Yea But…No Butt!

Long periods of sitting down have a lot to answer for; they have left us weak…

Along with ‘slack’ abs leaving all the effort for the spine and back muscles, (particularly the QLs), the Glutes have joined the lazy club and so even more pressure is placed on our poor backs. Worse still, sitting has probably tightened our Hip Flexors and, unfortunately, the Iliopsoas Muscles attach to the lumbar segments of the spine.

When you have tight iliopsoas muscles, one of two things can happen. 

1. You look like you’re in a chair, even when you’re standing (your upper body tilts forward at the hips) and your shoulders have probably rounded. 

2. You have a deep arch in your lower back, known as Lordosis. A classic example of this is when a lady has given birth; the weight - having been on her front for so long – will have pulled at the lumbar region and therefore her hip flexors will have naturally shortened because of this.   

Well, man or woman, baby or no baby, if you’re carrying the equivalent of an extra being on your front, the chances are your lumbar region is under tension and your hip flexors have probably shortened due to the fact you ‘sit down and eat’ rather than ‘go out and do…’ I know I’m guilty as charged!

As I mentioned in my post from 22/Dec/14 (Twist and (try not to) Shout!), it isn’t all about stretching the hip flexors as that is only half of the story. The best way to stretch those muscles and ensure they return to correct length is to keep training their antagonists. In this instance the Glutes. The Bridge is a great visual to explain this example.

The Bridge: As the butt squeezes and pushes the hips up; the flexors are forced to stretch. And this is just ONE of many great exercises. Have a look on most search engines for so many variations on the Bridge, never mind all of the other great exercises out there for the butt.

NB: If you do decide to incorporate the Bridge Pose into your rehab routine, be careful not to follow the Yoga Rules. They advise that if you are squeezing your butt cheeks, then you've raised too high. They claim that their focus is on the lower abs (actually your iliopsoas muscles working eccentrically). This is exactly what we DON'T want. We want the butt to work and the iliopsoas muscles forced into a stretch. They may also mention squeezing your thighs tightly together - apparently to engage your pelvic floor. Again, this is another way to ensure your muscles misfire and you continue with incorrect form...

 

And on that Bum Note, let's move on to Squats!

Squats are mentioned in just about every fitness program in the world. However, I must warn you; if you are squatting but tilting heavily forward at the hip, chances are it is your hip flexors pulling in and your upper body will be acting as ballast. This is a classic example of weak Glutes. A great way to avoid this - certainly in the beginning, is to do squats against a wall, using a Swiss Ball. Only go as low as 90 degrees at the hip and knee joints. Squat down slower than you return to standing as it is the ‘eccentric’ (aka Negative) training which will get you fittest, quickest.

 Have a great workout!