Has anyone noticed that Instagram seems to be full of images of people in their gym kit showing off their derrieres? Having a firm and rounded booty seems very much in vogue these days, which is kind of ironic as our more sedentary lifestyles are causing our glutes to weaken!
Aesthetic reasons aside there are some really good reasons why it’s worth introducing regular glute strengthening work into your yoga practice, particularly as this is an area that I feel is often not given much emphasis in many yoga classes. So here are just a few incentives followed by a yoga sequence that will help you to cultivate greater strength in your glutes and more stability in your pelvis.
- You’re less likely to get injured and glute strengthening can prevent injury recurrence
The job of the glutes is to provide stability for the pelvis as well as controlling and providing power and propulsion for lower body movements as walking, running, climbing stairs and squatting. Knee injuries, shin splints, hamstring tears and tendinopathies usually respond well to a program of regular glute strengthening as well as helping to reduce the risk of repeated injury.
- You may feel less tightness, tension and pain in your lower back
A common postural pattern these days is to have weak glutes (partly because we sit on them all day!) and tight, overworked spinal extensors. Sometimes this can lead to tension, discomfort and pain in the lower back. Targeted exercises that strengthen the glutes whilst simultaneously teaching us not to grip with the lower back muscles can really help to bring some much-needed ease to the lumbar spine.
- You will improve your athletic performance
Whatever your sport, strengthening your glutes will really help your performance by improving your hip extension (essential in sprinting and running) as well as enhancing your ability to accelerate, decelerate, switch directions and create speed and power in jumps.
- You will bring more balance to your regular yoga practice
There is a lot of emphasis, particularly in many of the traditional yoga sequences such as Ashtanga, on stretching out the hamstrings and by extension the back of the hip. This in itself is not a bad thing but like all things we run into issues if this is not balanced by appropriate strength and conditioning work. Remember a healthy muscle is one that is relaxed, pliable and resilient – it contracts and engages when we need it to and relaxes when we don’t. Remember too that just because a muscle is tight, doesn’t mean it is strong. Strengthening your tight muscles will actually improve your flexibility and range of motion – they are not mutually exclusive as many people tend to think.
For a printable version of the sequence please click here.
