Low Back Pain? It’s Probably Your Glutes.
These warm-up exercises will help!
They are the strongest muscles in our body, but one of the most
overlooked. The glutes consist of three major muscle groups:
the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus. We
need them for standing up from a sitting position, walking ,
bending forward, moving our leg up toward the torso, and
squatting .
Here’s the problem: our glutes stop working when we sit,
restricting blood flow and weakening the muscle. Even if you
work out every day, if you spend the rest of the day
sitting, you’re contributing to weak glutes.
After sitting all day, many people are unable to properly use
their glutes when they get to the gym, relying too much on their
quads or lower back muscles.
If you’ve been struggling with low back or knee pain ,
the cause is probably weak glutes. To make sure your glutes
are fired up and ready for the workout — especially if
you’re coming to the gym after sitting all day at work —
here’s how to activate them before you work out .
1. Donkey kick
Start on all fours, making sure your hands are directly
below your shoulders and your knees are below your
hips.
Lift one leg behind you, keeping your knee bent, until
your leg is in line with your body and the bottom of
your flexed foot is parallel to the ceiling.
Repeat 15 times with one leg before switching sides and
complete another 15 repetitions.
Remember not to arch your back, and focus on your
glutes doing all the work!
2. Single-leg glute bridge
Lie on your back with your hands by your sides, legs
bent, with your feet flat on the floor.
Lift one leg off the floor, then squeeze your glutes
and slowly raise your hips off the floor. Your upper
back stays on the floor while you lift your hips and
keep one leg straight.
Complete 15 reps on one leg before switching legs and
completing 15 reps on the other side.
3. Clamshells
Lie on your side with your knees slightly bent, knees
and hips resting on top of each other. Rest your head
on your arm or prop up your head on your hand.
While you keep your feet together, raise the knee on
top, opening your hips. When you can’t lift your knee
further, slowly lower it and bring your knees together.
Repeat for 15 repetitions on one side before switching sides
A collaboration with Uplaunch and P6 CrossFit