Working On Your Glutes? Try Glute Activation

Hasit Jethwa, Personal Trainer for The Training Room, shares his expert advice on glute activation and strengthening those glute muscles.

So, what is glute activation?

Glute workouts are taking off in a big way, as more and more people begin to realise the importance of exercising this vital muscle group. 

Traditionally, glute workouts were something females tended to focus on from an aesthetics and physique standpoint. However, as time has gone on, people of all ages, genders and abilities have started to incorporate glute exercises into their routines. 

Do you want to be able to squat heavy? Do you want to be able to lift a good amount of weight on a deadlift? Do you want to be able to run faster? Do you want to smash a PB on a bent-over row? Then, there’s one set of muscles you’ll need to show some love to… the glutes! 

Why are strong glutes important?

The glutes act as a huge stabiliser and initiate many of these big movements. For example, I am sure you can relate to that feeling when you are at the bottom of a heavy squat and hanging on for dear life? You are essentially waiting for your glutes to kick in and begin driving you back up, so your quads can take over and ease the pressure.

Those good old glutes have a huge impact, both directly and indirectly, in most of your compound lifts. They mainly act as a stabiliser of the pelvic region, so any movement whereby you hinge from the hips will involve the glutes in a major way. Training your glutes can also help you to overcome potential plateaus with strength on major lifts, as you will have a more stable base to work and drive from.

Athletic performance relies heavily on glute activation, too. Power movements, such as sprinting, involve mechanics where you are taking your leg through hip extension and driving your foot through the ground. And, you guessed it, the muscle responsible for hip extension is the glutes. Think about any sports where jumping or bounding is involved; these mechanics also heavily rely on the glutes to activate at the correct time to drive you off the ground.

Best exercise for your glutes?

Deadlifts are one of the best glute exercises you can do. They work the entire of your posterior chain in sync and ensure your muscles correctly activate during a hip hinge movement, which then translates to other exercises such as a squat. They also produce a very high amount of muscle activation which means you are getting more bang for your buck in terms of reps. As with any exercise, how effectively you can stimulate a particular muscle will show you whether it’s worth the time or not. 

The weighted hip thrust is another exercise that has been shown to deliver some of the highest glute activation. Why waste time doing exercises that don’t activate the glutes half as well? Always try to train as smart as possible!

In short, the glutes are absolutely essential for core mobility and stability. By strengthening these muscles, it can help to improve posture, alleviate lower back, hip and knee pain, enhance power and athletic performance, and even reduce the loss of bone density. That’s a pretty decent list and good reason to make them a staple part of your fitness routine.