How Gluteal Atrophy Effects Posture & Performance

[Joe Black]

How Gluteal Atrophy Effects Posture & Performance - by John Izzo

The importance of gluteal function is imperative to proper posture and human performance.

Optimal function from the glutes will enable you to perform optimally for sport and to get the most out of your hard work with the iron, aswell as helping reduce the risk of low back pain and other associated injuries.

We take you through the function of the glutes, common causes of gluteal atrophy and how you can avoid it!

Thanks to John for contributing this article.

[Clifford Gillmore]

Fantastic article! Very nice to have some articles that I can pass along to people who generally don't train, but want to fix something wrong with their posture

[Sensei]

Good article!

A phrase that Gray Cook and Brett Jones use is "The hip is a bad neighbor.", which basically means that if hip flexion and extension is compromised because of weak/inactive primary movers, injury, inflexibility, etc., then the stress will be passed to neighboring areas that are less equipped to deal with it (like the lumbar...).

[tnathletics2b]

People complain all the time to me that they don't have a butt...Now I can pass this article along to them so that maybe they will start exercising!

[standAPART]

Thanks!! Work on those glutes and most problems get resolved.

[georgiep]

Excellent article! ...

[standAPART]

Thanks bro.

[Andre518]

Nice article, would these help out at all for those who already train. I know for myself my squat is a not my best lift could this in anyway help out in this area? Thanks again for the article I know some people that may get some real help from it.

[standAPART]

Nice article, would these help out at all for those who already train. I know for myself my squat is a not my best lift could this in anyway help out in this area? Thanks again for the article I know some people that may get some real help from it.

Why would you say your squat isn't your best lift? is it strength? is it form? is it fatigue?

[Andre518]

I feel its a combo of strength and form. I have been working hard on getting my form and it has improved but I feel its my worst lift. I weigh 258lbs but only squat 425lbs I can Dead Lift 500lbs. So anything that will help bring my squats up I will give a try, that's why I asked the routine in this article would help.

[standAPART]

I feel its a combo of strength and form. I have been working hard on getting my form and it has improved but I feel its my worst lift. I weigh 258lbs but only squat 425lbs I can Dead Lift 500lbs. So anything that will help bring my squats up I will give a try, that's why I asked the routine in this article would help.

Judging by the weights you are using, you are pretty advanced in your training. I suggest spend 1-2 workouts a week with some single leg work. Work on pistols and try to get as low as possible without compromising the lower back. The glutes "have to" fire during a pistol (especially if you do them right and sty on the heels) and go low. Keep the arms out stretched in frfont of you as a cantilever. They shoudl help.

[Andre518]

Thanks for the tips. Right now Im doing 5/3/1 program should I use the 1 leg squats as my assist work?

[standAPART]

Thanks for the tips. Right now Im doing 5/3/1 program should I use the 1 leg squats as my assist work?

At this point in your training...yes. Try the pistols BEFORE your squat. Try just bodyweight pistols (no weight). Then follow that up with your squats. If you feel you get too fatigued, put them at the end. Th epoint of putting them in the begining of your compound squat is to activate the glutes prior to loading the lower body.

[Andre518]

Awesome I will give this a try on Friday when I squat.

[StartingAt33]

I'm going to start trying some of those exercises. I just started weightlifting and found doing proper form a challenge. I spend way too much time on the internet and because of it my posture has suffered. Before I get into a serious SS routine, I am going to focus on working my glutes, my posture, and form. After I get into that habit, I will start lifting heavy.

I think you saved me a life of unnecessary back pain. Thankyou!

[Joe Black]

Hey, I'm exactly the same. I'm in front of a computer most of the day and some of the evening, more so in the last few months and I definately noticed more niggles and tightness.

Now that I am stretching daily, taking more breaks and going for short walks etc I feel so much better!

[LuNa]

Really good read. I have the sway back posture which gave me a lot of lower back pain when i was younger. I have been focussing on my squats and trying to work my glutes. I do stretches everyday now with my girlfriend (she likes yoga) and it has helped with my squat form enormously. Hope my posterior will improve over time aswell.

[standAPART]

Hey guys,
We don't really train the posterior as much, simply because we don't SEE it! ALot of young lifters get in the habit of working on the "front" mirror muscles and we tend to forget the back muscles--one of them being the GLUTES. The office chair is the biggest muscle atrophy device ever invented.

[JASONT]

I HAVE this problem in a serious way due to 15 yrs as a truck driver my spine is now permanently curved one other tip never sit with a wallet in your back pocket because it makes you hips uneven

[tyciol]

One confusing thing for me is I want to work the posterior chain to activate glutes, but when I do a back extension I wonder how to make us do more work with glutes and less with hamstrings.

Like part of me thinks 'perhaps I should anchor my weight above the knee, on the back of the thigh instead of the ankle'. But then the other thinks that if the hamstring is being used as a knee flexor, it will be too weak to also be used as a hip extensor so the strength will need to come from someplace else, in this case the glutes... which is correct?

[Runty]

If you have a access to a setup or machine that can anchor then knee, it will definitely force the glutes to work harder. In some cases glutes can become completely inactive in which case just doing work on a flat surface while laying prone may be best. I know before I started to do activation work I couldn't even get my glutes to fire by themselves for a while. When you're doing the back extensions, really push the hips through at the top and squeeze/hold the glutes for a second to build a solid mind-muscle connection.