Please Train Your Glutes!
Filed Under: Strength Training
Filed Under: Strength Training
from Coach Mike Boyle:
I had the wonderful experience of flying to LA last week. In the airport I’m always looking at peoples bodies. I can’t help it. I look at everyone as if they were an athlete or a client. The one thing I notice over and over again is that practically no one has glutes any more.
World-renowned low back expert Stuart McGill coined the term gluteal amnesia a few years ago. I don’t think it’s amnesia, I think the real term is gluteal abduction. It looks like a group of butt rustlers swept down and stole everyone’s ass.
Sir Mixalot said it best in his landmark musical work Baby Got Back. “I like big butts and I can not lie”. In truth, any glutes would be great. I can’t tell you how many pants pockets I see hanging where someone’s rear end was supposed to be. It’s sad, not only from an aesthetic standpoint but, from a physical standpoint.
The absence of what should be the largest muscle in the body means that you are on your way to a bad back. It also means you are not much to look at. Those gluteless wonders will always bend from the waist and flex the spine. The loss of glute strength, glute size and consequent hip mobility is in my mind the leading cause of low back pain.
To quote Sir Mixalot again, “you can do side bends or situps but please don’t lose that butt”. Please, add some bodyweight squats to your routine if you go to the gym. Squat deep. Place a milk crate on the floor and sit back to it. Measure the quality of your workout by how sore you can make your rear end. Your back will thank you.
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I love reading Coach Boyle’s blog or the many articles and videos on his membership site. You can train your glutes with a barbell or dumbbell, or you can do bodyweight exercises like multi-direction lunges or step ups with a high step (box). This is a great way to start if you haven’t been working them much.
Something simple that you can do is this bridge series on your back. If you’ve been sedentary for a while than start with 10-30 second holds, gradually progressing to the more demanding single leg versions. If you feel it more in your back than your glutes than place your hands there to make sure you’re contracting the right muscles. Also, make sure to push through the heel.
Get moving!
Brian Morgan
