October 25, 2013 - Respect rear end strength

Sean Rooney, editor
403.528.5688
sports@medicinehatnews.com
Friday, October 25, 2013 — THE MEDICINE HAT NEWS
Respect rear end strength
Ed
Stiles
Training
Matters
Whether you call it a butt, a tushy, a caboose, or badonkadonk, the human rear end does not get the
respect it deserves.
Every day this muscular marvel stands us up out of bed, holds us tall, and allows us to walk upright. It is
the rock that anchors the leg, hip, pelvis and the lumbar spine when stability is needed and the engine
that powers and propels us forward when we need to move. It even provides a portable padded seat
when we need to take a load off.
But do the buttocks get any recognition for all these important jobs? Sadly no. The only print they get
focuses solely on their appearance. But there is more to the tuccus than meets the eye.
Athletic movement begins and ends with the glutes and elite athletes around the world use it to hit
home runs, slam dunk, skate, sprint, block, spike… you get the idea. Strength and conditioning coaches
spend a lot of time helping athletes learn to fire up their buns.
Ed Stiles BPE, Certified Exercise
Physiologist is a member of the
Alberta Sport Development Centre’s
Performance Enhancement Team and
operates Peak Performance Fitness
Services. He can be reached via email
at asdc@mhc.ab.ca or at peakperform@hotmail.com.
Back care professionals also spend an uncomfortable part of every day teaching people to re-awaken
their fanny muscles to control the pelvis and protect their spine. I myself hollered at my troops this very
week to “pinch a coin between those cheeks.” So what’s all the fuss over one muscle group you ask?
First off it’s not just one muscle but a collection of muscles: gluteus maximus, medius and minimus,
along with the ‘deep six’ a group who you’ll never hear about unless they are getting blamed for
something, such as piriformis syndrome. Together these back side bumpers serve as both the
wheelhouse and the engine for the human machine whether you are going to the Olympics or not.
So how do we help them function better? Reality is we are all different, so you should talk to somebody
about your posture, gait patterns and movement habits. This will determine where your needs and weak
links lie. The guy with piriformis syndrome and toes that point out may need to loosen and lengthen his
money maker. If your knees collapse inward with squats or the lower back arches in planks and push ups
you will need to shorten, tighten, and even learn how to activate your keister. Since the latter is a
common challenge with athletes in training let’s talk about firming and firing the glute max.
Step 1 (activate): laying on your back in with knees bent and feet planted attempt to flatten the back
onto the floor by tucking the tail beneath you and scooping the pelvis in front. From this posterior pelvic
tilt position attempt to bridge a straight line from your shoulders to knees by pressing feet into floor.
Here is where I ask you to either punch yourself or give the bum a squeeze. You should feel rock hard
buns of steel. If not, or you feel the move in your back or hamstrings, re-start and try again, thinking of
that coin between the cheeks as a dime not a toonie!
Step 2 (strengthen): Any exercise that involves hip extension like stepping up onto a bench, squats, or
lunges. One of my personal faves is the rear foot elevated split squat as it also stretches the overtight
hip flexors of the back leg while building your derriere on the front leg.
The good news is that whether you’ve got very tight buns, a bubble butt, a perfect circle, or a trunk full
of junk if you work to make them function better they also end up looking better.