Our Glutes are a super important area of the body. Not only do they look good in jeans, but they actually have many roles:
- Outwardly rotate the hip (external rotation)
- Move our legs to the outside (Abduction)
- Move our legs to the inside (Adduction)
- Move our leg backwards (Extension)
- Tilt our pelvis backwards (Posterior)
Unfortunately, not all Glutes are equal, mainly due to something called INHIBITION – they forget what do to and when to do it. This happens from underuse (think sitting), or continual compression (think sitting).
No one likes a sleeping ass – but a lot of us has one! This type of backside is crying out for help, and below are some warning signs so you know what to look for:
- Your low back hurts:
- Poor movement in the hips equals more movement in the low back. This can lead to the low back structures like the joints and discs to become overloade, and eventually become painfull
- Knee Pain:
- Inhibited glutes lead to poor femur control (the big thigh bone). The poor knee has less control of its movement and positioning, which may change loading and increase pain.
- Tight Hip Flexors (Psoas muscle):
- The Psoas muscle is the opposing muscle to the glutes, it sits on the other side of the hip and does most things the glutes do, just in reverse. When your glutes are inhibited, the hip flexors work even harder to stabilise the your low back, which may inhibit the glutes further – now you are in a viscous cycle of Glute amnesia.
Our Glutes are not just an important area of the body to look good in clothing – they are the linchpin to good low back, and lower body help. Let’s wake them up!
