Do you have a small butt, a weak butt, or no butt at all? If so, you might suffer from lower body imbalances or misalignments, including disc issues or sciatica. You could also be spending a lot of time in lower body flexion without activating your glute muscles properly, which can lead to pain and discomfort. Whether you are experiencing pain in your lower body or not, having strong glute muscles is one of the best ways to ensure you will lead a long and healthy life. Today, MoveU discusses how to contract your glute muscles fully and why a strong butt can help you lead a pain-free life.

Reasons Why You Might Have Weak Glutes

The most common cause of weak glute muscles is lack of physical activity or a sedentary lifestyle. If you are someone who spends a lot of time sitting down at a desk for work, then you probably have weaker glutes. This is because your hip flexors tighten in a seated position, throwing off the alignment of your pelvis, hips, and lumbar spine. When your posture is altered in this way, your glutes cannot function properly and may even atrophy.

The second most common reason you have weak glute muscles is because you do not activate them or have no idea that you are not activating them. Your glute muscles help move the hip joint and stabilize the pelvis to help you maintain your posture and balance. If you do not exercise your glute muscles, perform any strength or mobility work with them, or work on high stability and hip extension, then your glutes are not being worked.

What Are the Symptoms of Weak Glutes?

How can you tell if you have weak glute muscles? Here are some indicators:

• Sciatica

• Poor posture

• Hip pain

• Knee pain

• Low back pain

• Inability to fire or activate your glutes (known also as gluteal amnesia or dead butt syndrome)

• Anterior or posterior pelvic tilt

• Tight or weak hip flexors

• Weak abdominal muscles

Can You Fix Weak Glutes?

Fixing your weak glutes takes time and a commitment, but it is one hundred percent possible. Remember the more you practice any movement pattern, the more established that pattern becomes to your brain, and the easier it will be. Fixing weak glutes will help you improve your posture, reduce any knee, hip, pelvis, and back pain, and help you build strength.

How to Improve Glute Strength

Your pelvis’ positioning is extremely important to glute engagement. When you spend too much time seated, the front your hips tighten pulling your pelvis forward into anterior title. An anterior pelvic tilt makes it harder to activate the gluteal muscles, leading to tight hip flexors, tight hamstring muscles, and back pain. Here are some ways to improve glute strength:

• Learn proper pelvic position

• Learn how to extend your low body with your erectors and contract your glutes

• Avoid sitting for extended periods of time

• Practice good posture techniques when sitting and standing

What Are Some Exercises You Can Do to Strengthen Your Glute Muscles?

Your glutes are your biggest and most powerful muscle group. Training them properly will help you improve your posture, reduce back pain, and help you increase speed and power during your workouts. Here are some exercises that can help you strengthen your glutes:

Glute bridges

1. Lie down on the floor, bend your knees, and place your feet down.

2. Place your arms by your sides with your palms faced down.

3. Press your low back into the ground to engage your core.

4. Lift your hips up keeping your core engagement.

5. Squeeze your glutes at the top and avoid overarching your back.

6. Hold for a couple seconds and then come back down.

Fire hydrants

1. Get into a tabletop position with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.

2. Maintain a neutral position with your spine, flex one foot, and then lift your leg out to the side at a 45-degree angle so it is in line with your hip, squeezing your glute muscle at the top. Repeat on the other side.

3. Try not to over rotate and move as slowly as you need to to build that mind-body connection.

Single-Leg Step Up

1. Stand next to a bench with your hands on your waist.

2. Lift one leg up to a 90-degree angle and place your foot down on the bench.

3. Press your weight into your foot and push off your other foot so you are standing on the bench with one leg.

4. Pause and then return to your starting position and repeat this movement on the other side.

Remember the point of these exercises is to gain awareness and connect with your glutes. These are foundational exercises that take time to learn and execute properly. As such, you most likely need more guidance and video instruction on how to do these. Head on over to our MoveU Membership today to get access to all our programs and learn how to turn your glutes on.

Do you want that pain-free, strong glute life? Get started with the MoveU Back and Core Program by enrolling in the MoveU Membership today.