GLUTES


The gluteal region of the body is made
up of several muscles that help stabilize and move the pelvis around. A few
standout muscles are the glute medius and the glute minimus. These muscles have
an important role in stabilizing the pelvis during movement as well as during
single leg exercise. If you are standing and raise your leg, the opposite glute
medius and minimus will contract to prevent the pelvis from dropping on that
side. The primary actions of these two muscles is to assist in hip abduction
and medial rotation of the lower limb. During movement, it prevents pelvic drop
of the opposite limb.
Often times we overlook these muscles in
our training programs, and over time, this can lead to pelvic instability and
even low back and knee pain. A 2016 study tested the tensor fascia lata, gluteus
medius and gluteus maximus of over 150 subjects with chronic low back pain. They
found that the gluteus medius was weaker in people that had chronic low back
pain. Another study, which looked at over 800 novice runners, concluded that
runners who lack hip abduction strength were at a higher risk for knee pain. Aside
from low back and knee pain, there are some other signs that the glutes may be
weak or “turned off”. Poor mechanics in squat, hinge and lunges patterns, more
specifically knees caving in, may indicate weak glutes. Some other signs may
include a lack of soreness in the glutes when the aforementioned movements are
trained.
As you can see from the research,
strengthening your glute muscles, particularly your gluteus medius, is very
important as a preventative measure for possible chronic issues down the road.
As an athlete, having weak glutes can be detrimental to stability, mobility,
power and strength.
Here are a few glute activation and
strengthening exercises you can do on your own.
  1. Supine Glute Bridge with Band Resistance
  2. Sidelying Clamshell with Band Resistance
    (External Rotation)
  3. Sidelying Clamshell with Band Resistance
    (Internal Rotation)
  4. Single Leg RDL with Contralateral Reach
  5. Pull-Through
*Depending on your fitness level, you
can use this as its own workout. I would work through each exercise performing
2-3 sets of 10 repetitions of each. If you are a little more advanced with your
fitness, I would include these exercises into your warm up prior to any lower
body work days. Perform 1 set of each exercise for 10 repetitions each as an
activation drill prior to your lower body work (specifically squatting or
deadlifting). 


1.     
Supine Glute Bridge with Band Resistance

  • Begin by placing a band around your legs
    (just above the knee) and lay on your back with bent knees and your feet
    pressed firmly into the floor.
  • To begin, start with a deep inhale
    through your nose (a deep belly breathe is ideal).
  • While exhaling slowly yet forcefully,
    squeeze your glutes and extend your hips upward.
  • Hold at the top position for 2-3 seconds
    before relaxing and returning to the start position.

Tip: Proper breathing is a key component on this exercise,
especially for those with excessive low back curvature. The forceful exhale
will help to brace the core muscles which in turn will prevent excessive
extension of the lower back.

2.     
Sidelying Clam Shell with Band Resistance (External
Rotation)

  

  • Begin by placing a band around your legs
    (just above the knee) and lying on your side with your legs/feet stacked on top
    of each other and your knees and hips slightly flexed (You are looking to
    achieve a neutral flat back).
  • Keeping your
    feet together, externally rotate your hip while turning your torso down
    slightly.
  • Squeeze
    at the top and return to the start position is a controlled fashion.

Tip:
You really want to focus on isolating
the glute in this exercise. Try only to rotate at your hip and not at your
lower back as well.

3.     
Sidelying Clam Shell with Band Resistance (Internal Rotation)

  • Begin by placing a band around your
    ankles and lying on your side with your legs/feet stacked on top of each other
    and your knees and hips slightly flexed (You are looking to achieve a neutral
    flat back).
  • Keeping your knees together, internally
    rotate your hip by lifting your foot upward.
  • Squeeze at the top and return to the
    start position is a controlled fashion.

Tip:
Work hard to lower back to the
starting position with as much control as possible.

4.     
Single Leg RDL with Contralateral Arm Reach

  • Begin by standing next to a wall in a
    normal upright standing position.
  • With a soft bend in the knee, slowly
    begin to reach your hip back (hip hinge) on the leg closest to the wall while
    simultaneously reaching the opposite arm forward and opposite leg straight
    back.
  • Once you have achieved an optimal hinge,
    engage your glutes and return to the start position.

Tip:
Do your best to maintain a neutral
spine throughout the movement. Be mindful to push your leg straight back. You
do not want to rotate at the hip during the movement.
5.     
Pull-Through

  • Attach a rope to a cable machine.
  • Begin by stepping over the cable (back
    to the weight stacks) while grasping the rope with both hands resting on your
    groin. Feet should be between hip and shoulder width apart. Soft bend in your
    knees.
  • While inhaling, allow the weight to pull
    you into a hip hinge. Maintain a neutral spine.
  • Once you have reached your optimal hinge
    position, squeeze your glutes and extend your hips forward back to the start
    while forcefully exhaling.

Tip:
Do your best to hinge and not squat
during this exercise. Your shins should remain as vertical as possible during
the movement. Keep your weight centered through your whole foot rather than
shifting from heel to toe during the movement.
Blog post by Greg Wilson.

Kettlebell Swing into Summer

I can’t think of better piece of
equipment in the gym than a kettlebell. There are over a dozen exercises that
can be done with a kettlebell but today I want to highlight one of my all-time
favorite exercises; The Kettlebell Swing.
The kettlebell swing (if done correctly)
can be an amazing exercise to incorporate into your program. Whether you are
looking to develop lower body explosive power, or just looking to tone up those
glutes for the summer, the kettlebell swing is sure not to disappoint.

It’s a Hinge NOT a Squat!

First and foremost, the kettlebell swing
is a hinge movement pattern, not a squat. A hinge is essentially maximal hip
bend with minimal knee bend (think deadlift). As the hips come back in your
hinge, the torso will begin to come down as well. On the other hand, a squat is
maximal hip and knee bend simultaneously. During a squat, the torso will remain
mostly vertical. This is a common error that I see most often with the
exercise.

                                           Hip Hinge                                    Squat


Set Up and Execution

The set up for a kettlebell swing is
fairly simple. Begin with kettlebell on the ground in front of you. It should
be about arm’s length away. To begin, hip hinge back and place your hand firmly
wrapped around the handle of the kettlebell. At this point, you can shift your
weight back a bit and the bell should tilt on its side slightly.
While maintaining your hinged position,
you will ‘hike’ the kettlebell back towards your glutes.

1                                                      2
Once the kettlebell has been hiked,
proceed by driving the bell forward using your hips, glutes and hamstrings.  As the bell reaches shoulder height, engage
your lats, pecs, shoulders and core to decelerate the bell.  

3

Tips

  • Sometimes the arms will start to do all
    the work in the movement if the weight is too light. If you feel like you are
    not engaging your posterior chain during the movement, try using a heavier kettlebell.
    I find this sometimes will clear up that problem.
  • Breathe! Breathing during the swing is
    very important. You should be exhaling forcefully as you drive the weight
    forward and inhaling at the top of the movement just as the bell begins to make
    its downward phase. Proper breathing during the swing will help brace the core
    and prevent injury.
  • Be Patient! A lot of times I notice
    there to be a disconnect between the upper and lower body during the swing. The
    most common error I see is, during the downward phase, the client will break
    their hips back into a hinge before the kettlebell has reached the hips.
    Breaking the hips back early can cause the kettlebell to travel below the knee
    and in turn create excessive tension in the lower back.

Blog post by Greg Wilson.

Motivational Strategies for Successful Training

Hi everyone! If you are reading this, then you
are probably searching for some information to help you stay motivated with
your training. No matter who you are, whether you are a beginner just starting
out or a seasoned gym veteran, everyone has reached a point where they have hit
a wall (metaphorically, that is).

My Story

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is
Greg Wilson. I am a new strength & conditioning coach at the
Mashpee Fitness Center (a division of Cape Cod Rehab). After a very successful
high school and collegiate track and field career as a shot-put, discus and
hammer thrower a few years ago, I was tipping the scales at a whopping 265 lbs.
Needless to say, I was a bit stout.
As time went on and my knowledge of training
and nutrition began to develop, I started applying it to myself. My training
became a lot smarter and my nutrition was getting better.
To make a long story short (and I mean long),
after five months, I lost a total of 60 lbs. Now, as you can imagine, there
were many ups and downs along the way and losing those 60lbs wasn’t easy. There
were plenty of times when I wanted to give up and throw in the towel, but I
managed to keep myself motivated and I kept moving forward.
Here are some strategies that I used to keep
myself motivated…

Goal Setting

Goal setting is really important to me and
should be important to you too! Setting a goal is a great motivator and
successfully completing that goal is an even greater measure of success. Here
are some important points to think about when setting goals:
  • Small Goals: Setting small goals allows you to
    generate more success for yourself. When you keep reaching your small goals,
    step by step, you gain motivation to keep going towards your biggest goal.
    Always set attainable goals.
  • Be Specific: Identify exactly what your
    specific goal is. If you want to improve your max bench press, don’t just say
    “I want to improve my max bench press”, give yourself a specific weight like,
    “I want to increase my max bench press by 10 lbs”. This will help further
    measure success.
  • Deadline: Sometimes you need to give
    yourself an end date to really get you going. If weight loss is a goal, tell
    yourself, “I am going to lose 10 lbs by October 31”. Make that your deadline
    and stick with it.
  • Measurable: This point can be related back
    to the Be Specific example. If you set a goal to improve your
    max bench press by 10 lbs, and you meet that goal, then that is a measure of
    success. Another example would be if your goal is to lose 1 lb in 1 week and
    you are successful, then that is measurable.


Other Strategies

Here are some strategies to keep you moving
forward if goal setting isn’t working for you, or if you just want a little
extra motivation.
  • Positive Attitude: I think the number one problem
    for most people is that they are always down on themselves. You can’t put
    yourself down. Always keep a positive attitude and block out the negativity.
  • Collaborate: If you know somebody who has
    similar goals to you, or if they have already done something that you are
    trying to accomplish, talk to them. They might be able to give you advice on
    something you’re having an issue with.
  • Keep an Open Mind: It is always important to try
    to keep an open mind, especially when beginning a new training program or diet.
    Always give it a chance, because you never know what could happen.
  • Remove “Can’t” from your vocabulary: People use the word “CAN’T” too
    often. Instead of  “I can’t”, try saying “I will”.
  • Never Give Up: No matter how hard something
    gets. Never give up. Keep chipping away at it, because eventually you will
    break through your wall.

I hope that some of this information helps you
to stay motivated and to never stop pursuing your training and nutritional
goals, no matter how long they take! I think Arnold Schwarzenegger said it
best….
“Strength does not come from
winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships
and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
Blog
post by Greg Wilson.