Hello,
I hope you all are doing well.
This article is not just for women; it’s for men as well! Men, I know you’re asking: Why do I need to work my butt? I want a big chest and big arms! Well, I’m sorry to tell you but, all these ladies are smart and way ahead of the game! Your glutes are SUPPOSED to be the biggest muscle in your body and should perform exceptionally well. They are large and powerful because they have the job of keeping the trunk of the body erect. Your glutes are the chief antigravity muscles that aid you when walking up stairs. In other words, they play a crucial role in just about everything you do, so keeping them strong is essential for staying active and independent longer. When these muscles lack in strength, your body will let you know.
Here are four common problems that may be the result of your weak glutes, along with the exercises you need to get your rear in gear.
Sign #1: Low Back Pain
If low back pain often puts a damper on your day, consider it a warning that your glutes are sleeping on the job.
“Our brains will call on whichever muscles are needed to perform a function,” says Nicholas Poulin, CEO & Founder of Poulin Health & Wellness in New York City. “If one group of muscles isn’t up to the task, your brain will order another group to pick up the slack.”
In other words, to help you complete everyday tasks—like bending over to lift something off the floor—your brain will shift the brunt of the work onto the lower back to compensate for weakness in the glutes. Over time, the added stress on your lower back builds up, leading to soreness, pain, muscle spasms, and possibly injury.
Recent research backs this up. A study published in the journal PLOS One found that middle-aged women with chronic lower back pain had much smaller butt muscles than their pain-free counterparts. In addition, the smaller the muscles, the more medical visits women made to address low back pain.
Sign #2: Knee Pain
Achy knees are often written off as an inevitable side effect of getting older, and while it’s correct that knee pain has many age-related causes (namely, arthritis), chances are, weak glutes are a big part of the problem, Poulin says. If you’ve been diagnosed with arthritis, strengthening your glutes can at least help offset some of the pain you might experience.
Your glutes—the gluteus medius in particular—play a starring role in stabilizing your knees as you walk, stand, and chase after your grandkids.
“If you don’t have musculature above the knee to stabilize where that knee is in space, it will just go catawampus,” Poulin explains. For most people, the tendency is to let the knees fall inward, since that’s where they feel most stable, he says. But then, unfortunately, they start to feel pain.
Sign #3: Balance Problems
“When my patients have poor balance,” says Poulin, “it usually means they have weak glutes as well.”
This is because your glutes provide a stable base from which your arms and legs can move. If that base is weak and unstable, your limbs become weak and unstable as well.
Sign #4: Trouble Climbing Stairs
The glutes are a powerful, thick, and fibrous muscle, Poulin says. As such, they play a significant role in generating power. If you look at sprinters, gymnasts, football players, and other power athletes, you’ll notice they all have noticeably strong behinds.
Your daily to-do list may not require you to chase wide receivers, but it inevitably involves climbing stairs, going for walks, or playing tennis with friends. All of these activities require power, and power requires strong glutes.
If you quickly tire, get winded easily from climbing stairs, or you can’t return a volley as soon as you used to, chances are your glutes need work. “Everyone chalks loss of power up to old age,” says Poulin. “But, it’s often because of weakness in the glutes.
The Secret to Better Health is Exercise - Four Prescribed Exercises
Now let’s get you on track to living a healthier life! Here are 5 Exercises you can do at HOME to make improvements on how you feel and look!
Exercise #1 Body Weight Squats on Chair
Poulin explains that the squat is a great bang-for-your-buck exercise: It strengthens your glutes, abdominals, and all the big muscles in your legs, including the quads (front of your thighs) and hamstrings (back of your thighs).
How to do it: Stand tall with your feet shoulder- to hip-width apart. Hold your arms straight out in front of you at shoulder level, and brace your core. This is your starting position.
From here, push your hips back and bend your knees to lower your body into a squat, not letting your knees cave in as you do so. Pause at the bottom for two seconds, then squeeze your glutes to return to standing. That’s one rep. Perform two sets of 10 reps, or as many as you can until you tire. Aim to do this exercise three to four times per week.
Exercise #2: Standing Hip Extension
This move targets the gluteus maximus—the largest muscle in your body—and teaches you to stabilize your core to keep your pelvis centered, Poulin, says.
How to do it: Stand tall facing a wall, kitchen counter, or back of a sturdy chair, holding onto it for balance. Keeping your back straight, brace your core, and allow both legs to bend slightly.
From here, lift one leg straight behind you as far as you comfortably can, making sure not to bend your knee further as you do so. Don’t worry about how high you can lift your leg; what matters is that you’re able to squeeze your glutes without using your back muscles to compensate.
Pause for three seconds, then slowly lower your leg to return to starting position. That’s one rep. Do ten reps, and then repeat with your opposite leg. Perform two sets total three to four times per week.
Exercise #3: Lying-against-the-wall Clamshell
Clamshells build strength in the gluteus medius, the muscles on the sides of your hips that help stabilize your pelvis while you walk.
How to do it: Lie on one side with your legs stacked and knees bent at a 45-degree angle. Keeping your hips steady and your top foot down, lift only your top knee as high as you can. Lower your top knee back to the starting position. That’s one rep. Do ten reps, and then repeat on the other side. Perform two sets total three to four times per week.
Reminder: How high you’re able to lift your knee doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you activate your hip muscles without rotating at the pelvis, Poulin says.
Exercise #4: Single-Leg Stand
Poulin loves single-leg balancing exercises for building glute strength and stability. This exercise also has a tremendous impact on your ability to perform everyday activities that require supporting yourself on one leg at a time, such as walking and climbing stairs.
How to do it: Stand tall with your feet together and brace your core. From here—holding onto a wall, counter, or sturdy chair for balance, if necessary—lift your right foot just off of the floor so that you’re standing on your left foot. Imagine a string through the crown of your head is pulling your spine straight toward the ceiling, and engage your core to avoid leaning to one side. Try not to anchor your leg on the other, meaning squeeze them together.
Hold this position for 30 seconds or as long as you can, then repeat on the opposite side. Poulin recommends doing this exercise every day, if possible. If you want to make it harder, add in some single-leg kicks: Engage your glutes, and alternate reaching your floating leg forward, backward, and to the side ten times. Then, switch legs and repeat.
Exercise #5 Side-lying Hip Raise
Performing side-lying hip abductions (or leg raises) on the floor is an effective way to train your lateral glute muscles, which are essential knee stabilizers and help round out your overall butt development.
How to do it: Make sure that the toes of the working leg are pointing downwards. This ensures that the hips, not the thighs, are doing most of the work. Poulin recommends two sets of 20 to 30 reps on each side with minimal rest between sides. Once you master these, consider adding an ankle weight to give your glutes another reason to hate you.
Are you looking for an online coach who can help relieve your pain and feel more confident? Nicholas Poulin, is known for being an expert in his field and has limited slots open for Virtual sessions. Click the link below to inquire.
Best,
Nicholas Poulin
Founder & CEO
Poulin Health & Wellness