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The Flostate

Movement that Matters

Strength

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.

The Power of Strength Training for Women

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What if I told you that there is indeed a “fountain of youth”? It’s no joke. And it is more simple and less expensive than you are imagining. It’s called strength training and here is why it’s important for everyone, particularly women. 

Strength Training Helps Preserve Muscle Mass

Muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60. This leads to a loss of strength, which increases vulnerability to injury due to bone density changes and stability issues. When we lose muscle it is also accompanied by a progressive increase in fast mass. Essentially we change our body composition, which isn’t desirable! The look most people women desire is a body that has more muscle mass on it…not less. Strength training helps stimulate  muscle fibers and signals our brain to hold on to that muscle tissue. By the way – lifting weights does not make you “manly” or “bulky”. It makes you strong, toned and resilient. 

Strength Training Strengthens Bones and Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

An estimated eight million women and two million men in the United States have osteoporosis. Of the several exercise training programs, resistance training is known to be highly beneficial for the preservation of bone and muscle mass.

Activities that put stress on bones can nudge bone-forming cells into action. That stress comes from the physical tugging and pushing on bone that occur during strength training (as well as weight-bearing aerobic exercises like walking or running). Strong bones are essential to prevent injuries. 

Strength Training Improves Mood

We all know that exercise has mood-boosting capabilities. And it’s not just the classic “runner’s high”. Results from a 2018 study showed that resistance exercise “significantly reduced depressive symptoms” among research participants. One notable finding was that participants showed an improvement in their mood regardless of whether they grew physically stronger from the exercises. That’s pretty powerful! 

Strength Training Improves Posture and Balance

No one wants to see their posture reduced – or the dreaded hunchback as they age. Resistance training improves posture by strengthening the muscles of your upper back, shoulders, hips and core, helping bring these muscle groups back into balance and our joints into proper alignment. Lifting weights also helps improve our balance by strengthening the muscles around our joints. 

Strength Training Improves Confidence!

Resistance training builds confidence. There is such power and satisfaction that comes from working hard in the gym. And, as simple as it sounds, some of that stems from literally lifting heavy things. Knowing you can do it, you are capable and you are strong. 

References

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The Flostate | PO Box 251155, Woodbury, MN 55125 | 833-218-5525 | info@theflostate.com

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