I'm suspicious of this "Glute activation" fad
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ijsantos2005 wrote: »I feel like this tread is mixing up glute strength and glute activation (the process of “waking up the glutes” prior to lifting).
Yes, building glute strength is good
No, you don’t need to wake up your butt.
"Waking up your butt" actually is a thing that some people recommend for distance runners since it's so easy for the body to compensate for the glutes with other muscles when running at non-sprint speeds. Basically, it's entirely possible to run without engaging the glutes.
Glute activation can help you to become a better runner (speed) and to run more miles without injury (volume), but most recreational runners neither run enough miles for it to matter, nor chase a performance bar that would require a focus on absolutely perfect form.7 -
ijsantos2005 wrote: »I feel like this tread is mixing up glute strength and glute activation (the process of “waking up the glutes” prior to lifting).
Yes, building glute strength is good
No, you don’t need to wake up your butt.
I definitely find it helps. I have done it with and without, and going into my hip thrusts they go up like butter and get less fatigued when my glutes are warmed up and activated. To each their own I guess.15 -
ijsantos2005 wrote: »I feel like this tread is mixing up glute strength and glute activation (the process of “waking up the glutes” prior to lifting).
Yes, building glute strength is good
No, you don’t need to wake up your butt.
i also think its mixing up Glute Firing . When i hear "glute activation" i think of conscious glute firing or engagement that happens immediately before and during the lift. Its that term "Squeeze your glutes" .
and i do think you need to wake up your butt and your whole body before your workout, i think thats more commonly called warming up.9 -
ijsantos2005 wrote: »I feel like this tread is mixing up glute strength and glute activation (the process of “waking up the glutes” prior to lifting).
Yes, building glute strength is good
No, you don’t need to wake up your butt.
I definitely find it helps. I have done it with and without, and going into my hip thrusts they go up like butter and get less fatigued when my glutes are warmed up and activated. To each their own I guess.
I’m curious. Maybe you can elaborate on what you do to activate your glutes.4 -
ijsantos2005 wrote: »I feel like this tread is mixing up glute strength and glute activation (the process of “waking up the glutes” prior to lifting).
Yes, building glute strength is good
No, you don’t need to wake up your butt.
"Waking up your butt" actually is a thing that some people recommend for distance runners since it's so easy for the body to compensate for the glutes with other muscles when running at non-sprint speeds. Basically, it's entirely possible to run without engaging the glutes.
Glute activation can help you to become a better runner (speed) and to run more miles without injury (volume), but most recreational runners neither run enough miles for it to matter, nor chase a performance bar that would require a focus on absolutely perfect form.
Hmm weird. I didn’t know that. How does that even work?5 -
I think this is actually called “warming up” and it’s not new lol. Although I have noticed on Instagram a bunch of “Instagram fitness stars” post all these videos of themselves working on their butts. Which I think is kinda funny.7
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ijsantos2005 wrote: »ijsantos2005 wrote: »I feel like this tread is mixing up glute strength and glute activation (the process of “waking up the glutes” prior to lifting).
Yes, building glute strength is good
No, you don’t need to wake up your butt.
I definitely find it helps. I have done it with and without, and going into my hip thrusts they go up like butter and get less fatigued when my glutes are warmed up and activated. To each their own I guess.
I’m curious. Maybe you can elaborate on what you do to activate your glutes.
Before I start my workout, I am actually aiming for a bit of a pump before I start so I include various moves in my warm-up where I squeeze the glutes and make sure to feel them with each rep (it's almost to remind me, oh yea that's what I need to do/feel). Usually consists of a combination of bodyweight/banded glute bridges, donkey kicks, band squats, lateral band walks, standing hip abductions, band hip hinge abductions. I do many one round of each, keep the resistance minimal, again just aiming to feel the glutes and aim a bit of a pump.
I also try to do glute activation exercises daily, either at night or while I'm cooking I will do standing hip abductions, standing posterior pelvic tilt thrusts, "bodyweight" deadlifts (I really love this one, you add mental resistance and push down as hard as you can)
What I love is how I can do super heavy hip thrusts YET I can still feel my glutes burning with the bodyweight ones because of how I can control my glutes.8 -
ijsantos2005 wrote: »ijsantos2005 wrote: »I feel like this tread is mixing up glute strength and glute activation (the process of “waking up the glutes” prior to lifting).
Yes, building glute strength is good
No, you don’t need to wake up your butt.
"Waking up your butt" actually is a thing that some people recommend for distance runners since it's so easy for the body to compensate for the glutes with other muscles when running at non-sprint speeds. Basically, it's entirely possible to run without engaging the glutes.
Glute activation can help you to become a better runner (speed) and to run more miles without injury (volume), but most recreational runners neither run enough miles for it to matter, nor chase a performance bar that would require a focus on absolutely perfect form.
Hmm weird. I didn’t know that. How does that even work?
Not really that weird - people been doing it for ages.
By using your hamstring mainly instead of your glutes. It's already engaged anyway, just using it more.
Again - I'm not sure why so many of the comments expressing disbelief think it's a matter of all or none.
This is a matter of barely using them when some workout/effort/run could/should be easily using them, and for good form/proper engagement should be mainly using them.
It's exactly the same reason why some people run and overstride landing heavily on the heel.
That's the way they started doing, that's the way they've done it, and unless they realize that ain't best and focus and change something - that's the way they will keep doing it.
You can run and have minimal engagement by glutes, just wears out the hammies more. Now, perhaps when some have gotten to that point the glutes finally are called upon to assist, or the person's form just breaks down more.
Had the end of a triathlon with very hilly ride where I did such a great job focusing on using glutes for the hills to not wear out the quads, that near the end of the run the glutes had it and I could focus on using the hamstrings. Which frankly didn't take long to lose it either at that point.10 -
Cherimoose wrote: »It's certainly overstated.. like the need for exercises for your "core" (which has incorrectly become a synonym for "abs").
I don't know if I'd necessarily equate glute activation to the need for a strong core. The core IMO truly is the foundation for all movement and the stronger it is, the better for performance and injury prevention in all situations. One simply can't work around a weak core.
If someone has a weak core, the rest of them is probably weak too and needs strengthening. On a good full-body program based on compound lifts, the need for direct ab/core exercises is minimal for most people.ijsantos2005 wrote: »No, you don’t need to wake up your butt.
I tell myself this every morning.7 -
ijsantos2005 wrote: »
Hmm weird. I didn’t know that. How does that even work?
From what I gather based solely on internet knowledge, unlike a sprint or something where your body will naturally engage the most powerful muscles for the purpose (the glutes in this case), in distance running many people use their quads, hamstrings, or other leg muscles to initiate motion instead of the glutes because the body isn't calling for explosive power.
In essence, instead of engaging the glutes to drive the rear leg, create a stable launching platform, and thus propel everything else forward, distance runners with poor glute activation will use other leg muscles to 'pull' the forward leg instead.
Dynamically, in extreme terms it's like the difference between walking on tiptoes and doing single leg bounding leaps. One focuses on the forward pull while the other focuses on the rearward push.3 -
ijsantos2005 wrote: »
Hmm weird. I didn’t know that. How does that even work?
In essence, instead of engaging the glutes to drive the rear leg, create a stable launching platform, and thus propel everything else forward, distance runners with poor glute activation will use other leg muscles to 'pull' the forward leg instead.
Dynamically, in extreme terms it's like the difference between walking on tiptoes and doing single leg bounding leaps. One focuses on the forward pull while the other focuses on the rearward push.
I've suffered from this issue for several years. The symptoms (calf or hamstring cramping, etc.) only show up during longer efforts, such as during the run split of a half iron distance triathlon. My physical therapist believes that the problem is triggered by the hip flexors being engaged so heavily during the bike split (roughly 3 hrs) that when I jump off the bike to run, the hip flexors remain engaged and my brain is not sending the signal to the glutes to engage for running. The result is that the other muscles pick up the slack and get over worked in the process.
She demonstrated the symptoms of "pulling the leg forward" rather than using the glutes to drive the rear leg. While lying on my back with my feet flat on the table and knees raised, she asked me to do a single leg bridge using my right leg. Instead of lifting the body by engaging the glute, I was curling my toes first as if to grab the surface of the table and pull my body forward to get the lifting job done. It has taken many months and daily "hip extension followed by glute activation" work to bring this under control.
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It's very similar to back/lat activation...done to help other bodyparts from taking over for a movement (ex) lat pulldown - not using biceps/forearms). Apparently not engaging the quads & hamstrings as much is important for some womens' goals...taking a page out of a bodybuilder's book on how to alter one's physique
This trend definitely seemed to coincide with the introduction of the bikini division in the IFBB.4 -
Interestingly, I focused on engaging my glutes while walking into work this morning. I upped my walking pace by focusing on driving my rearward leg back and through instead of focusing on trying to step further/faster with my forward leg.
The difference in power and stability for a given effort level was actually quite noticeable. Maybe I'll start playing with it during my runs.2 -
Interestingly, I focused on engaging my glutes while walking into work this morning. I upped my walking pace by focusing on driving my rearward leg back and through instead of focusing on trying to step further/faster with my forward leg.
The difference in power and stability for a given effort level was actually quite noticeable. Maybe I'll start playing with it during my runs.
Yeah. I started focusing on my glutes on walks last summer, trying to feel them working with each step. Without trying for it, this automagically shortened my stride, and increased my speed (per Garmin, over a 4 mile or so walk, from 3.8-3.9mph to around 4.1mph).3 -
You don't need to feel muscles to know they're working.
YES YOU DO!!
It's called the mind-muscle connection in the fitness world and it is CRUCIAL to ensuring you're using proper form that is safe and that actually works the muscles you're trying to build.
If you're really looking to build your glutes, do you need a gym? Almost certainly. You need to be able to add weight, and buying one set of dumbbells isn't the answer because you need to add more and more weight as you get stronger.
Do you need fancy accessories and glute-specific products? No.
I do like the resistance bands made to go around the thighs because they can be used to add resistance against your gluteus medius during exercises that otherwise target only the gluteus maximus, giving you more bang for your buck. But that's not "activation," that's actually engaging a whole new muscle group.7 -
Interestingly, I focused on engaging my glutes while walking into work this morning. I upped my walking pace by focusing on driving my rearward leg back and through instead of focusing on trying to step further/faster with my forward leg.
The difference in power and stability for a given effort level was actually quite noticeable. Maybe I'll start playing with it during my runs.
Focusing on using my glutes while walking and especially going up stairs has made a huge difference in reducing knee pain for me.5 -
It might currently be a fad, but it's not a useless or misinformed one. A lot of people compensate for weak or lazy glutes by using other muscles (like hamstrings) to do the glutes job, making the workout less efficient and also increasing the risk of injury and further muscle imbalance. I have lazy glutes, and I'm working on correcting that to improve my running and to make sure I don't lose my a** as I lose weight.5
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I don't know. I do know that conscientiously working on them helped me with running just as concentrating on engaging my lats while doing certain lifts helped with back pain.
I used to have terribly tight hip flexors and it caused a lot of pain. Once I started incorporating glute focused work and becoming conscientious of engaging them, the pain disappeared.3 -
This thread has been so helpful. I've really been paying attention to the way I walk and I wasn't using my glutes at all.
I'm going to incorporate some glute exercises from here on out.1
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