Glutes!

Now most of you will have heard me talking about your Glutes, mainly asking you to squeeze them. But there is often a slight glaze that goes along with the nod of the head so I thought I’d explain why I keep going on about your bottoms.

Your bottom contains one of the largest muscle groups in your body: 

Gluteus Maximus – As the name suggests this is the “gladiator” of the 3 muscles

Gluteus medius – The “supportive wife” of the maximus

Gluteus minimus – The other “supportive wife” 

The glutes help support your body when you stand and when you move, they also help you balance. When your glutes are strong it positively impacts EVERY activity you do. When your glutes are weak you increase the pressure on your hamstrings (often creating a feeling of tightness) and all the connected tendons and ligaments which can then affect other joints and muscles such as the lower back, knees, calf muscles and hips. This will increase the risk of injury to these areas.

An important part of exercising your glutes is activation. This involves performing exercises such as our glute bridges or the dreaded plank leg lift. Performing these exercises before any other exercise will really help you to get the most out of your workout as it reminds your brain how to use these muscles.

So when I tell you to squeeze your bottom you know now it’s not just for aesthetics although it does look nicer.

To increase your glute strength why not book a Personal Training session or attend one of the Circuit Training classes.