Strong Glutes = No Anterior Pelvic Tilt?

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1

When I lie down on my back, there is an arch in my back so that much of my lower back is not actually touching the floor. I take this to mean I have anterior pelvic tilt. I would like to be neutral.

If your pelvis is ‘neutral’ - your WHOLE back will touch the floor at every point, all the way down and up your back when you lie relaxed, flat on your back on the floor - isn’t that right?

I was thinking that the key to getting rid of anterior pelvic tilt is to have strong glutes. But then, I was thinking that my glutes are actually quite strong. I have a good mind-muscle-connection with them. Then I thought that Usain Bolt’s glutes must be VERY strong, yet he is in anterior pelvic tilt. And, of course, some sedentary office workers who don’t even lift are somehow in posterior pelvic tilt - do they just naturally have superhumanly strong glutes to make that happen?

So, do you think that if Usain Bolt increased his deadlift, his anterior pelvic tilt would go away? Or, conversely, do you think that the office workers that are in posterior pelvic tilt (and don’t lift) must be able to deadlift a ton first time, if they tried?

Is there a certain deadlift poundage that, once you reach it, you will NEVER be in anterior pelvic tilt? Say, if you do 500lbs, your glutes could still be too weak to prevent you from being in anterior pelvic tilt, but once you reach 650lbs, your glutes are guaranteed to be so strong that they will pull your pelvis into posterior pelvic tilt?

I’m not sure, perhaps Usain Bolt’s glutes ARE actually weak compared to some gym rat who deadlifts, and the weakness in Bolt’s glutes are causing him to have anterior pelvic tilt?

So you don’t just need ‘quite strong’ glutes to not be in anterior pelvic tilt - you need ridiculously strong glutes capable of deadlifting a huge amount - and then you won’t be in anterior pelvic tilt?

2

Without going into the rest of your post, your first assumption isn’t really correct. You are supposed to have forward and backward curves in your spine. If you’re lean, and if you have glutes that are developed at all, you should be able to see daylight under your low back while lying on it. It’s the normal forward curve of the spine (lordosis) not necessarily anterior pelvic tilt.

3

[quote]alternate wrote:
When I lie down on my back, there is an arch in my back so that much of my lower back is not actually touching the floor. I take this to mean I have anterior pelvic tilt. I would like to be neutral.

If your pelvis is ‘neutral’ - your WHOLE back will touch the floor at every point, all the way down and up your back when you lie relaxed, flat on your back on the floor - isn’t that right?[/quote]

Nope. You want a slight arch when relaxed, but also be able to tilt your pelvis to make the back flat when needed. Glute strength and stomach strength in harmony. Anterior pelvic tilt is usually weak hamstrings compared to quads, compounded by a weak core.

4

But I just got rid of my bed so I’m sleeping on the floor now - and it hurts my tailbone to lie on the floor because of my anterior pelvic tilt. If my back was neutral and the whole low back touched the floor when lying down relaxed (as should be normal) - my tailbone wouldn’t hurt because the pressure would be spread out along the whole back.

So do you think Usain Bolt has weak glutes compared to his hip flexors, and weak hamstrings compared to his quads?

He could well have weak glutes (don’t think he deadlifts much) - but hamstrings are apparently the prime movers in sprinting!

5

Dude, enough with Bolt’s Buttocks!

6

It’s just to illustrate that someone who you’d think has strong glutes can still be in anterior pelvic tilt.

At the gym I go to, a guy is definitely in anterior pelvic tilt, yet he deadlifts a huge amount.

I thought if you can deadlift a huge amount, no way should you be in anterior pelvic tilt, because your glutes should be very strong, and anterior pelvic tilt only happens because you have weak glutes… Or is it just a case of getting those glutes even stronger, ie. if the guy added another 20% to his deadlift he wouldn’t be in anterior pelvic tilt?

7

It’s clear you haven’t even researched what your spine is meant to look like, otherwise you would have seen that Dr J and TQB are correct. Your lower back should have a slightly concave arch. A perfectly flat back is when you’ve got posterior pelvic tilt, and a good recipe for spinal issues. Think about what happens when you slouch, and while practically every ergonomic chair has a hump that fits into your lower back.