by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 12, 2015 | Blog, Exercises, Pain Relief
I’m constantly asking clients during sessions, “Where do you feel this?” “What do you feel working?”
I ask these questions for a couple of different reasons.
One, I want them to focus on the correct muscles activating and working to make sure they are getting the most out of the move.
And two, I want them to build their mind-body connection so they can actually get stronger and more efficient with the movements.
Because, amazingly, just because someone has good form doesn’t mean they are actually activating the correct muscles and forcing them to work.
You would be amazed and surprised by how many people lack a real mind-body connection – a real awareness of what muscles should be working and activating.
Heck, many people can’t even get the correct muscles working and isolated during movements.
Yet they are all out there working out, adding a little more weight or doing a few more reps.
And then they wonder why they aren’t getting stronger. Why their pull ups aren’t getting better. Why they constantly have aches and pains in areas that shouldn’t really be getting as worked as they are.
It’s all because they haven’t established a proper mind-body connection – it’s because they’ve skipped the Activation Step.
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by Cori Lefkowith | Mar 21, 2014 | Blog, Butt, Exercises
Many of the AMAZING glute activation exercises that we should all be doing are those funny looking moves that Jane Fonda used to do in her leotard with ankle weights.
They are the moves that most people, especially guys, avoid.
However, everyone from the professional athlete to the guy or gal sitting behind the desk for 9 hours a day (especially actually that guy or gal with a desk job) should do those funny looking glute activation moves!
Glute activation can help you reduce your risk of injury and even alleviate your lower back pain by relaxing overactive hip flexors AND by getting your glutes to fire efficiently and effectively so that your lower back and hamstrings don’t compensate and become overworked.
Because so many of us spend so much time seated, our hips can become tight and our glutes can become underactive.
So getting them firing efficiently is key!
When your glutes are strong you’ll also find your running speed and endurance improves AND you can lift more!
Plus, strong glutes look pretty darn nice too!
And you can accomplish all of this by using those SILLY LOOKING ISOLATION MOVES!
Glute activation exercises should be included in your warm up to establish that mind-body connection so you can effectively recruit the muscles during your compound lifts or runs.
This will help you use proper recruitment patterns so your lower back doesn’t become overworked!
You can also include these more isolated moves in your supplemental circuits OR even as a nice quick finisher to your workout routine!
10 Must-Do Glute Activation Exercises:
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