Glute Check

cafeaulait7

I ran across a great post on a variation of the Bird Dog that I'll have to try:

http://zachdechant.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/the-superdog/

I was 'prescribed' the normal Bird Dog when my back problem first came up, and I do still think the regular version is important for the back/core, especially for beginners. But this version looks really interesting to check your glute activation and to get them firing Check it out!

I haven't tried it yet because I'm in a neck brace for a few days, lol. Let me know if it's hard, surprising, etc. I can't wait to try it. I really can't do squats with any weight worth doing (knees), so I'm all about the best way to hit the glutes without them. I do do glute bridges, but more glutes is never a bad thing

sun_fish

Tagging to try this later today

cafeaulait7

I'm glad you liked it! I still haven't gotten to try them (still in a brace), but I'll get there in a day or so!

Here's the direct youtube link from the coach, so his spiel is more direct to get to:

http://youtu.be/6p0nizbm1SI


Don't any of y'all (except for karindiane ) do activation warm-ups? Or just activation routines to help with your lifts? They can really help, even if you aren't an athlete. In any case, this is supposed to also check for activation because of the positioning, so that's certainly interesting to test, imho. In other words, bump

Cherimoose

I activate the glutes just by standing and tightening the butt cheeks. The advantage is it's easier to practice throughout the day, which builds muscle tone better.

Activating the TVA muscle (under the 6 pack) is crucial for preventing back problems. This is a decent video on how to do it standing -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p8eXl1OGdM

I see some people do way too much core before lifting . Core warm-ups shouldn't be very challenging or fatiguing. The core needs to be fresh & ready to support lifting. If it's tired, it's not going to provide as good support.

FrnkLft

I activate the glutes just by standing and tightening the butt cheeks. The advantage is it's easier to practice throughout the day, which builds muscle tone better.

Activating the TVA muscle (under the 6 pack) is crucial for preventing back problems. This is a decent video on how to do it standing -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p8eXl1OGdM

I see some people do way too much core before lifting . Core warm-ups shouldn't be very challenging or fatiguing. The core needs to be fresh & ready to support lifting. If it's tired, it's not going to provide as good support.

No such thing as building muscle tone. Muscles are inherently toned all the time, and you don't grow them just by clinching them all day.

sun_fish

I'm glad you liked it! I still haven't gotten to try them (still in a brace), but I'll get there in a day or so!

Here's the direct youtube link from the coach, so his spiel is more direct to get to:

http://youtu.be/6p0nizbm1SI


Don't any of y'all (except for karindiane ) do activation warm-ups? Or just activation routines to help with your lifts? They can really help, even if you aren't an athlete. In any case, this is supposed to also check for activation because of the positioning, so that's certainly interesting to test, imho. In other words, bump

Tried these, and found them to be harder than I thought they would be! What I liked about them, is that it seemed easier to keep the pelvis level vs regular bird dogs or similar exercises. From working with a physical therapist, it is my understanding that keeping the pelvis level is important. I'll definitely be adding these to my program, thanks for the post. And yes, bump!

Cherimoose

I activate the glutes just by standing and tightening the butt cheeks. The advantage is it's easier to practice throughout the day, which builds muscle tone better.

Activating the TVA muscle (under the 6 pack) is crucial for preventing back problems. This is a decent video on how to do it standing -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p8eXl1OGdM

I see some people do way too much core before lifting . Core warm-ups shouldn't be very challenging or fatiguing. The core needs to be fresh & ready to support lifting. If it's tired, it's not going to provide as good support.

No such thing as building muscle tone. Muscles are inherently toned all the time, and you don't grow them just by clinching them all day.

The neutral tension (tone) in muscles can change. That's explained in most physiology textbooks. Contracting a muscle a lot can increase its residual tension, as anyone who's experienced tight muscles knows. The issue with glutes & TVA is that so many people sit too much, which stretches the glutes and relaxes the TVA. Chronically stretching & relaxing muscles reduces their ability to contract.

cafeaulait7

I'll check out the TVA one; thanks! I wouldn't do a lot of these before lifting, but I like that I can feel the muscle tension that I should be feeling when performing the oncoming lift.

I do glute bridges and really want to focus on the glutes in that one, whereas other muscles fatigue first for me in that and that bums me out. I hope by knowing better how to activate my glutes I'll use more glutes.

I do think I use my hamstrings a lot in most glute moves, and my hamstrings are disproportionately strong (my PT said this is an issue/imbalance with my hams), so I hope that I can get better and better at full glute activation. Or a complete isolation move would work, but I haven't found one where I can add weights to it (and it's hard to take out the hams, obviously). Let me know if y'all know of one!