Yes yes! We are back with another blog.

Before we dive into this, if you haven’t, I highly recommend reading my two other blogs about Core Stability:

Blog #1: The BEST Way To Improve Core Stability 

Blog #2: Before You Do Another Core Exercise, Read This

I also filmed a video on Core Stability that you should checkout as well: 

YouTube: Before You Do Another Core Exercise, Watch This

That’s of course up to you, but I’m going to reference concepts and ideas from the previous blogs so it’s in your best interest to go check those out! Okay, so I get a lot of DMs (from people outside and inside the program) about struggling to really feel their glutes burn in their glute exercises as well as growing their glutes. People tell me they feel quads a lot, lower back, knees etc. 

(People inside the program, look out, I got some cool problem solving content coming your way! I know y’all read these too heh.) 

I too struggled with feeling and GROWING my glutes consistently. A few things didn’t add up when it came to training my glutes. I could hip thrust 275lbs for “15-20” reps. But my glutes didn’t grow nor were they sore after my workout. Sometime my back and hip flexors would be sore.

Deadlifts didn’t work either.

Squats didn’t do it.

Glute bridges were probably the most “effective” in terms of feeling my glutes, but they were still small.

Why was that? 

It comes to down to one simple concept:

Hip Extension.

I NEVER finished hip extension. 

Now what is hip extension?

Hip extension involves shortening the posterior leg (back of your leg) and lengthening the anterior leg (front of the leg). The main area of concern is the bottom of the gluteus maximus pushing through and forward.

It’s that simple. 

At ALL times, there are muscles lengthening and shortening to whether we're sitting still, walking and of course lifting weights.

But two questions I never asked myself before I did Flobility were:

1. What is ACTUALLY shortening and lengthening to allow me to do these movements?

3. What muscles are ACTUALLY getting stronger when I do these movements?

(Muscles move bones)

Another question was:

How do we STRETCH the glutes (hip flexion being the opposite of hip extension).

When we flex the hip (hip flexion) the back of the leg is supposed to LENGTHEN while the front SHORTENS. 

Not ONE time did I consider that my glutes needed to lengthen more in order for me to contract and shorten them more. If the glutes only stretch so much, they can only contract so much which is the foundation of muscular hypertrophy right? 

When you wanna grow your bicep, you need to stretch it under load (a weight) and then successfully shorten your bicep to stress the tissues in your bicep and force them to “tear” and be rebuilt larger and stronger. 

The same applies to the glutes. 

In order to FEEL and then GROW the glutes, we need to stretch them more.

But there is something that PREVENTS the glutes from stretching and shortening more when we hip flex (lengthening of the back of the leg) and hip extend (shortening of the back of the leg).

Can you guess what it is? 

A lack of Core Stability. 

And here is where we understand the connection between the core and the glutes. In order for us to stretch the glutes more, we need core stability. We need certain things to hold, while certain things move. 

The more challenging the exercise (from a weight perspective or range of motion perspective) the HARDER it is to maintain core stability. 

When performing a glute bridge, what are you typically told to do FIRST…

Yeah.

Smash your back into the ground.

Flatten your back into the ground.

Tuck your butt under you. 

I know because AGAIN, I used to TEACH and do this myself…

It’s the exact thing I used to do before core work (which is why I wanted you to read those previous blogs and watch that YouTube video).

This cue lengthens the lower back and shortens the glutes effectively teaching them to "hold". Over time I learned how that cue made my glutes really tight. So because of that tightness… they never stretched. Meaning, it was hard to feel them and thus grow them as well. 

So the lower back smashing cue bled into my other movements which disrupted the stretching and shortening of my glutes in these exercises. The same motion showed up in other places as well:

Jordan taught me that I was using this stability system everywhere and that it was the exact same process required before I did any kind of movement:

It became part of my unconsciousness in that even when I wasn’t trying to, my glutes were clenching on tight stabilizing preemptively like the deep intrinsic core was supposed to do before I did some kind of movement.

It blew my mind. So after signing up for his program and diving into the practice, I began to learn a new stability system like I spoke about in the previous blog: The Intrinsic Core. This simple change of not smashing my lower back into the ground and learning how to use my core and hips for stability led to so many changes within my body. It impacted my aesthetics, my pain (literally gone), my movement and of course my glutes:

It all starts with the core:

It freed my glutes and allowed them to stretch and shorten more in all of my hip flexion (lengthening the back of the leg) to hip extension based exercises.

I have something for you to try to get started: 5 minute Glute Workout (follow us on TikTok!)

Yes, you read that right, a 5 minute glute workout. 

It’s very basic but it hones in on the fundamentals of what you learned today. It’s a good start for you, but ultimately you need to get the program.

Jordan breaks down everything step by step and shows you exactly how to do what I’ve done and what others have done before and after me. 

All it takes is consistency and hard work.

But you won’t have to do it alone. When you sign up, you get a free consultation with me! I’ll get you started on the right foot answering any questions you have and I’ll give you a workout you’ll never forget!

Following that, you’ll have access to me 24/7 for questions and form checks so you legit can’t fail (unless you don’t workout, but you knew that already). 

I’ve done and am doing what you’re about to jump into, so I got your back. I’ll help you through this!

So what ya’ waitin for? 

Let’s get you started: Flobility Program

Anyone can do what I’ve done. And I want to help you get there.

Questions? Email me here: [email protected] 

- Coach K