Do you have weak Glutes?

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How many people have been to a physiotherapist and come out with a piece of paper with little stick men with triangle waists on them, trying to show you how to get buns of steel. And more to the point, how many people did these exercises the amount of times per day/week that they were prescribed?
A big factor to not doing the exercises is not being educated as to why you should do the exercises, except for maybe, “if you do these exercises your pain will go away”.
If you have weak gluteal muscles, you are not alone as it is very common. The glute’s main role is to extend the leg at the hip (think standing up from a chair). They are also a very lazy muscle and when they have the chance, they delegate the work to their friends. These friends include the hamstrings and the lower back. When these friends get overworked, they are get tight and give you pain (what do you mean stretching helps to loosens tight muscles?!?).


Well what if you are a fit person with buns of steel already and someone goes and removes your ego by telling you that you have weak glutes (but I can squat more than my body weight!!). A tight muscle is a weak muscle. Think of it like comparing doggy paddle to Grant Hackett swimming freestyle. The tight muscle (dog) can only pull so much before it has fully contracted, yet the muscle has made barely any distance. Because this didn’t do the job other muscles (hamstrings and lower back) take over and finish the job for the weak muscle (glutes). Compared to a loose muscle (Grant Hackett) who has all the pulling power in the world and can use its purchase to do its job properly and provide movement for the whole distance.

Massage can help by loosening the tight muscles and therefore increasing its strength and easing pain in the lower back pain and hamstrings. 

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