What is Glute Activation?
Glute activation refers to firing up the gluteal muscles in an effort to strengthen them. Gluteal muscles refer to the muscles in your butt: gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus. Your gluteus maximus are the main, large muscles that shapes your backside, and your gluteus medius and gluteus minimus are the two smaller muscles that assist the gluteus maximus in moving your body. For many individuals, their glutes often remain inactive meaning their muscles are weak and are not relied on as much as they should be during physical activities. Using bodyweight or resistance bands, you can perform glute exercises to spark the mind-muscle connection to encourage activation of these muscles.
Why is it Important?
Your glutes can have a major impact on your overall body strength as they help support your core, support a range of exercises and compound movements, and help avoid muscle imbalances which can lead to decreased mobility. Under-utilized glutes can contribute to a range of health issues, such as poor posture, low back pain, balance issues, and much more. For those working in an office, it’s highly likely that you sit for most of your day. When you’re sedentary, your glutes “go to sleep”, so it’s extremely important to activate them before beginning your workout by doing a series of glute exercises. If you don’t activate your glutes before a workout, your glutes might not fire up correctly after being dormant for most of the day; therefore, causing your body to use a more dominant muscle to execute the movement. Over time, these incorrect muscle activation patterns can lead to muscle imbalances or injury.
How Do I Activate Them?
Performing glute exercises, such as bridges or lateral band walks, can help isolate and activate the gluteal muscles in preparation for a workout. In addition, foam rolling the glutes and hip area before starting your workout can help to promote blood flow to the area and break up adhesions between muscle and fascia, allowing the glutes to optimally contract and relax through their normal range of motion.
Glute Activation Exercises
1. Foam Rolling
2. Fire Hydrant
3. Bridge
4. Donkey Kick
5. Clams
-Paulina Le, Health Fitness Specialist