As promised, this week’s post will finish up my discussion of the core, and what we can do to properly train it without risk of injury. One of the main points from last week was that the abdominal muscles are responsible for resisting extension in the lower back, which is why we need to train them in that role. This week, I would like to focus more on the gluteal muscles (the butt), as well as the muscles in the lower back, and discuss function and exercise relating to these areas.
First I would like to say that the majority of people out there probably do not have nearly enough strength in their glutes, and too much in their low back. This can be most attributed to the atrophy of muscle and movement that people experience as they spend more and more time sitting, and less time moving. While the abdominals working properly can help to resist over extension or rotation, normal extension is still needed, such as when you pick something off the ground. This would be the major role of the gluteus maximus, with support from its partners; if this group is undertrained, however, the low back muscles must compensate and help the back to extend. This is a dysfunctional movement because the role of the low back muscles is NOT to extend the back. Its role is to stabilize the back, making sure that the spine is kept in proper alignment both in static and dynamic situations (holding and moving). So, if we see that the low-back muscles are over-training, then we know that there is poor movement resulting from weak supporting muscles. This type of movement is putting a lot of strain on the back, and these little stabilizing muscles that run along the spine are picking up the work. In fact, just an 80 lb. weight lifted completely by your back can place 1500 lbs. of pressure on the spine, simply due to the angle from which that muscle must pull. This is not how these muscles were meant to be used, so let’s get those glutes back into action!
Before I go over exercises, I want to quickly touch on the role of the gluteus medius, the muscle most responsible for lifting your leg to the side. While this movement in itself is only at times important, from a functional stand point this muscle also helps to keep your knee in alignment during movement. As it weakens, your knee can become susceptible to inward movement, therefore putting stress not only on the ligaments, but also creating negative effects elsewhere in the body. Remember, the body is a chain of muscles, bones, and nerves, and when something is going wrong in one area, you can bet more problems are on there way.
So, how do we train these muscles? Well instead of looking to hyperextensions and overloaded deadlifts (I like the deadlift, but many people think they can do much more than they are capable of, leading to a break in form, and increased stress on the back) let me suggest some exercises that can help the situation without risk. First: the maximus. When training, you can decide to focus on an isometric contraction (no movement), a concentric contraction (shortening the muscles) or an eccentric contraction (lengthening the muscle). The first exercise is an isometric exercise, and if any of you have ever done yoga, you are probably familiar with the bridge. This one is performed by lying on your back, knees bent, and pushing your butt off the ground so that your shoulders, hips, and knees are all in a straight line. This is a great way to start on your way toward better strength, and if you want to make it a challenge, try straightening one leg, leaving only one leg of support.
Another great exercise is the single leg deadlift. This allows you to work on extension of the trunk using the glutes and hamstrings, balancing, and keeping your knee in line with your toe all at once. It’s also great because you don’t need to load it as heavily as you would a regular deadlift, meaning you are not going to overload your back. Here you are doing the deadlift motion, but with a weight either in both arms or in the opposite hand of the foot you are standing on. Keep that back straight and drive through the hips to straighten your body.
The last exercise I will mention is one to hit the glute medius. Here we are using a band, placed under our feet, then crossed, and held up overhead. This is called an X-band walk, and you basically walk side to side, without swaying your upper body. It is a strict abduction (movement away from the body to the side) of the leg, and it is a great way to target the medius.
I hope this core information has been useful. It is all extremely important no matter what your level of activity. As I said before, without the core, no movement is possible, and if we want to keep our lower backs in good shape, both the anterior and posterior core need to be fully functioning and strong enough to support our movement. Thanks for checking in and I’ll be back again in a week. Happy fitness!
-Colin
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