Trouble Keeping Glutes on with Squats? YOU NEED THESE EXERCISES!

Summary

The video script addresses the common issue of difficulty in maintaining glute activation during squats. It offers a detailed routine with exercises aimed at stabilizing the pelvic structure, controlling pelvic tilt, and enhancing the function of the opposing muscle group, the hip flexors. The script emphasizes the importance of proper frequency in performing these exercises to reprogram movement patterns effectively. It introduces specific exercises such as pelvic floor activation, anterior and posterior pelvic tilts, segmental hip bridge, and sea stamps to facilitate glute activation. The video also references studies supporting the effectiveness of such routines in increasing gluteus maximus recruitment during weight-bearing exercises.

Takeaways

• 🏋️‍♂️ The importance of glute activation during squats is emphasized to prevent low back pain and improve overall posture.
• 🔒 To effectively activate glutes, one must first establish a stable pelvic structure, beginning with pelvic floor activation.
• 💪 Maintaining proper control and activation of the pelvis during anterior and posterior pelvic tilt is crucial for glute activation during squats.
• 🧘‍♂️ Practicing pelvic tilts can be done standing or in a four-point position to enhance the awareness and control of the pelvic muscles.
• 🌟 The segmental hip bridge exercise is introduced as a method to facilitate glute activation without overusing hamstrings or lumbar muscles.
• 📈 A study is referenced that supports the effectiveness of posterior pelvic tilt in increasing gluteus maximus activity during bridge exercises.
• 🦵 The SEA (Single Leg Assisted) stamp exercise is designed to activate the glutes and hip flexors in a controlled manner.
• 🔄 Open and closed chain movements are discussed, with open chain movements being beneficial for activation and closed chain for functional application.
• 🏆 The routine concludes with testing squats to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercises and the ability to maintain glute activation throughout the movement.
• 📆 The importance of frequency in performing the glute activation routine is highlighted, suggesting up to three times a day for a week to establish the pattern.
• 💡 A holistic and comprehensive approach is encouraged to address the complexity of the body, avoiding the search for a single magic solution.

Q & A

What is the main issue addressed in the video?

The main issue addressed in the video is the difficulty people face in maintaining glute activation during squats.

What is the first step in activating the glutes for squatting?

The first step is to establish a stable structure for the glutes to function from, which is the pelvic floor activation.

How can one activate the pelvic floor muscles?

One can activate the pelvic floor muscles by pretending to urinate or stop the urine midstream, which will engage the pelvic floor muscles.

Why is controlling the pelvis important during squatting?

Controlling the pelvis is important during squatting to maintain good posture and prevent losing glute activation, which is essential for proper squat technique and preventing injuries.

What is the role of the opposing muscle group in glute activation during squatting?

The opposing muscle group, specifically the hip flexors, play a crucial role in maintaining a stable structure for glute activation during squatting by working well through the full range of motion.

What is the 'segmental hip bridge' exercise and how does it help glute activation?

The 'segmental hip bridge' is an exercise that helps facilitate glute activation by performing a hip bridge movement with posterior pelvic tilt, which engages the gluteus maximus more and the multifidus muscle less.

How often should the routine be performed to see improvements in glute activation during squats?

The routine should be performed frequently, up to three times a day, for at least a week to reprogram movement and activation patterns effectively.

What does the video suggest for maintaining glute activation throughout the full range of a squat?

The video suggests practicing the provided exercises and routine consistently, focusing on pelvic floor activation, pelvic tilt control, and proper muscle engagement to maintain glute activation throughout the full range of a squat.

What is the significance of the study mentioned in the video regarding gluteus maximus recruitment?

The study highlights that activation training with gluteus maximus activation programs can significantly increase glute muscle recruitment during weight-bearing exercises, leading to improved squat performance and potentially reduced risk of injury.

How does the video address the common misconception about glute activation during squats?

The video addresses the common misconception by explaining that simply trying to squeeze the glutes harder is not effective. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of proper technique, muscle activation, and pelvic control for successful glute engagement during squats.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♀️ Glute Activation and Squatting Issues

The paragraph discusses a common problem of individuals struggling to maintain glute activation during squats. It introduces the video's purpose, which is to provide exercises and routines to address this issue. The importance of a stable pelvic structure for glute activation is emphasized, and the video aims to improve the individual's ability to maintain glute activation throughout the squatting movement, regardless of the type of squat performed.

05:00

🧘‍♀️ Enhancing Pelvic Control and Posture

This section focuses on enhancing pelvic control and maintaining good posture during squats. It explains that proper control of the pelvis is essential for maintaining muscular activation and glute activation, especially during anterior and posterior pelvic tilt movements. The paragraph also discusses the influence of the opposing muscle group, the hip flexors, on glute activation and the importance of training these muscles for stable structure during squatting.

10:02

🍑 Segmental Hip Bridge for Glute Activation

The paragraph introduces the 'segmental hip bridge' exercise, which aims to facilitate glute activation during the hip bridge movement. It references a study that supports the effectiveness of this exercise in increasing gluteus maximus activity. The paragraph provides a detailed explanation of how to perform the exercise, emphasizing the importance of posterior pelvic tilt and the gradual lifting of the spine to engage the glutes effectively.

15:03

🦵 Single Leg Stabilization and Hip Activation

This part of the script introduces the 'sea stamp' exercise, designed to activate the glutes and iliacus and soas muscles for stable hips and pelvis during the full range of motion. The exercise involves an open chain movement, starting with the glutes on and then transitioning to a closed chain movement for more functional activities. The paragraph provides instructions on how to perform the exercise and highlights its role in facilitating the necessary muscle activation for effective squatting.

💪 Implementing the Learned Techniques

The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of implementing the learned techniques into practice. It advises testing the squat before starting the routine and then retesting after completing the exercises to measure improvement in glute activation. The paragraph also stresses the need for frequent performance of the routine, at least once a day for a week, to retrain the movement pattern and achieve the goal of maintaining glute activation throughout the squat.

Keywords

💡Glute Activation

Glute Activation refers to the process of engaging and utilizing the gluteal muscles during physical activities, particularly squats. In the context of the video, it is a crucial aspect for maintaining proper form and preventing lower back pain. The video provides exercises and routines to improve glute activation, ensuring that the glutes stay active throughout the squatting movement.

💡Pelvic Floor

The Pelvic Floor is a group of muscles that support the pelvic organs and play a vital role in maintaining core stability. In the video, strengthening the pelvic floor is emphasized as a foundational step for glute activation. The exercises demonstrate how to engage these muscles, which is essential for maintaining proper posture and alignment during squats.

💡Anterior and Posterior Pelvic Tilt

Anterior and Posterior Pelvic Tilt are movements that control the position of the pelvis, which are critical for glute activation and maintaining proper squat form. Anterior pelvic tilt involves sticking the buttocks out, while posterior pelvic tilt is the action of tucking the tail between the legs. These movements are used in the video to train pelvic control, which is necessary for effective glute engagement during squats.

💡Hip Flexors

Hip Flexors are muscles that facilitate hip flexion, including the iliacus and the psoas. They play a significant role in squatting movements and need to work effectively to maintain a stable structure. The video highlights the importance of these muscles in maintaining glute activation and provides exercises to train their function during squats.

💡Segmental Hip Bridge

The Segmental Hip Bridge is an exercise designed to facilitate glute activation during the hip bridge movement, which is a variation of the traditional bridge exercise. This exercise helps to avoid overuse of hamstrings or lower back muscles and is used in the video to improve glute activation and restore motion through the pelvis and lumbar spine.

💡SEA Stamp

The SEA Stamp is a unique exercise introduced in the video to activate the gluteus medius (GMax) and the iliacus (IL), which are essential for stable hips and pelvis during the full range of motion. The exercise involves lifting the leg, engaging the glutes, and then 'stamping' down while maintaining glute activation. This open chain movement is used to improve muscle activation before transitioning to closed chain movements like squats.

💡Squat Form

Squat Form refers to the correct posture and alignment required when performing a squat. Proper squat form is crucial for preventing injury and ensuring that the intended muscles, such as the glutes, are effectively engaged. The video script emphasizes the importance of maintaining glute activation and pelvic control throughout the squat to achieve the correct form and maximize the benefits of the exercise.

💡Isometric Contraction

Isometric Contraction is a type of muscle contraction where the muscle generates force without changing its length, resulting in no movement of the joint. In the context of the video, isometric exercises are used to train the muscles, including the glutes, to maintain activation in a static position, which helps in reprogramming movement patterns for better squat form.

💡Movement Reprogramming

Movement Reprogramming refers to the process of retraining the body's movement patterns to improve muscle activation, coordination, and overall performance. In the video, this concept is applied to help individuals learn to effectively engage their glutes during squats by practicing specific exercises and routines that retrain the muscles to activate in the desired manner.

💡Glute Maximus (GMax)

The Glute Maximus, or GMax, is the largest muscle in the buttocks and plays a significant role in hip extension and abduction. In the video, the activation of the GMax is a primary focus, as it is essential for achieving proper squat form and maintaining a stable pelvis. The exercises and routines provided aim to increase GMax recruitment and activation during weight-bearing exercises like squats.

Highlights

The video addresses a common issue of difficulty in maintaining glute activation during squats.

A stable pelvic structure is essential for glute activation and maintenance during squats.

Activating the pelvic floor is the first step in establishing a stable foundation for glute activation.

Control and proper activation of the pelvis are crucial for maintaining good posture during squats.

The influence of the opposing muscle group, hip flexors, is often overlooked in maintaining glute activation.

The segmental hip bridge exercise helps facilitate glute activation and restore motion in the pelvis and lumbar spine.

Research supports the effectiveness of posterior pelvic tilt in increasing gluteus maximus activity during bridge exercises.

The SEA stamp exercise is introduced as a unique method to activate the glutes and hip flexors.

Open chain movements like the SEA stamp are superior for activation before transitioning to closed chain movements.

Performing the activation routine frequently is key to reprogramming movement and activation patterns.

A one-week activation program, performed twice a day, can significantly increase glute max activation during squats.

The video outlines a routine consisting of pelvic floor activation, pelvic tilting, segmental hip bridge, and SEA stamps to improve glute activation during squats.

Testing your squat before and after the routine can show immediate improvements in glute activation.

The importance of not just focusing on effort, but also on proper technique, is emphasized for achieving desired results.

The holistic approach to training is recommended for overall movement improvement and pain-free activity.

Frequent performance of the routine is advised for at least a week to achieve the goal of maintaining glute activation throughout the full range of squat.

Transcripts

do you have trouble keeping your glutes

on when you squat we recently received a

comment on one of our low back pain

videos where the individual said how do

you activate your glutes and then squat

I feel like as soon as I do this I lose

glute Activation so I must be doing it

wrong this is a common issue and one

that we're going to fix with the

exercises and routine in this

[Music]

video coach e for precision movement

here and today I'm going to help you if

you've got this common problem of being

unable to maintain activation through

your glutes when you're doing a squat

whether that's a body weight squat like

this or if you're doing loaded squats

with the barbell on your back dumbbells

holding here or at your sides whatever

type of squat you're doing if you have

trouble keeping your glutes on when you

do it this is going to really really

help you out we're going to dive into it

and I'm just going to give you a quick

outline of the different things that

we're going to go through to get your

glutes working properly when you're

squatting first is we need a stable

structure from which to get the glutes

activated on and to keep them on and

what what is that stable structure

that's your pelvis so we're going to get

the pelvic floor activated and on next

one area where people lose it is when

they're squatting and trying to maintain

good posture when you're squat not just

rounding down but maintaining good

strong stable healthy neutral posture

you need control of your pelvis and if

you don't have good control of the

pelvis and your your ability to maintain

muscular activation during the pelvic

movements then when you go in Squat and

try to maintain good posture you're

going to lose that glute Activation so

control and proper activation when

you're going through anterior and

posterior pelvic tilt next another

forgotten Factor when it comes to the

ability to maintain good glute

activation when you're squatting is the

influence of the opposing muscle Group

which are the hip flexors the single

joint hip flexors the iliacus and the

soas if these muscles aren't working

well through the full range of motion of

squatting this is closed chain hip

flexion this is open chain hip flexion

in both you need the hip flexors working

during those movements to have a stable

structure so we're going to train that

and finally you have to do the routine

at the proper frequency to make the

changes stick because what we're doing

is we're reprogramming movement and

activation patterns to do that we've got

to hit it with enough frequency to over

ride your default patterns and I'm going

to go through some research that aligns

with our common recommendations so if

you're ready to move let's go the first

thing we're going to do is establish

that foundation for stability for the

glutes to function which is the pelvic

floor not much to see here all you're

doing is pretend you're peeing or if you

really want to want to do it you can pee

and you'll get the the full effect but

pretend you're peeing and then pretend

that you're stopping the pee Midstream

and what you should feel is is in the

pelvic area and the bladder area in the

genitalia area you should feel the

tightening and those are the pelvic

floor muscles all we want to do is stop

the P Midstream hold it 5 to 10 seconds

and then release it what I like to do is

gradually increase activation and

gradually release the contraction so

stop the PE and gradually increase the

activation as high as you can hold it

for 5 to 10 seconds keep keep breathing

naturally maintain a good neutral tall

relaxed posture and then gradually Let

It Go and you do that for five

repetitions and you should get that

feeling a lot of people don't have that

kinesthetic awareness to these muscles

so you want to really focus and get that

feeling of what it feels like to have

the pelvic floor muscles on and the next

exercise helps you to establish that

pelvic control of pelvic tilt so the

movements are we've got anterior pelvic

tilt which is like sticking your butt

out and then we've got posterior pelvic

tilt which is like if you had a tail

you're tucking your tail between your

legs so what you can try is just

standing you could try cycling between

the two now a couple of things to note

when you're doing

this a when you do posterior pelvic tilt

or tucking the tail between your legs

try not to let the knees pop out and not

to let your weight roll over to the

outsides of your feet try to keep your

feet balanced the weight over your feet

balanced and your knees in good

alignment so you're going anterior

pelvic tilt posterior pelvic tilt but

you're not going anterior pelvic tilt

and then posterior pelvic tilt where

you're getting out of lower body

alignment so your cycling between the

two positions now a lot of people have

trouble with doing this standing they

might feel excessive activation through

the lumbar extensors and you might not

even be able to get them to move so if

this is the case then what you can do go

into the four point

position and focusing on just the lumbar

spine and the pelvis you're going it's

like a cat camel but you're just

focusing on lumbar spine and pelvis so

same thing just cycling through the full

range of motion anterior pelvic tilt

like so posterior pelvic tilt like so

you're just cycling through and you

could do a lot of reps until you

actually start to get it but go slow and

just start to feel the muscles that are

involved in those

movements ideally you start in the

four-point position if you can't get it

at all you start to get it and then you

can bring it to the standing position

and it's not a ton of movement don't

expect your your pelvis to have a huge

degree of range of motion but you should

just be able to feel it if you put your

hands on your over your pelvis over your

hips your ilc crests you should be able

to feel some motion there there and it's

tilting in One Direction you can use

your hands to help facilitate get a

little more movement but ultimately you

want to have this movement under your

own muscular control so establishing

that ability to control and perform the

movements of anterior and posterior

pelvic tilt is a prerequisite for being

able to get the glutes activated as you

squat because when you

squat you're going down if I were to

have no pelvic tilt and I squat it would

just kind of look like this and you see

people do this a

lot when you squat you have to control

the pelvis

and actively anteriorly pelvic tilt as

you're

descending pelvic tilt control through

fourpoint and standing is a great drill

to help to facilitate what you need to

get the glutes on during the squat the

next exercise I have for you I call the

segmental hip bridge and this exercise

helps to facilitate glute activation in

the hip bridge movement where a lot of

people overuse their hamstrings or

overuse their lumbar sensors and I've

actually got some research that I

recently found in reviewing the

literature for this video that aligns

with using this technique to facilitate

glute activation during squatting the

title of the study is effects of pelvic

tilt control using visual biof feedback

on gluteus Max multivit and hamstring

activities during three different Bridge

exercises and what they did is they used

EMG or electrom myography to study the

activation levels of different muscles

and what they found with respect to the

glute Max was that glut Max Muscle

activity during the exercise involving

posterior pelvic tilt was significantly

higher than involving anterior or

neutral pelvic tilt in contrast

multifidus muscle activity during the

hip rdge exercise involving posterior

pelvic tilt was significant L lower than

that involving anterior pelvic tilt so

when you do the hip bridge with

posterior pelvic tilt instead of neutral

or anterior pelvic tilt you're using

more glut Max and less multifidus now

one note here is that you don't want to

get caught in the thinking that oh

everything is better with more gluten

Max that's not the case sometimes you

need to activate the multifidus actually

in a lot of cases with low back pain

most cases with low back pain both the

glute Max and the multi this aren't

working well so you could use the

opposite of what we're doing here to

facilitate multifidus act activation

possibly so I just wanted to make this

point so you don't get stuck in Magic

Bullet ideas or looking for that one

secret exercise or answer the body is

complex and that's why we have a

comprehensive approach to it and a

holistic approach to it so the segmental

hip bridge

exercise gets posterior pelvic tilt but

it also restores motion to through the

pelvis this and through the lumbar spine

and this is something that I think is

superior compared to the exercises that

were done in the study that I just

mentioned for this technique you start

in a neutral spine so you have a little

bit of space under your low back and the

floor and from there you're going to

lift the pelvis off the ground through

posterior pelvic tilt and then one

vertebrae at a time starting from the

bottom up so you posteriorly pelvic tilt

now I'm flattening my low back again

against the ground here and then I'm

lifting up one vertebrae at a time until

I get

to the point where I feel like I can't

do any more posterior pelvic tilt or I

can't really lift my spine off the

ground anymore I'm just holding here and

once you get that you'll feel a ton of

glute Max you might feel some hamstring

but you'll probably feel not too much

low back hold that for about 5 Seconds

at the top breathing

naturally and then you lower in the

opposite so the upper spine goes down

the thoracic spine and then it goes one

vertebrae at a time bu bu bu all the way

down to the

pelvis and then I go into my neutral

position and I gradually relax so that's

one repetition

there and again like I said this does

two things it gets the glutes better

activated in a type of movement that

you'll need for the squat and it helps

to restore motion between the pelvis and

the lumbar spine and those movements are

often lost especially people sitting all

day you get stuck if you don't move it

you lose it so the segmental hip bridge

one set of five reps and that'll get

that motion going before I continue on

with the next exercise to get another

neglected Factor when it comes to glute

activation during the squat I just

wanted to mention to all the coaches and

trainers and therapists out there who

follow our videos and like our approach

and want to learn more about how to use

our approach and go more in depth into

our approach so that they can better use

our approach with their clients we've

got a course coming out just for you and

depending on when you're watching this

video you might not be able to sign up

yet but you can get on the weight list

so if you're interested there will be a

link down in the description click it

get on the wait list or if the course is

out check it out now the next exercise

we're going to use to get the Seas

activated and if you don't have soas

activation and I acus Activation so ilio

sois then you're not going to be able to

get the most out of your glutes and what

I've got for you today is kind of a

unique exercise that I came up with for

this video specifically and I call it

the sea stamp so for this technique I

suggest you use some kind of support

we're not trying to work your balance

here so you're just going to lift the

leg up opposite leg you want your glute

on here and you want a stable support

leg you flex your hip up and you feel

that se is on you can push it a little

bit to make sure you got the SE is

working and then you're just going to

make sure you get the glutes on and then

you're going to stamp down and then

stand on it and you're going to go again

bring it up hold it up for a sec make

sure the really so is and the glutes are

on and then stamp down and then put some

weight on it so you're coming up holding

it glutes on Lio is on stamp down put

some weight on it okay this is a good

way way I found to get that

co-activation you need for stable hips

and pelvis in the full range of motion

now it's an open chain movement and what

we find is open chain movements are

superior for Activation and then what

you do is once you've got the activation

you bring it into the closed chain

movement same thing it's still a hip

flexion but now we're in the closed

chain and that's how you bring it into

activities and movements that are more

functional and transfer to the gym or

Sports so sew is stamps do both sides

one set five reps on each and that will

facilitate the muscles and the movements

that you need to bring it into the squat

and that's the last thing to do so a lot

of people I should have said this before

but test your squat out before if you

haven't done already but most people

know that they can't get their glutes on

when they squat now after you've done

this little routine do your squats so

you can start off what I recommend is

you start off

in a neutral stance not feet pointed out

but I want a neutral stance you got to

train your strength in this squat

pattern with your feet pointing Straight

Ahead neutral stance posterior pelvic

tilt so you should have that motion now

get the pelvic floor on and then what

you're going to do is you're going to

squat as you go into an anterior pelvic

tilt keeping the pelvic floor on and the

glutes and you might not be able to get

down all the way yet glutes are not I

could feel them they're on if I had EMG

going you'd see them on but get down to

whatever range of motion you can do

where your glutes are on so again you

relax everything and then it's pelvic

floor stopping the P Midstream starting

in posterior pelvic tilt and then go to

anterior pelvic tilt keeping everything

on and if you can only get to there

before your glutes shut off cool train

that we're training what we want not

what we don't want and because of the

way the body works if you do this and

repeat this over and over again then

you're going to be able to get deeper

and deeper because it's like that

isometric window whatever range you work

you get strength a little bit more and a

little bit less than whatever range you

work with an isometric contraction which

is a contraction where you don't move so

we're going to take advantage of that

and just retrain the movement pattern

that we want which is glutes on during

the squat so there you have it that's my

response my long ass response to that

commented the video but it's a problem

that I've seen so so often and it's a

problem that won't go away with just

okay squeeze your glutes harder squeeze

your glutes harder it's like trying to

tell you bolt just run faster oh you got

the world record okay just run faster

next time it doesn't work you have to

know what to do and get everything fixed

up and your Technique going properly to

get what you want it's not just about

effort all the time okay so this is the

intelligent way to do it and then you

put effort on top of intelligence and

then you get quick results the final

thing I wanted to mention was related to

another study I found and the title of

the study is activation training

facilitates gluteus maximus recruitment

during weightbearing strengthening

exercises and what they did was had the

participants complete a glute Max

activation program consisting of some

isometrics with band resistance I don't

know the specifics of it but what they

did that I think was really well done

was they did a onewe activation program

where they had these people perform the

activation routine twice a day and after

this what they found was glutax

recruitment was increased by 57% during

the double leg Squat and 53% during the

single leg squat so just a week doing a

routine twice a day significantly

increased glute Max activation during

the squat and even during a single leg

squat both really important fundamental

movement patterns so that's why I

recommend you do this frequently do two

times a day or even three times a day

for a week and then what you can do is

taper down after that to the point where

you can fire your glutes whenever you

damn well please to summarize the

exercises we went through today we

started off with pelvic floor activation

where you do one set of five reps

holding for 5 to 10 seconds next we went

to pelvic tilting you do one set of five

reps or up to 10 reps if you feel like

it's taking a bit of time to get into it

the third exercise is the segmental hip

bridge perform one set of five reps

holding for 5 seconds at the top moving

slowly up and down in the movement and

the fourth and final exercise was the

seist stamps do one set of five reps per

side after that you can test out your

squats and see how much better your

glutes you can keep your glutes on when

you're squatting most importantly you've

got to perform this routine frequently

so up to three times a day but at least

daily for at least a period of a week

and if you're improving just keep it

going until you've achieved your goals

of keeping your go glutes on throughout

the full range of the squat there we go

there you have it get your glutes on get

them working don't get stuck in Magic

Bullet thinking but get your glutes on

just like you need to get everything

else on to help you move freely and

without pain for the rest of your life

thank you for being here with me if you

want to check out some more resources

that are related got some videos here

and here and if you've got pain in

through the hips then I suggest you

follow our hip pain solution which has

exercises like what you found here and a

lot of others to make sure everything is

working properly so you can get back to

and keep doing the active things you

love