Are your gluts working when you workout?

Today I will be talking about the Glorious Gluteal muscle group and I will show you how you can tell whether yours are working properly during your workout.   The gluts have been a buzz word for quite a while now and there is good reason.   Research has told us that hip muscle weakness is associated with knee pain and injuries. 

One thing that always amazes me is the body's ability to compensate or adjust to it's faults or weaknesses.   I have worked with professional Ironman athletes, football players, and marathon runners who have come to me because of pain or difficulty performing due to glut weakness or inhibition.  How crazy is it that someone can run a marathon but can barely raise their leg off the table against gravity?!

So, how can you tell if your gluts are working? 
The Single Leg Squat.   What I want you to do is stand in front of a mirror.   Now stand on one leg and bend your knee to do a single leg squat.   
Does your squat look more like the image on the left or the image on the right?  If you look more like the image on the left, that is the correct form.  It is safe for your knee, hip, back, ankle and foot and your gluts are activated.  I tell my patients that they should be able to look down and see their big toe on the inside of their knee.  If you can't see your big toe, then your leg is not aligned properly.

If you look more like the picture on the right, try to correct your form and pull your knee out to the side until you see your big toe or the inside of your shoe on the inside of your knee.  If you can do this without rotating your pelvis or twisting your back and shoulders you should practice.  Practice, practice, practice. This way you will be reinforcing the proper pattern.  It's also best to do 20 or 30 single leg squats right before your workout in order to rewire your nervous system to perform this motion in the proper pattern and to keep the gluts activated.   If the single leg squat causes you any pain then you aren't ready for it.   Don't do it if it hurts.  Your exercises and workout should not hurt.  The only discomfort you should feel is the aching or burning of muscle fatigue.  

What if you can't correct yourself?   If you aren't able to perform a single leg squat with the proper form you shouldn't be running or jumping for exercise without the instruction and guidance of a professional.  You need to break down these activities so that you have the proper form and muscle activation.  Running places more than 10 times the forces on your leg - including your muscles.  If your gluts can't handle the single leg squat, they certainly can't handle an activity that places 10 times the force on those muscles.   What will result is a slow breakdown of the joints, ligaments, and tendons until you end up with pain that won't resolve.   


In my next blog post I will discuss some double leg squatting activities that will help you progress to the single leg squat.

Please visit my website at http://www.conleyphysicaltherapy.com to see more information about my physical therapy practice in Decatur, Georgia!

Have a great day and activate your gluts!
Kelly Conley, PT, DPT, OCS