I was at acupuncture today and asked my acupuncturist to focus on relaxing my glute (butt) muscle. Funny huh? Well in this article I’m going to outline why excess tension in our glutes or core is not a good thing.
A few weeks ago, I threw out my sacroiliac joint and ever since my glute muscle has been tighter than normal. So much so that I find myself having to purposefully relax my glutes during the day because they are carrying so much tension.
And you know what?!!!
This is something I OFTEN have to guide my clients through too! So many moms butt clench without even knowing it. Yet optimal function occurs when there is a balance between mobility/flexibility and tension/strength.
Too much mobility… you are more prone to injury and pain
Too much tension….you are ALSO more prone to injury and pain
So here is a simple self-test you can do on yourself to see if your belly and butt are working for you or possibly against your best efforts…
- Do you often hold tension in your belly/core? In other words, do you often “suck in your gut” to look better or brace against pain/discomfort?
- Stand up… once standing I want you to try to relax your butt…
Did your butt relax, aka move? Or was it hard to notice any movement?
If you answered “Yes” to
#1- You are carrying excess tension in your core
#2- You are carrying excess tension in your glutes
If you answered NO to both of these questions you either have a good balance between mobility and tension OR have very high mobility. In either case, the information spelled out next is still helpful for you! SO KEEP READING…
Our glutes and core work together and when optimally balanced with strength and mobility we get the best results from our efforts to make these areas “look” the way we want.
If one area, say your glutes, carries a lot of tension, your hamstrings will help your glutes out by doing some of the glutes job. A tense muscle isn’t able to work as optimally, but our bodies are so smart and will find a way to get things done… in this case have the hamstrings work harder.
Now, I know this is getting a bit complex but bear with me, because if you can understand this it can be a game changer for you and your fitness goals!
So, in this example, your glutes are tight and your hamstrings are working harder. This makes the connection between your glutes and core weaker. This weaker connection makes your core less responsive, aka the core doesn’t always turn on when or as much as it should… because its partner, the glutes, is sending weaker signals for them to work together. Over time (months or even years) this pattern can make it very challenging to get the toned glutes and/or core you desire.
Solution… waking up the glutes, turning off the hamstrings and re-awaking the core-glute relationship!
This pattern often arises through pregnancy and if you are postpartum and have had trouble toning your glutes or core after babies… this could be a pattern you hold in your body and until it’s corrected your mom butt or mom pooch are not going to improve, no matter what you’re trying.
So what can you do?
- Enroll in Restore Your Core! It is the absolute BEST postpartum recovery program available and I have vetted dozens! I am a trained Restore Your Core provider so you can get a $10 discount on enrollment using code: W2WA46BA and Enroll HERE.
2. Work with me 1:1 virtually or in person (Oahu) to personalize your RYC experience even further for even better results! Schedule a free consultation HERE.
In Health,
Hilary
