to help these things/heal them so I would prefer to do that. Thank you so much for your article’s, I just really want to learn all the proper ways/techniques in doing different exercises to help the body, so articles like this are appreciated 🙏🏼
My chiropractor told me to watch your articles! I started walking two years ago at the age of 58. I noticed immediately that I had a “drunken” gait. I lose my balance and fall backwards when I squat. I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, went through PT, but the drunken gait and balance issues remained. The blame’s been placed on my age (seriously?), seizure meds, lack of exercise, spinal stenosis, brain surgeries, the wrong shoes (Brooks aren’t wrong!), a stroke (10 years ago!) etc. etc. etc. So here I am, going after another possibility, weak glutes. I’m walking 4 miles daily at 3.8 mph with 10″ incline as well as recently begun 10-15 minutes of typical glute exercises and Bosu ball, 4-5 days a week. If weak glutes are the problem, what’s the realistic time frame I should expect to see even the tiniest difference?
Went numb almost paralyzed healed the numbness and had pain and it felt deep couldn’t pin point it but what ever the case it attached to my lower back and I couldn’t turn over and got cramps like you do in your leg there… took vitamins and muscle relaxers it helped me move so now I been looking for a article no bs to the point and for the muscle groups I’m targeting. It was a pain in the ass but I ain’t shitting over it no mo… Time to get some booty.
Only my right glute is turned off. It’s really messing my whole body up. Tried these exercises and now I can barely walk lol. Looks like another good tool no doctor or physical therapist has suggested to me yet. I’ll do these for awhile as I’m obviously extremely weak in this movement so it cant hurt to improve upon it!