• Request Appointment
  • Verify Insurance
  • Research Library
  • Exercise Library
Call/Text Us: 262-345-4166
HealthFlex
×
  • Appointments
  • About Us
  • Services
    • Chiropractic
    • Physical Therapy
    • Sports Medicine
    • Pediatric Care
    • Senior Care
    • X-Ray & Labs
  • Store
    • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My account
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ

Building a Better Butt: Upgrading Your Glute Workouts

Building a Better Butt: Upgrading Your Glute Workouts
February 10, 2020Dr. Grant RadermacherExercise

“Work your glutes!”

If you’ve ever been treated for low back, sacroiliac or pelvic problems at Ascent Chiropractic, you’re probably sick of hearing me talk about the importance of glute strength.

But why’s it so necessary?

Modern culture and lifestyle often means that we’re spending a lot of time sitting. Whether in the office, in traffic or at home, so much sitting weakens an important group of muscles – your glutes.

Improving glute strength is absolutely critical for pelvic stability, and is easily one of the top things you can do at home to prevent future low back and pelvic problems.

Let’s talk about butts

There are three different gluteus muscles: the Maximus, Medius, and Minimus.

The Gluteus Maximus

The Maximus is the biggest and most important muscle in your butt, as well as primary mover in hip extension exercises like squats and hip bridges.

The biggest issue stemming from weak glute max muscles is anterior pelvic tilt, which can in turn lead to biomechanical problems both up and downstream – your low back, upper back, neck, knees, hips and ankles can all be affected.

Strengthening the Gluteus Maximus

For a long time, squats were considered the gold standard glute max exercise by fitness experts. But times are a-changing, and in the majority of fitness circles hip bridges have surpassed squats in the battle of booty-building.

On one hand, multiple studies comparing glute activation in squats and hip thrusts via EMG have shown that hip bridges result in significantly better peak muscle contraction.

Butt wait! (pun intended)

In a new study published last month by the International Journal of Sports Medicine, a group of Brazilian researchers put the hip bridge and squat to the test head-to-head. They recruited a group of 22 women who performed either just squats or just hip bridges as their lower body workout for a period of 12 weeks.

After 12 weeks, the researchers compared strength gains and found that squats were most effective for improving strength of the glute max in a lengthened position while hip bridges were best for improving glute max strength in a shortened position.

So while you can get away with doing just hip bridges or just squats, they are complimentary exercises. If you want to maximize your glute max workouts you’re going to need both an exercise that works the glutes in a lengthened position (i.e. squats, lunges, or Romanian deadlifts) as well as one that works them in a shortened position (i.e. hip bridges or modified side planks).

Interestingly enough, they also found that squats led to twice as much glute growth (and 6x more quad growth) than hip thrusts/bridges. So if you’re hitting the glutes solely for the booty gains, squats should be your main focus.

The Gluteus Medius & Minimus

Unlike the glute max, the primary role of the gluteus medius and minimus is external hip rotation. That means they’re responsible for leveling your hips, especially when you’re walking or running.

A weak glute medius/minimus can lead to hip problems, gait abnormalities, genu valgum (knock knees), and knee pain and osteoarthritis.

Strengthening the Gluteus Medius & Minimus

An easy way to hit these smaller glute muscles is simply to add a resistance band loop around your thighs and push your knees out while doing hip thrusts/bridges, letting you hit all three of your glute muscles with one exercise.

You can also activate the glute medius/minimus with clamshells (lay on your side with your knees bent, open your knees like a clam and squeeze your butt) or banded walks/monster walks (loop a resistance band around both lower legs, get into a squat position, step laterally).

A recent study from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy found that the clamshell exercise is one of the best for hip strengthening and helping with hip injury treatment and prevention, so it’s definitely worth adding if you deal with hip problems.

Sample Workout

To put it into practice, here’s a quick glute workout using everything previously discussed.

Gluteus maximus:

  • Front Squats/Goblet Squats: 3 sets of 6-8 reps (go as deep as possible)
  • Lunges: 2 sets of 10 reps
  • Modified Side Planks (knee to elbow): 2 sets of 10 reps, alternating sides, held for 10 seconds each

Gluteus medius/minimus:

  • Banded Hip Bridges: 3 sets of 10 reps, held for 10 seconds each
  • Clamshells: 2 sets of 12 reps, alternating sides

These don’t necessarily need to all be performed on a dedicated “butt” day; they can be fit in with other routines as well.

And remember, while you can expect to experience some degree of delayed onset muscle soreness with any kind of weight lifting program, pain is never normal. Pain is the body’s way of saying something is wrong – consult your chiropractor if the pain persists.

The Ascent Chiropractic Difference

Whether you’re a pro athlete, weekend warrior or just looking to tone up, study after study shows that regular chiropractic care is an essential part of getting out of pain and reaching your full potential.

Ready to get stronger and looking for a Brookfield chiropractor? To make an appointment at Ascent Chiropractic, call 262-345-4166 or schedule an appointment with our online scheduling app.




Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Add Comment Cancel


This blog uses premium CommentLuv. Enable CommentLuv?Show more posts

Ascent Chiropractic

16620 W Bluemound Rd
Brookfield, WI 53005
Phone: 262-345-4166
Fax: 262-753-6908
[email protected]

  • COVID-19: Your Questions Answered on Vaccines, Immunity, and What’s Next Mar 1

    Got questions? We’ve got answers. While the US hit a grim milestone...

  • Banded Glute Bridges & 3-Way Planks: The Smart DIY Fix For Back Spasms Feb 22

    Not all musculoskeletal problems are the same! There’s a common assumption that...

  • Beet Juice: The Newest ‘Performance Enhancing Drug’? Feb 15

    Can beet juice improve athletic performance? One of the latest hypes for...

  • Better, Safer Alternatives to the “Big 4” Lifts Feb 8

    More gym gains, fewer nagging injuries! Contrary to popular long-standing belief, you...

  • Will Going Out In The Cold Give You A Cold? Feb 1

    Can you really get sick from cold temperatures? Your mom always told...

  • The Back Exercise Everyone Needs To Add To Their Workout Jan 25

    Make this back exercise a staple. You know how important back strength...

  • How To Get Rid of Migraines Fast (and For Good!) Jan 18

    Got migraines? Here’s what works. If you’re one of the 39 million...

  • EVERYTHING You Know About Stretching Is Wrong Jan 11

    Quite a stretch: Stretching myths debunked! There are lots of reasons people...

  • 5 Resolutions We Should All Be Making For Our Physical & Mental Health In 2021 Jan 4

    Here’s how to start the New Year off right! The Year-That-Must-Not-Be-Named is...

  • Don’t Have Time For A Full Workout? Try Exercise “Snacks” Instead Dec 28

    Exercise doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. If you don’t have the time...

  • Use Acupressure to Clear Congested Sinuses in 30 Seconds Dec 21

    Stuffy sinuses are no fun. Especially in 2020, where every sniffle is...

  • Cortisone Steroid Injections: Can They Actually Make Things Worse?! Dec 14

    Cortisone Shots: The good, the bad and the ugly. Cortisone has been...

Office Hours
Mon - Fri: 8:30am - 5:30 pm
Saturday: 8:30am - 12:30 pm

262-345-4166

[email protected]

16620 W Bluemound Rd #405, Brookfield WI 53005

Click to open a larger map

Copyright 2021 © Ascent Sports & Wellness. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy