Glute Activation - what is it and why is it important?
The glutes are the largest muscle group in the body. It is no surprise that activating them is essential for performance and injury prevention. The glutes are the ‘butt muscles’ which allow you to bend over, lift your legs, push against the ground, and all sorts of other basic movements.
Your glutes are a key component of any full-body kinetic chain. Like any chain, a weak link weakens the entire system. Underdeveloped or inactive glutes effectively force the effort for any squat, lunge, or similar movement to your knees, hamstrings, and back. Therefore, if your glutes aren't activated properly, it can lead to imbalances and injuries down the line. Fortunately, there are a few exercises and techniques which will help with glute activation and get them firing properly.
What are your ‘glute muscles’ and why are they so important?
Your gluteal muscles consist of the gluteus maximus, which is the main muscle, and then the two supporting muscles, the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus.
What is the function of the glute muscles?
The glute maximus (the largest of the glute muscles) is the primary mover of the hip and thigh.
The gluteus medius and minimus are much smaller muscles that attach to the outer surface of the femur. Their primary function is stabilising the hip joint and prevention the leg from collapsing inwards when walking or running. They are also considered hip abductors, meaning they move the leg away from the midline of the body.
What is glute activation?
You may have heard the term ‘to get your glutes firing’. Well, glute activation is the process of engaging the glute muscles so that they can work properly. This is important because the glutes are responsible for a lot of movement in the body, including hip extension, hip abduction and rotation. Therefore, if the glutes are not activated properly it can lead to imbalances and injuries.
Why is glute activation important?
The importance of warm-ups largely lies with muscle activation. This is where your neurons carve a path from the muscle to the brain. With lesser-used muscles, these paths are less-reliable. Furthermore, when you, say, spend your entire day seated with your hips forward and in flexion, it takes more effort to activate these muscles prior to a workout.
Why does this matter?
Well, when you perform a repetition of a squat, you should be engaging your gluteal muscles to their fullest. Normally, the effort is spread proportionally to the body's need for the effort. When you have poorly activated glutes, you end up putting additional strain on the other supporting muscles as well as your joints.
Basically, without activation, your muscles get lazy and rely on other muscles and joint structures to compensate, creating a muscle imbalance. This also means that the muscles don't get the fullest benefit from the workout.
Additionally:
Strong glutes can help to prevent injuries
Activated glutes can help improve your performance in activities such as running, jumping and liftin
Well functioning glutes can help to improve your posture
Strong glutes can help you move more efficiently
Good glute function can help relieve pain in lower back and knees
How do I know if I have weak glutes?
Here are a few things that can indicate weak glutes:
You have difficulty performing exercises such as squats, lunges and bridges
You have pain in the lower back, knees or hips
You have poor posture
Your movement is inefficient
Your glutes can become weak if you sit for long periods of time, if you don’t use them enough and if you complete exercises with poor form.
Can weak glutes influence your posture?
When most people think of exercise, they typically divide it into arms and legs. However, the muscles in your posterior chain (back, glutes and hamstrings) are essential for maintaining proper posture and preventing injuries. Weak glutes can lead to several problems, including poor posture.
When your glutes are weak (or have poor glute activation), your body compensates by shifting your weight forward. Unfortunately, this puts more strain on your lower back and can lead to rounding of the shoulder and an increased curve in the spine. Over time, this can permanently change your posture and put you at risk of injuries.
How do I activate my glutes?
You can do exercises targeting the glutes, such as squats, lunges, bridges, and kickbacks.
You can make sure to engage your glutes when doing other movements, such as: running, walking, and jumping.
You can do a combination of both specific exercises and engagement during different activities.
What are some common mistakes people make when trying to activate their glutes?
Not using enough weight – If you don’t use enough weight, you won’t be able to engage the muscles thoroughly.
Using too much weight – If you use too much weight, you run the risk of injury.
Not using proper form – If you don’t use good form, you won’t be able to fully engage the muscles.
Not staying consistent – It’s important to consistently work on glute activation in order to see results.
The bottom line
Glute activation exercises are a great way to strengthen the glutes and improve your overall movement. Make sure to do them with proper form and technique, and listen to your body to avoid injury. Start slowly and increase the frequency and intensity as you get more comfortable. Include exercises such as bridges, glute kickbacks, hip thrusts, banded lateral walks, clamshells, squats and lunges into your plan!
