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.

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!  

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!