A fortnight ago, I addressed the topic of weak and underactive gluteal muscles.
Activating this group of muscles matters because strong glutes align your pelvis, support an upright stance, prevent joint strain and optimise movement.
Glute activation refers to the process of engaging the glute muscles so they fire correctly during movement.
Activation is primarily a neuromuscular process, emphasising the mind-muscle connection to ensure the glutes contribute fully during exercises like squats, deadlifts or running.
Basically, without activation, your backside muscles get lazy and rely on other muscles and joint structures to compensate, creating a muscle imbalance.
This also means that the muscles don’t get the fullest benefit from the workout you’re doing.
Proper engagement stops surrounding muscles from overcompensating and wearing down, or resulting in potential injury.
If you’ve ever taken ballet classes, you will definitely know – and will never forget – how to activate your glute muscles.
As one of my local ballet teachers would holler: “Girls, please squeeze the juice out of your watermelon ... I don’t want to see any tau fu fah!”
And she would proceed to check by poking our derrieres with her index finger while we stood in first position at the barre.
Maintaining turnout (rotating the legs outward from the hip) for long periods requires continuous engagement of the gluteal and hip muscles for stability and control.
These muscles are essential for executing movements such as pliés, jumps and pirouettes, providing the necessary power and stability.
Hence, ballet dancers, especially males, often have noticeably developed or disproportionately large gluteal muscles, compared to other athletes or the general population.
This is not due to any abnormality, but rather a result of the physical demands and training inherent to ballet.
Ironically, the intense nature of ballet practice can eventually lead to weak and underdeveloped glutes, resulting in tightness, which many dancers suffer from.
Anyway, to activate your glute muscles, consider incorporating some of the exercises in the gallery below into your routine.
You should feel the effort in your buttocks rather than in your lower back or hamstrings.
Begin with the simplest exercise, which is to stand up and squeeze the butt cheeks as shown in the first picture.
Don’t squeeze them overly hard (firm is enough) as this may lead to excessive arching of the lower back.
But always keep your abdominal muscles reasonably engaged so that you can still breathe comfortably.
Revathi Murugappan is a certified fitness trainer who tries to battle gravity and continues to dance to express herself artistically and nourish her soul. For more information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
1. Butt squeeze: Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart and clench your butt cheeks together to awaken those dormant muscles that tend to sleep while you’re sitting for extended periods. Hold for 10 seconds while breathing normally. Relax and release the muscle. Repeat 10 times. Squeezing pumps fresh blood and oxygen into tight hip areas.
2. Gentle standing kickback: Stand tall on a step and hold onto something for balance. Keep the supporting leg straight or with a very soft bend in the knee, and brace your core muscles. Lift the other leg straight back behind you just a few inches. Squeeze your butt muscle at the top for two seconds before lowering your foot back down slowly. Aim for 10 repetitions, then switch sides. — REVATHI MURUGAPPAN/The Star
3. Glute bridge with a ball: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat and hold a small ball between your knees. Lift your hips into a straight line while squeezing the ball, but without arching your lower back. Slowly return to the starting position. You can also do this without a ball, but using the ball increases gluteal activation.
4. Bottom squat squeeze: Your glutes face the most stretch and tension at the bottom of a squat so once you reach this position, squeeze them (not too hard) and drive through your heels as you slowly find your way back to standing. Once you’re standing straight, relax the butt and keep a normal, neutral position. Squeezing your glutes at the very top of a squat is unnecessary and can hurt your lower back if you overdo it.
5. Bird dog: Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Tighten your core and slowly reach one arm forward while extending the opposite leg straight back. Hold for a few seconds, keeping your hips and back straight before switching sides.
6. Donkey kicks: Get on all fours with wrists below your shoulders and knees below your hips. Lift one leg with your knee bent, and move the heel to the ceiling, before bringing it back down. If you want to reduce the intensity of donkey kicks, reduce the distance that you move your leg toward the ceiling. To intensify the exercise, move your leg closer to the ceiling, place a resistance band around your knees or use ankle weights as shown in this picture.
