I have recently been diagnosed with a lazy ARSE.. As in I have one, I am not one (God forbid).. Well not this week anyway 🙂 But interestingly (That one is for you Jess 😉 hehe!) it is only one sided.. Yup that would be typical of me.. even my arse is lop sided !
If you’re wondering what the hell I am talking about the technical term for a Lazy arse is Glute Imbalance or Sluggish Glutes. If you come to my Bootcamps or are a client of mine you will know how much I bang on about getting the Glutes FIRED up – There is a reason for this…
Did you know :
1. That the Gluteus Maximus is the largest muscle in the body? (That’s the main Glute muscle)
2. The butt muscles help to propel us forwards as well as up from a seated position (Moving the Hip)
3. Our Bum helps us walk with an efficient gait + stride
4. Even IF you are doing Squats+Lunges you may not be working the glutes.
5. Developing Glute strength can give you a huge advantage in speed + acceleration .. Not to mention looking pretty peachy!
6. Having a strong derriere means that there is less chance of lower back pain.. This is where I come in! I have been experiencing lower back pain really since child birth (Some 13 years ago!!). Exercise has helped MASSIVELY with this, however now I am working on my strength I have noticed that certain moves make my back pain worse, and when (IF) I do ever run for longer than 3 minutes it’s my back that feels the pain! This has highlighted that my weakened lower back muscles are compensating for my under performing left arse 😉
So.. what to do?
Our Bums, by nature are fairly lazy muscles so they need a little encouragement ..
1. SQUEEZE IT! I remember some years ago reading that Kylie Minogue (Queen of the derrière IMO) regularly squeezed her bottom after being told by Jean-Claude Van Damme that this was a way to keep the butt working and pert. I have religiously followed this advice ever since, and continually tell my clients to do this. Wherever you find me.. in the supermarket, in the car, sitting at my desk, I will be squeezing my butt thinking that ONE DAY it will look like Kylie’s 😉 Whatever you do, be it squatting, standing from a seated position, climbing the stairs SQUEEZE THOSE BUTT MUSCLES! I like to say to my ladies “Imagine a 50p NOT being able to get into your butt” (They love me for this I know it! ;)) Whatever you do SQUEEZE!
2. If you are exercising, complete the full movement. That means starting and finishing with a glute squeeze ie. From a squat or a lunge always finish the movement by pushing the hips forwards, locking the ab muscles down and.. squeezing the bum!
3. Lateral banded walks – This is the simplest way to strengthen the Glute Med which in turn helps to stabilise the hip and knee joints, alongside the plainly obvious aesthetic advantages.
4. Massage, foam rolling or release work with a specialist. I am sure all my #CBC ladies are bored of me telling them to FOAM ROLL.. But there is a reason I nag them about this! Muscles can become overly tight, hold onto tension, knots, toxins meaning that they will not work properly. If you have experienced lower back pain, sore hips or tight hamstrings, OR just don’t feel that your buttocks are working then the chances are you too have underused glute muscles. Investing in a good foam roller is a cheap an effective way to do self myofascial release OR you could go and see a specialist (I know TWO very good specialists – if you need contact details let me know)
I will be doing all the above and special weighted Glute thruster exercises to aid me in obtaining that tight but very well functioning tush!
Who is with me??
Charlie Wall x
http://www.cambridgebootcamps.co.uk