The Importance of Glute Activation
Muscle activation exercises are exercises done with light resistance to prepare the muscles that will be targeted in a routine. The reason for muscle activation is to increase blood flow, muscle pliability and to stimulate the connection between the nerve fibers and muscle cells. This activation allows proper muscle recruitment to ensure that the muscles intended to be trained are the muscles contracting in the desired movements.
Activation exercises should be done after self-myofacial release and before the workout as part of the warm-up routine. When muscles are properly activated, movement quality is improved, and the muscles have the ability to move greater loads and perform better than nonactivated muscles.
Glute activation is especially important for everyone, this is because the majority of jobs in the world today tend to be sedentary, making it extremely important for individuals to perform glute activation exercises. When we sit for extended periods, the hip flexors become shortened and tight and, therefore, constantly in an overactive state, which contributes to glute amnesia. This happens because the muscles on one side of a joint are firing, which signals the opposing muscles to relax. Since the hip flexors are always firing due to extensive periods of sitting, the glutes relax and, in essence, forget to do their job, hence the term amnesia. Examples of exercises for glute activation are banded glute bridges, banded lateral walks, toe taps, and clamshells. There is an extensive menu of glute activation exercises to choose from.
Like the glutes, hamstrings are hip extensors and should not be ignored. Hamstring activation exercises include but are not limited to lightly loaded or unloaded hip hinge exercises such as good mornings and single-leg deadlifts. Glute bridges and stability ball hamstring Curls are also good choices to get the hamstrings firing effectively and ready for the work to come.
When glutes and hamstring muscles are firing properly and doing their jobs, there will be a lower incidence of chronic back pain and other imbalances, thus improving overall quality of life.
