Glute Activation Exercises

[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
I can’t believe no one has said it yet… switch your squats out and do what would be competition depth box squats. And do them correctly. Ity’s mandatory to squeeze your glutes coming off the box.[/quote]

I tried box squats for the first time today… four reps at 55% of my max back squat almost ended me.

Stupid glutes.

[quote]tom8658 wrote:
zephead4747 wrote:
I can’t believe no one has said it yet… switch your squats out and do what would be competition depth box squats. And do them correctly. Ity’s mandatory to squeeze your glutes coming off the box.

I tried box squats for the first time today… four reps at 55% of my max back squat almost ended me.

Stupid glutes.[/quote]

I’m the exact opposite I can competition depth box squat more than I can competition depth squat. And I have a giant butt.

If you build that box squat up you might be able to fix your problem. When I started doing them I could barely do 185x5 with good form when I could backsquat 275. Now I need to bring up the quads lol.

reverse step ups (step downs) worked wonders for me.

[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
tom8658 wrote:
zephead4747 wrote:
I can’t believe no one has said it yet… switch your squats out and do what would be competition depth box squats. And do them correctly. Ity’s mandatory to squeeze your glutes coming off the box.

I tried box squats for the first time today… four reps at 55% of my max back squat almost ended me.

Stupid glutes.

I’m the exact opposite I can competition depth box squat more than I can competition depth squat. And I have a giant butt.

If you build that box squat up you might be able to fix your problem. When I started doing them I could barely do 185x5 with good form when I could backsquat 275. Now I need to bring up the quads lol.[/quote]

That’s what I was thinking - if my box squat is that bad, glute amnesia is probably holding my max back squat down. I don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner.

I did have the box set a few inches below parallel, but that’s how I back squat, and from what I understand, more depth means more glute involvement anyway.

It's kinda weird, my glutes aren't really working, but they're *way* out of proportion to the rest of my body... I think it'll get better as my glutes get stronger and I move out of anterior pelvic tilt, and it doesn't help that I store a little fat there. Oh well. I guess I just have to get everything else bigger so that I look normal.

do you have a desk job?
If you have some tubing or something that you can stretch, lay on your back, put the band around both thighs just above the knee and push out, until everything is square, and do supine bridges. I would add that you should put your hands under your butt cheeks and poke. You can then make sure your are contracting them when bridging.

If you have a desk job, you can do the glute dance that BBB was talking about. Perform them with the same variations as you would a kegel. Contract both, alternate, fast alternating, slow alternating, etc. Are zercher squats in your arsenal?
Got a foam roller? Roll on it and contract against it

Are you guys sitting on the box, or letting glutes or shorts/sweats “just graze” the box?

you shouldn’t be sitting on the box. Just enough pressure to take some of the stress of your hip flexors.

So 10-20lbs of force against the buttox and back up?

I’ve seen some video’s where guys “sit down” on the box with 5 plates on their back. Doesn’t look safe to me, but with a light enough weight I’m sure its not a big deal.

I was seeing more people grazing the hams/glutes on the box and back up.

Single leg glute bridges in a fatigued state.

Put them at the end of circuits.

[quote]dankid wrote:
you shouldn’t be sitting on the box. Just enough pressure to take some of the stress of your hip flexors.[/quote]

you should sit on the box.

When you are on the box, relax the hip muscles for an instant, then forcefully flex them by pushing against the bar. This will cause the spinal erectors to instantly flex, which activates the hips and then the hamstrings. The action is like doing a jerk in Olympic lifting. Try to flex on the box strong enough to stand up in one motion.

www.intensemuscle.com/21280-why-you-should-box-squat.html

stay tight, sit back explode up.

Sorry I was a little mistaken. You do sit down completely but what I meant, is dont relax while on the box. Heres a quote from the article on westide-barbell.com

“Now, how do you do a box squat? They are performed just like regular squats… squat back, not down, until you completely sit on the box. Every muscle is kept tight while on the box except the hip flexors. By releasing and then contracting the hip flexors, and arching the upper back, you will jump off the box, buiding tremendous starting strength…”

Sorry for the mistake. But the main thing that I meant, is that you shouldn’t fall onto the box. You should be able to sit down onto it under control release the tension from your hip flexors and then explode. Ive seen many people doing them, and they either have the box too low, or too much weight, and they are falling onto the box, and then have to use momentum to get off the box. I also see a lot of people that when they sit on the box, they completely sit on the box, and relax all their muscles.

Perform a circuit in this order before your workout.

Eric Cressey countered the “I wouldn’t want the force of the weight to compress the spine” or some such by offering that the compression will already be there because of the floor.
Relaxing is bad.

Any lifter who half way know what he’s doing is going to store some energy from the descent to use on the way up.

So I imagine, its:

  1. Stay tight
  2. Sight back on box, storing enegy in core and upper thighest
  3. Stay tight, while sitting for 1 sec or less
  4. Drive back up with controlled tightness.

Erm Bulgarian Squats lol ??

If that doesn’t reactivate your glutes then try BBB seriously good advice.

Ok heres an update- I am still struggling. I have tried taking time off- only stayed the same, maybe even got worse. The way to describe it is a “crushing” feeling when I go down to squat. Same with leg press, split squats, etc… Also lingers in the groin areas as well.

I have been to 3 diff chiros with no luck. Had an Xray to make sure no fracture. Negative.

The ONLY exercise I can do without pain is the Hack Squat. No pain at all- no crushing feeling like in the other exercises. So what gives? How does the hack squat differ from the other exercises? I am trying to solve this very mysterious puzzle… need some help here… thanks.

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Where percisely is this crushing feeling?

I’m trying to picture the one anatomical/biomechanical variable in those three exercises you list, that is different in the hack squat. However, without seeing your technique, it is nigh on impossible for me.

It can’t be compressive spinal loading since you also get it on leg press. It can’t be hyperlordosis, since you get it on leg press. I don’t think it’s discal or the chiros would (hopefully) have picked it up.

Hmmmmmm…

Come to Wales and I’ll (try to) sort you out :slight_smile:

BBB[/quote]

Ohhh thanks for your help. The crushing feeling is in the hip flexors- both sides. I frickin got an MRI yesterday to make sure it wasn’t a pelvic fracture that the Xray didnt pick up. Nothing. No muscle tissue damage. No stress reaction. No stress fracture. So what the hell? Is it possible that it is just extremely tight hip flexors? I have stretched a ton though and no avail.