[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Your butt is a group of powerful muscles (gluteus maximum, medius and minimus) that help with walking, stepping, running, jumping, sitting, standing and climbing stairs. Your glute muscles also work hard to
keep you balanced and maintain your spinal alignment. Strong glutes
facilitate powerful, quick movements like sprinting, jumping and throwing. However, if these muscles are weak, it can lead to back, knee, ankle and hip pain and injuries.
A popular theory is that when you sit a lot or don't strengthen your glute muscles with weight-bearing exercise, you can end up with dead butt syndrome or gluteal amnesia. Dead butt syndrome is the idea that glute muscles "forget" how to activate, leading to a flat, weak butt.
While your glutes can't really forget how to activate, and this theory
isn't fully supported by scientific evidence, some people can indeed struggle to feel their glute muscles contract or experience
abnormal fatigue in these muscles due to genetics, pain,
lack of exercise or poor exercise selection. If your glutes are weak or you have trouble feeling them during exercise, there are some excellent exercises that can help.
6 Dead Butt Syndrome Exercises
Step-ups
Step-ups are a fantastic exercise for activating your glutes. The higher the step, the greater the gluteus maximus activation. Start with a moderate step height and gradually increase it as you get stronger. Use a controlled and powerful upward push when you step up and fully extend your knee and hip for the most glute benefits.
- Stand in front of a sturdy platform or step and place one foot firmly on the top.
- Push through your whole foot to drive your body upward, bringing your non-working leg up to meet the leading leg on the platform.
- Step back down with the non-working leg first, followed by the leading leg.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 reps on one leg before switching to the other side.
Deadlifts
Deadlifts are a compound exercise that
engages the glutes primarily at the beginning of the lift as you pull the weight off the floor. You can do them with dumbbells, kettlebells, a hex bar, or a barbell. Here is a simple version using a kettlebell.
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart with a kettlebell on the floor between your feet, close to your heels.
- Keeping your back and neck straight, hinge your hips backward and bend your knees slightly to grasp the kettlebell handle with both hands.
- Drive through your legs to stand upright, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you lift the kettlebell. The kettlebell should move in a straight line up and down.
- Hinge your hips backward again to lower the kettlebell back to the starting position, keeping your back and neck straight.
- Perform 3 sets of 15 reps.
Hip thrusts
Hip thrusts are excellent for helping you connect to and feel your glute muscles contracting. They're one of the top gluteus maximus activating exercises,
according to tests using electromyography.
- Lie with your upper back on a bench or sturdy raised surface. Position yourself so the bottom of your shoulder blades are at the edge of the surface.
- Place your feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart, with your knees bent.
- Push through your feet to raise your hips off the floor. Keep your body in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Pause for a few seconds at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your hips back to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 15 reps.
Side lying clam
Part of the work your gluteus medius and minimus do is help you move your legs out to the side. It's important to do exercises that use this motion for well rounded glute functioning.
- Lie on your side with your legs together and knees slightly bent towards your chest.
- Keeping your feet together, slowly rotating your top knee upwards as far as possible without opening your hips or rotating your back.
- Lower your knee back to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each leg, 3 to 4 days a week. You can add a resistance band for an extra challenge.
Lunges
Forward, lateral, and reverse lunges are powerful glute activators. Here is how to do reverse lunges. About 80% or more of your weight should be on the front leg, with your back leg helping you stay stable.
- Begin by standing tall, then take a medium-length step backward into a lunge position.
- Pause at the bottom, then return to standing.
- Repeat all reps on one side, then switch to the other side. Do 10 to 15 reps per leg.
Standing hip abduction
Here is another exercise that works your glutes laterally. You should feel your hip muscles—the sides of your glutes, engaging during this exercise.
- Stand facing a wall with your hands on it at shoulder height and lean slightly into the wall for support.
- Start with your feet together, then shift your weight to one side and kick one leg straight out to the side.
- Repeat the movement on the other side to complete one rep. Do 15 to 20 reps.
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