Get your glutes firing better with this exercise!
It’s all about that base and in this case some strong gluteals! This exercise is a favorite of mine to really hone in and see if that glut med is firing! I always get asked, “why didn’t I know sooner my butt wasn’t working, I can run, jump, squat, flip?” And the answer boils down to your butt may have not worked well for a while or fired too late, but the body was able to compensate for it with the use of your lower back or quads or hip flexors and at some point those become overworked and that’s when you start to notice. There’s a little more science and nuisance involved, and if you’re interested, you know where to reach me.
Here’s an exercise I like to give my patients to help get cued in on a good gluteus medius contraction.
But FIRST, an anatomy lesson:
Your tush is made up of several muscles: 3 gluteals and some smaller, deeper rotators. When we talk about “strengthening your glutes'', there are 3 muscles that do different things.
A. Gluteus Maximus: As the name suggests, this is the biggest of the muscles, it primarily functions in hip extension (or kicking your leg backwards) and helps you to maintain a good upright posture.
B. Gluteus Medius: This muscle is smaller in size, but not smaller in function. This muscles functions to abduct the thigh (kick the leg out to the side) and helps to stabilize the pelvis. Fun fact: When you stand on your RIGHT leg, your RIGHT glut med is actually responsible for keeping your LEFT hip from dropping or maintaining the pelvis in a straight line.
C. Gluteus Minimus: The smallest of the 3, it is pretty much a mini glut med.
TFL/ITB: I want to take a second to point out the small muscle called the tensor fascia latae. This is on the outside of your hip and it’s tissues run directly into the IT band. This muscle is great at compensating for WEAK GLUTES!
The exercise: Sidelying hip abduction at the wall (or Jack Lalanne’s as some have called them.)
Begin lying on your side with your back against the wall. The leg you want to work should be on TOP.
Bend your bottom leg and rotate your hips so your bottom hip is touching the wall.
Straighten your top leg and keep your heel in contact with the wall. Lift your heel up.
Make sure to point your toes slightly downwards. Hold for 5-10 secs and repeat up to 10 times.
You should feel the outside of your butt working (the area where my hand is placed, which is right behind your hip bone) but NOT the outside of your hip/thigh. Make sure your QUAD isn’t doing all the work! Give this exercise a try and if you have any questions, be sure to reach out!
