It seems I’ve developed this reputation of being a very “functional” trainer. And I’m fine with that label because nearly everybody I see (and that would include you) has some type of dysfunction. But the problem is that the majority of those folks don’t realize that they are dysfunctional. All they know is that their back, their knee, their shoulder hurts. Or just that they can’t do the things they used to do 10 years ago.
People need to recognize that pain frequently is a symptom of dysfunction: poor postural alignment, limited flexibility and accompanying faulty movement patterns. At the start of any exercise program, those things need to be addressed or you’re setting yourself up for failure – and even more pain and injury. What’s the most common form of dysfunction I see? Tight, immobile hips and weak, inactive glutes. For instance, if you can’t flex your hips (pushing your butt back with limited spinal or knee flexion), you have no business doing a loaded squat with weight on your back. If you can’t touch your toes, you shouldn’t be doing deadlifts. Let’s look at the squat, which a lot of people do, many with improper form. Your first move SHOULD be hip flexion. But with far too many people, their first move is knee flexion. So what happens? As you lower yourself and the barbell down toward the floor, all that weight must be absorbed. And if you’re flexing your knees first, guess what’s absorbing a great deal of the force? Conversely, if you are able to sit back and load your hips and glutes, they’re performing the brunt of the work. Think, do you want force absorbed by the small, vulnerable knee joint or by the big, powerful muscles of your gluteus maximus?
I tell my clients to think of their glutes as shock absorbers in a sense. As you walk, run, cut, jump or land, force is being transferred through your body. With inadequate glute function, that force has to be transferred elsewhere, likely to your lower back and/or your knees. When you can’t flex and extend the hips, you’re going to compensate with spinal extension (not to mention losing a lot of potential power in your movements. Most ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) prevention camps don’t focus on strengthening the knees. Ankle and knee stability surely is component, but the main focus is on the hips and glutes, which assist in decelerating flexion and internal rotation of the knee. So yes, the glutes are shock absorbers and they’re also brakes. And if you’re wondering, don’t the quads also assist in deceleration? Yes, they do. But let me give you another analogy. If you’re riding a bike and all you have are front brakes, what happens if you’re going really fast and have to slam on the brakes? You flip over the handlebars because you couldn’t stop all of that momentum evenly, efficiently. Having only front brakes is an accident waiting to happen and if you’re quad-dominant and neglect your glutes, your knees and back will eventually suffer the consequences.
Along with being called functional, my training style has been called “hip dominant.” Before a fellow trainer told me that a few years ago, I hadn’t even thought about it. But once I did, I said, yeah, I guess he’s right. And as I’ve said in a previous blog, “Hips Don’t Lie,” if your hips are tight and your glutes are inactive, your movement – even simply walking – is compromised. And sooner or later, that dysfunction will manifest in the form of pain. Get your glutes firing and – in keeping with the order of my training philosophy – you’ll feel better, move better and look better. Ever see a world class sprinter, a gymnast or really any explosive athlete with a flat butt? Very rarely. That should tell you something.
So you want to reduce the chances of injury, improve your everyday function AND take your athletic performance to another level? The answer is simple: get your ass in gear!
Robert Haddocks is a personal trainer at Lifetime Fitness. He is certified through the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) and NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and is CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist).
