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The Flostate

Movement that Matters

Rachel Larson

Glute exercises to relieve low back pain

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The Link Between Low Back Pain and Your Glutes

Why low back pain?

Low back pain plagues 80% of Americans at some point in their lives and can originate from a variety of factors and conditions. Today’s focus is on glute activation to help relieve low back pain.

How your glutes play a role in low back pain

Your gluteal muscles are meant to work synergistically with other muscles to stabilize your femurs when you stand, extend and externally rotate your hips.  Sometimes these “other muscles” can take over and lead to weakened and/or shortened glutes.  This imbalance of strength and muscle activation can lead to low back pain.  This pain happens when the low back becomes overly mobile as a result of the glutes not properly stabilizing the femur. For instance, when you are walking or running, the femur can internally rotate, causing a drop in the pelvis (Trendelenburg gait) which pulls on the lumbar spine.

3 Quick Ways to Assess Your Glute Function  

How do you know if your glutes are firing adequately?  Try these three assessments for clues.  Grab a friend or family member to watch you move and help you see subtle clues more clearly. Better yet, sign up for your full Virtual Assessment with Curated Class Prescription. See the end of the article for details.*  

  1. Posture alignment test: Take off your shoes. Stand sideways with your feet together. Bend your arms and put your wrist on the side of your high hip bone (Iliac crest). Lay your hand flat and fingers straight down the side of your thigh. Note where your longest finger lines up. It should be at the level of your greater trochanter- the bump on the side of your upper thigh. Now look to see where that bone is lining up with your outer ankle bone- your lateral malleolus. With optimal posture, those bony landmarks should line up.  If your greater trochanter is in front of your lateral malleolus (your lateral ankle bone) you may have weaker or shortened glutes.
  1. Do some squats and see what happens to your knees:  With shoes off, widen your feet to hip width apart. Reach your hands directly in front of your shoulders with elbows straight.  Sit back into a squat and watch what your knees do.  Did they rotate out or inward? This can be subtle, so watch carefully.  And, try to not overly control your movement to make your knees stay straight.  We are trying to understand what your body does when you are not thinking about your movement.  If your knees move inward, you may have weaker or shorter glutes.
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  2. Try a single leg squat:  With shoes off, place your hands on your hips and lift one foot off the ground and bring the knee to hip height.  Watching the knee of the leg you are standing on carefully, try to squat down a little.  This is going to be a small range of motion compared to your regular squats and that is okay.  

Again, watch what your knee does.  Did it rotate out or inward? This can be subtle, so watch carefully.  And, try to not overly control your movement to make your knees stay straight. If your knees move inward, you may have weaker or shorter glutes.

My glutes may be weak or shortened, now what?

Weaker or shortened glutes are not the end of the world, but if you sometimes experience low back pain or want to avoid low back pain, improving your glute strength and function will help. Try to incorporate more lower body strengthening exercises such as squats, lunges or hip thrusts into your routine. Try 2 sets of 12 reps, 3x per week.

Release Muscle Tension with Myofascial Stretching

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Myofascial stretching helps release tension in the body which in turn helps reduce pain and helps you move better. In this article you’ll learn about: 1) What fascia is and why it is important, 2) What can happen when it gets too tight in certain areas, 3) How fascial stretches differ from standard stretches. 4) How myo stretches help release constricted areas.

What is fascia and why is it important?

You can think of fascia as a webbing and support structure for every part of your body and cells including muscles, joints, bones and nerves. It provides shape and structure to the body – it literally holds us together!

Fascia is a key element of every kind of physical training we do:

• Strength training

• Agility and speed work

• Flexibility

• Coordination

• Recovery

It surrounds and penetrates all of the structures of the body to:

• Create structure

• Transfer force

• Allow fluidity between structures

But what happens when fascia gets too tight or unhealthy?

Fascia can get constricted, shortened or tight due to injury, trauma, inflammation or chronically poor posture. These constricted areas can put extra tension on muscles, nerves,bones and joints – altering function and movement.  This often leads to pain, movement limitations, and malalignment of joints and imbalances in muscles.

How are myofascial stretches different from standard stretches?  

  1. Myofascial stretches are three dimensional. The body is positioned using all three planes of motion (sagittal, transverse, frontal planes).
  2. Myofascial stretches require strength.  Every stretch has a muscle contraction component.  For example, if we are trying to stretch out hamstrings, we contract the quadriceps.
  3. These stretches require concentration. These are active stretches that require thought and focus. You can think of them as a form of mediation!
  4. Finally, true myofascial stretches are held 90-120 seconds.  Much longer than your typical 20-30 second hold.

How we incorporate stretching into Flostate classes:

We have myo stretches included into the Yoga Restore Flo, Foam Roll and Lengthen, and Intensive Stretching classes. The stretches are woven into class and blended with more traditional yoga poses and stretches, creating a unique blend of movements designed to improve your range of motion, decrease aches and pains and leave you feeling more physically ready for anything. Try out one of our Flostate yoga restore classes and feel the difference!  

Contact Rachel at Flostate to learn more about how you can increase your joint health, improve your mobility, strength, balance and reduce pain at info@theflostate.com.

Which foam roller is right for me?

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When it comes to foam rollers, there are lots of choices to pick from. When choosing you must consider size, diameter, length, density, color and brand. In this article we break these options down to help you to select the best foam roller for you.  

What size foam roller is best?

Online you will find dozens of foam roller shapes and sizes. The most common and “original” size is the 9” diameter and 36” length. This allows you to lay length-wise on the foam roller for some unique core strengthening and posture enhancing movements.  Anything shorter will not work.  We recommend this 9”/36” foam roller as our top pick for Flostate classes.

How firm should my foam roller be?

Not all rollers are the same density or firmness. To the body, this means that some foam rollers will feel very hard and others softer.

Softer rollers:
Softer foam rollers are much more comfortable to use and allow a person to relax more while using it. This is because myofascial release of hardened or “locked” tissues can cause some discomfort. A softer foam roller will not press as deeply into the muscle/tissues and will be a more gentle solution. It can prepare tissues for a firmer foam roller as your body starts to unwind.

Firmer rollers:
Firmer rollers will help you “get right to it”.  You may be more uncomfortable at first using a firm roller versus a softer option, but you will eventually adjust.  The trick is to use the foam roller on a frequent basis- weekly for example.  Your body will begin to unwind, and as it does, the pressure will become more comfortable.  This is a sign that your fascia is responding and “unlocking” or improving.

Which foam roller is right for me?

Here’s one way to decide. Do you prefer a deep tissue massage? Or would you rather have a gentle soft to medium pressure massage?

If you you are a soft to medium massage pressure person, we recommend the pink OPTP foam roller.

If you are the deep tissue massage sort of person, we recommend the black Power Systems foam roller.

Still not sure? You could try them both?

6 Ways To Boost Your Metabolism Today

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Have you ever thought, “If only I had a faster metabolism?” You are not alone! One out of every three Americans struggles to maintain a healthy weight. One weight maintenance strategy is to use up more energy each day or increase our metabolism. By using more baseline calories each day, those few extra calories that slip through are less likely to be stored as fat. Interested? Read on.

What is Metabolism?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, metabolism is defined as “the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life.” When most of us think of metabolism we think, “how many calories do I use in a day and how much can I eat without gaining weight!” One thing to keep in mind is 60-75% of our needed calories each day are just to keep us alive. The remainder are activity, exercise and thermogenic effects of food. We could unpack all sorts of things about the mechanics of metabolism, but we will cut to the chase today and tell you what you can do to speed it up!

What can I do to burn more calories?

Get stronger

  • Increase lean mass by 2-4% pounds of muscle and boost your RMR (resting metabolic rate) by 7-8%.

Eat foods that require more energy to consume

  • Pick fruits and vegetables that take more time and effort to eat. Add in protein as it requires more energy to digest and break down.

Don’t starve yourself

  • Dramatic reductions in calories and crash diets slows metabolism by over 22%. Don’t do it! Odds are you will gain back everything you “lost” and more.

Control your appetite but respect your hunger!

  • Be aware that hunger and appetite are different and that appetite is linked with stress.
  • Hunger is when our bodies need food on a cellular and metabolic level. Don’t ignore hunger! Eat when your body needs nourishment.
  • Appetite is getting a second slice of pie on Thanksgiving after 3 plates of food. Or when we keep eating after a stressful day. Be aware of the difference.

Sleep more than 6 hours per night

  • Lack of sleep is linked with cravings for more energy-dense and unhealthy foods.
  • Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

Control stress

  • Stress increases cortisol, which drives us to choose unhealthy foods and can sabotage our good intentions.

Why Does My Shoulder Hurt?

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Worried about shoulder pain? You are not alone.  About 1 in 5 adults over the age of 40 experiences shoulder pain when reaching or performing overhead activities.

Understanding Rotator Cuff Pain

Most shoulder pain stems from a malfunctioning rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is made up of four small muscles in your shoulder, and its primary function is to stabilize the ball and socket of your shoulder joint. The rotator cuff, along with its tendons, (the attachment to the bone) work as a team to depress or pull the head of your bone down when reaching. If this action does not occur, your tendons can get pinched or “impinged” under the part of the shoulder called the acromion. If this occurs on a regular basis, say every time one reaches, the tendons and sometimes the nerves become irritated and inflamed leading to tendonitis. The rotator cuff needs space, movement and blood flow for optimal health.

Who is most at risk for shoulder pain?

Individuals most at risk for tendonitis are those that perform repetitive overhead movements or such as athletes and manual laborers. Poor posture can also affect the rotator cuff in individuals that are sedentary and/or tethered to desks and computers. Remember, I said space, movement and blood flow are necessary for a happy team of muscles. Habitual poor posture and workstation ergonomics “pinch” the tendons with forward rounded shoulders. The anterior (front) muscles of your chest known as the pectoralis muscles shorten and become overly tight. If these muscles are not allowed to relax and lengthen, further damage to the tendons may occur when asked to perform. Weekend warriors, recreational athletes or inconsistent exercise can exacerbate the problem. One cannot sit 8+ hours and then play a tennis game or round of golf and expect good shoulder performance.

What do I do if I am experiencing pain when reaching my arm outward or overhead?

It is important to properly diagnose the type of shoulder pain and have it addressed promptly  to avoid chronic tendon weakness, degeneration or tears in the cuff muscles. Physical Therapists are movement experts. They can evaluate, educate, and provide prescribed exercises to get the cuff muscles working as a team again. If you have nagging shoulder pain that is impairing  your ability to perform daily routine tasks, schedule an appointment with a Physical Therapist. You do not need a referral to a Physical Therapist in the state of Minnesota.

Thankfully, most rotator cuff tendonitis or shoulder pain is easily resolved with specific exercises that target the faulty mechanism. Although every case is different and an assessment by a physical therapist is preferable, we encourage you to check out this video for an exercise you can do today. Remember if shoulder pain is severe, contact your doctor or a physical therapist.


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The Flostate | PO Box 251155, Woodbury, MN 55125 | info@theflostate.com | 651-412-1778