Work Those Glutes!
August 17, 2016Get Your Glutes in Tip Top Shape to Prevent Injury
The days of wanting a small fanny is long gone, folks. A little junk in the trunk is in, ladies and gentleman! Sure, a rounded behind looks great, but what if I told you that having a strong backside is extremely important while training. Keeping your glutes tight and toned can help prevent injury, improve posture and improve athletic performance.
The glutes are the strongest and largest muscle group in your body and are made up of three different muscles: gluteus minimus, medius and maximus. These muscles work together to abduct, rotate and extend the hip (www.livestrong.com). It is always important to keep good posture with any exercise and having strong glutes will help tremendously since it helps maintain this. Weak glutes can cause an imbalance in the hip, which can throw everything off. This can cause Achilles tendinitis, shin splints and runner’s knee, just to name a few. Strong glutes also support the back. So, if you are experiencing lower back pain, it may be a good idea to incorporate some glute training!
Compound, multi-joint exercises such as dead lifts, squats and lunges work all of the gluteus muscles. You can perform these exercises with just your body weight or with an added load. Working the glutes with a resistance band is another great way to activate the glutes and smaller accessory muscles for stabilization throughout each exercise. These include lateral squat lunges, leg lifts while laying on your side and donkey kicks. That “burning” you feel while performing these exercises is a good thing, I promise.
I like to incorporate glute exercises at least once a week. I like to do high reps of multiple exercises to really burn out those small accessory muscles. Perform some leg lifts or bridges during commercial breaks of your favorite show. Start taking those small steps to achieve your goals and prevent future injuries. Having a nice booty doesn’t hurt, either!
