Prevents Injury
Many of the popular exercises and workout regimens (e.g., Tabata, HIIT, CrossFit, High intensity boot camps) require explosive lower body movements. When done correctly, they offer tremendous fat burning benefits and they are a ton of fun for everyone. How can you go wrong with these kinds of workouts?
By having under-developed glute muscles.
Your glutes propel you forward and provide that explosive power you need. Again, when the glutes cannot take on the demands you place on it, smaller less equipped muscles will take on the extra burden and because they are not meant to handle the extra stress, injuries are far more likely to occur. You may experience knee and lower back pain, and your body will again adapt to the knee pain, causing more injuries and those injuries will cause even worse injuries.
It is a cumulative cycle of pain, your body adapting to avoid the pain, and thus causing more pain in other areas of your body.
This scenario is less than ideal. Give your body the tools it needs to get the most out of your workout routine. Train for stronger glutes to help prevent injury.
Train them hard.
Remember, glutes are a large muscle so do away with bodyweight exercises if you are used to doing them for a while. You want to challenge them to become stronger (and bigger) and that requires adding more weight and increasing the intensity. Deadlifts, squats (if your knees can hang), and cable kickbacks are good exercises to challenge your glutes. Lift heavy (5-10 reps) and feel the burn!
Your body (and your mirror) will thank you for it.
Leah Watkins is a NASM certified personal trainer and natural figure competitor. She believes that fitness is personal and should be tailored to each person’s individual lifestyle. After embarking on her own fitness journey and losing over 70 lbs, she has made it her mission to offer simple, easy to follow tips on how to get to any fitness level you desire! Instagram: @the_leahshow.