Key Points

• A glute activation warm-up may increase glute efficacy and improve hip mobility

• The benefits of a glute activation warm-up may be short lived and not carry over to the next workout

• Experienced lifters don’t need to perform glute activation in a warm-up, unless you enjoy it

Glute Activation Research

In a previous blog post, I wrote how beginners need to learn how to activate their glutes to their full potential (read here).  However, once the skill is learned, should glute activation still be recommended? And if it is,  is it worth the time? A study by Parr and others sought out to find the answer. Rugby players performed an explosive weightlifting exercise (high hang pull) at 80 percent of their one rep max after a dynamic or glute activation focused warm-up. Electromyography (EMG) was used during the exercise to see which protocol was more effective ( see jacked dude below) (1) .

Key Points 

• The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body

• Glute activation is a learned skill, one that improves with practice

• Beginners should use a glute activation protocol in the warm-up for at least two to four weeks

Gluteal Amnesia

The term "gluteal amnesia" has been floating around the interwebs lately. In short, it refers to the inability to use or feel your glutes during a movement. Fortunately for us, gluteal amnesia doesn't exist. If it did, you wouldn't be able to walk or stand upright. However, you might not be using your glutes to their full potential due to other muscles doing the work for you (i.e., hip flexors, lower back, quadriceps). If you suffer from constant back pain or can't get the glutes sore after a workout, then your glutes might not be firing on all cylinders. Moreover, this should cause some concern, not the end of the world concern, but enough to motivate you to make a change. Lucky for you, glute activation is an easy skill to learn, and yes, it is a skill.

I am not sure if I was born with two curves in my spine. But I do remember going to the chiropractor in my teens and being diagnosed with scoliosis. Today, I joke with my clients about my crooked spine and how it robbed me of my height. I am not the smallest guy, but my 5’7 stature does have it’s setbacks, especially when I am on a date and the girl has heels on. Ugh. Scoliosis!

And it doesn’t end there. I have lived with back pain for the last eight years. From sciatic pain shooting down my leg at 19 years old to crippling muscles spasms in my back seven years later.  Honestly, I don’t think the curves in my spine are to blame for my back pain. Rather, my poor posture and lack of core stability is the real culprit.