Glute Activation Tips?

Hi guys,

i was starting to do some glute activation exercises after i noticed that i cant hardly fire my glutes on the left side at all. The problem i have is that i cant feel my glutes working and i feel extreme tightness and even pain in the front of my hip. When i stretch my hip flexors i cant feel too much of a stretch though.

There is one stretch i did that Pavel recommends in one of his ebooks where i can definitly feel a stretch but i end up pulling my hip flexor every time i do it. It hurts for one to two days then everything is back to (not) normal. I already tried foam rolling. Perhaps i´m forgetting something important. Anybody has the same problems or a solution?

thanks and sorry for my bad english

Try the stuff outlined in this article. Maybe you have Gluteal Amnesia.

http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/free_online_article//get_a_great_ass

LR

I have a lot of trouble with my left side as well; it’s either a symptom or the cause of my back injury from a few years ago, but it’s been too long to know which.

Two things:

  1. Foam roll and MFR (myofascial release) with a lacrosse ball. The piriformis especially can get balled up and shut down. If you can afford it get some ART.

  2. Glute activation as part of your dynamic warmup. The link London posted is good, and there’s many others on this site (search Cressey and Robertson).

  3. Once you’re on the right path there’s not much that beats sumo deadlifts and front squats for the big compounds that help with activation.

hump your mattress…that’l get your glutes workin. Then do some dl and pretend you are humpin your mattress while simulatneously trying to keep your cell mate, Bubba, from violating your tight little ass.

foam roll as needed.

Try Cook Hip Lifts for glute activation before your workouts.

It sounds like you have a problem with your hip/glute, which I have no advice for.

If you get it fixed, and want some general advice for glute activation, when squatting try to pretend that the ground and your feet are welded together, and try rip the ground apart sideways with your legs <-M-> as you come up through the hole.

It is the same theory as pulling a bar apart outward when bench pressing to activate your triceps more.

Try doing a nice set of long-stride lunges, and tell me your ass doesn’t hurt the next day, :wink:

So lets see, deep squats are good for glutes, as are the lunges I mentioned, donkey kicks are another good glute activator, try pushing up on the leg extension or leg curl machine with the donkey kicking leg for added weight. If you have a glute/ham raise at your gym that would help…

Deep overhead squats… deadlifts focusing on form and using your glutes to engage your lower back… Good Mornings, kinda same thing, engage your hamstrings, glutes, and low back. Romanian Deadlifts… Just really focus on posterior chain-exercises, don’t do them all in one day but rotate one in each workout or something.

[quote]UpChucker wrote:
hump your mattress…that’l get your glutes workin. Then do some dl and pretend you are humpin your mattress while simulatneously trying to keep your cell mate, Bubba, from violating your tight little ass.

foam roll as needed.

[/quote]

thanks for the reply.

but after a good few humps the mattress complains about headaches

thank you guys for the help

those cook hip lifts take a little getting used to. I can feel the difference in the hips the best with this drill and will start working on it.

[quote]UpChucker wrote:
hump your mattress…that’l get your glutes workin. Then do some dl and pretend you are humpin your mattress while simulatneously trying to keep your cell mate, Bubba, from violating your tight little ass.

foam roll as needed.

[/quote]

damn you get the matress…ive to settle for pillow humpin

Lunges and KB/DB swings are two exercises that I always feel in my glutes. not sure it would “wake them up” but worth a try 1 or 2x/week for a month