Glute activation
Learn how to activate your glutes with these simple exercises that you can do anywhere.
how to activate your glutes?
Are you activating your glutes when you’re performing glute exercises? Remember the mind-muscle connection. If you are not focused on your glutes while performing the exercises, other muscles may be doing the work instead. This will leave you with lesser-than expected results.
do you have paiN?
If you have knee pain, hip pain, back pain, tight muscles, pulling, these may or may not be symptoms of under-active glutes. I experienced a tight left hip due to overactive quads and inactive glutes.
booty walk
If you are focused on building your booty let’s use something that we do every day to help aid the process. Walking! You can do this any time you stand up to walk somewhere. If it can become habit then you will reap the benefits. If you go on regular walks this is a great time to practice. This is how I discovered “booty walking”. Since becoming a mom, we go on regular walks now. In order to feel like I wasn’t walking off all of the muscle I was working to hard to build, I made sure I actively squeeze my glutes on each step. I do it as much as I can.
Think of it like kegel exercises. You can do it without anyone realizing it while you’re in line at the grocery store, driving in the car, seated at your desk or lying in your bed.
Standing squeeze
Stand in place and actively squeeze your glutes. That’s it. Try it for 30 seconds at a time. Release and do it a few more times. This has become one of my rituals during the day. It’s great to do before a glute work out. It has helped me to properly engage my glutes when I need them most.
change your foot position
Everyone is different and it will take trial and error to figure out what works best for you. Some women achieve ideal results immediately. Others are no so lucky. They feel like they are doing the movements but nothing is happening. Try going a little bit wider to see if you can feel a difference there. Or try narrowing your stance. Foot angle is also important. Turning your toes slightly outward can help some activate their glutes. Think of yourself as an experiment and have fun with it. Remember to give it time and before you know it you’ll be your own glute expert.
jump
Plyometrics are a fun way to activate the glutes. Ladder work, gliding, or any explosive movement will help recruit your glutes. Order some cones to put in your house or back yard and get creative! If you have kids, you can get them involved as well. Make it a contest to see who can jump the furthest.
sprint
Sprints are a great way to turn on the glutes. Personally, I always saw the best results at the 30 second mark. We would run 200 meters during track practice and this would always seem to shred me. If you can set a stop watch for 30 seconds, you can try 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off. Try to pick a rest time that you can sustain for 3 to 10 rounds. If you need more rest time, take 1 minute.
Or you can make it completely fun and take your dog to the park and just run hard. Take a breather and do it again. This is what we have been doing lately. This way it doesn’t feel like a chore. It feels like freedom. Like being a kid and just running free.
disclaimer
Obviously I am not a doctor and if you have any health conditions then please talk to your doctor before trying anything that could cause you harm. This is just fun conversation that I hope you find engaging and helpful
