No post on glutes is complete without a photo of a sprinters backside
People often look shocked and question my motives when i tell them that i spend more of my time trying to turn my clients glutes on than anything else…
Without going into a long winded essay about how the gluteal muscles become inhibited over time from inactivity or improper firing patters, lets just say this. Most peoples butts don’t work as well as they should! And if your butt doesn’t work chances are your lower back will pick up the slack, you won’t be very strong in any lower body exercise and you just might have sore knees
( I remember when i first walked into the olympic lifting gym with Australia Coach Luke Burrigene, the first thing i noticed was the legs and glutes on these athletes! Phwoar! Power! )
So yeah, its imperative you have strong glutes
So here’s two quick tests you can do to see if your glute max work’s properly.
First off. Do a simple old two legged hip extension. Do about 15 – 30 reps of a smooth tempo. Preferably about 30. Can you feel your glutes? Are they burning? Or can you feel your lower back? If you cant feel your glutes after 30 reps or your lower back or even your quads are burning, you need glute training as they are not working. This should be primarily a glute exercise and for the sake of this test you should be able to get your buns smoking like a goodyear.
This second test is more challenging and will give you a better indication of your real strength levels in the posterior.
The second test requires a ball. A tennis or cricket ball is perfect. Gray Cook teaches this test when assessing ass function.
Get into the same position as the previous test described above.
Hold the ball at the bottom of your left rib cage, and pull your left knee to your chest to hold the ball in position.
Place your hands out to the side so your left thigh holds the ball against your torso.
Pull your toes off the ground to take the quads out of it as much as possible
Now try a single leg hip raise, powered entirely by your right glute. (If this causes pain, stop immediately).
Do as many reps as you can. How many did you do? A good 10 and above is a goal for a functional strong glute
How high can you push the glute up in the air? Some people cant even get a few inches off the ground. If you struggle with this, you need some glute training.
Why focus on the glutes? Like i said if you have back pain, sore joints below the hip, are weak in the legs, have noticeably absent booty – you should probably make glute training a priority ( after some quality movement assessment and strength testing by a qualified professional of course )
This is a very basic test. There are plenty of other ways to assess the different glutes but this is something you can just hit the floor and try. Simple
For more glute articles check these out
http://www.strongandleanaustralia.com/blog/collapsing-knees
http://www.strongandleanaustralia.com/blog/lateral-shift-in-squat
If you want help with your glute training let me know
See you in the gym
Brad
Personal Training
Bondi Junction
References
http://www.outbackfitness.com/2012/06/14/a-must-do-exercise-for-every-workout/
