…..and squeeze your glutes!  As our month of #200glutesaday comes to a close this week, it’s time to check back in.

There are so many great exercises that work the glutes either in isolation or sequentially.  But one of the most important concepts to remember is that doing exercises that claim to work the glutes doesn’t guarantee that’s what is actually going on.  One of the most common issues we see in our office is someone who has been going to PT working on increasing glute strength but never addressing the order in which this muscle group fires.  Particularly exercises that focus on hip extension (the glutes are in charge of this motion!) have a tendency to skip the glutes and go straight to the hamstrings.

My solution:  squeeze your glutes all day long!  Well, maybe not all day, but find a way to check in and make sure you can find them.  My favorite recommendation is to alternate activating the glutes individually as well as at the same time every time you hit a stop light!  The car is one of the most common places we spend a lot of time so why not multitask and get a few sets of squeezes in.

Give it a try on your commute tomorrow or even just sitting at your desk.  Chances are your ability to connect with this muscle group will only get better making your squats, deadlift, lunges and bridges even better!

-S