Fixing Glute Imbalances

You likely found yourself here because of one of three situations:

1. You leaned out & noticed one side of your glutes is noticeably bigger than the other!
2. You hurt your back & the physio told you that your glutes are either inactive or imbalanced.
3. You sport specific train and have a feeling your glutes are the thing holding you back. 

Welcome.  Glute imbalances are very common- much more common that you would imagine.  In fact, I even developed one due to farm chores that I lead with my dominant side on!  It was actually the imbalance that developed from this that caused my own injured back over 10 years ago and a follow along obsession with helping people create powerful, FUNCTIONAL, glutes.

Now, fair warning: This will not be a cut and dry solution you can walk away with.  The reality is this is a multi-faceted problem that could be popping up unique to your and your situation.  I realize how comforting it can be to expect a “simple fix”, however here we prioritize evidence based training over fads or gimmicks!

With that said, the reality is you will very likely have to commit to months of rehab to fix this problem, which may force you to scale back your primary training while you fix the imbalances.  Trust me! The time you spend fixing the imbalances will pay off immensely in the long run.  It is worth your time.

In this article I am going to first discuss the reasons why you may have developed one as well as some simple solutions.  The problem is that our modern world is set up to create these imbalances and you MUST be dedicated to working against the forces of evil to create the results you desire. Such large, powerful muscles lie asleep and often, to the detriment of the individual who is squatting, doing leg day, believing they are doing everything “right”.

Before we begin, I have a challenge for you.  Right now, stand up.  Do a squat.  Don't do anything differently than you do on a normal day.  Where did you feel the squat?  If you were able to feel your glutes were they engaged for the ENTIRE squat?  Did you lean more into one leg?  Were you on your toes? Leaning forward? Now, another challenge.  Go sit down (if you aren’t already).  Stand up.  Where do you feel it?  If I was a gambling woman I feel the odds are in my favour to guess your quads.  These little situations show how day to day we are feeding into imbalances without even realizing it.  Without actively working against it we unconsciously create a bigger gap between where we are & where we want to be.

Why are squats not the glute exercise they are cracked up to be?

Due to our own imbalances and the effects of modern society (for example sitting all day at a desk or driving) we have difficulty actually activating the glutes within a large compound movement like the squat.  Our quads very often take over and you can see this as your strength improves, your legs grow but your butt remains the same, or maybe one glute grows while the other one sadly lags behind like a pancake that only got half the batter.  Not only does this imbalance set you up for future injury but it will also feed your current imbalance further.  Therefore a large booty isn't just for filling out the new Lululemon yoga pants you bought but for your own long term health and injury prevention!

Squats only become a great glute move IF you spend the necessary time putting your ego aside and working on mobility and activation work FIRST! Yes, maybe it isn't as fun as saying you squat 200 pounds but a 200 pound squat isn't going to be of benefit when you are stuck in bed, unable to put socks on, because you blew out L5S1 from ignoring your imbalances (Been there, done that which is why I want you to learn from my mistakes!). 

Are you ready to put your ego aside and train your body right to prevent injuries and set backs down the road?

Let's get started.

What is glute activation?

Sometimes I hear "well, my glutes have to be working for me to be able to stand up and walk!  Therefore they work when I squat!".  Well yes, however there is a large difference between functioning OPTIMALLY and being non existent!  And if your glutes are not functioning optimally then you are compensating.

The body is an amazing machine and it will compensate quite easily to follow the path of least resistance. If you tell your body to squat, it will squat, but it does not mean it is activating the proper muscles.  That is why some people develop knee pain from squatting.  If you tell your body to run, it will run but it doesn't mean that it is activating the proper muscles.  This is why runners knee is so prevalent.  These nagging injuries end up forcing us to take time off of training when we could have prevented the issue from the beginning of training. Smaller muscles NOT meant to handle the training you are doing can only compensate for so long before an injury happens.

We must STOP just assuming that being able to do a move means we are doing it properly or activating the proper muscles.  Good form means nothing if you aren't activating the proper muscles. 

This is where glute activation comes in.

Glute activation exercises are more isolated movements targeted at the GLUTES.  They are done for higher reps with little to no resistance so you can focus solely on the glute activation and contraction.  This gives you the opportunity to build a mind to muscle connection and FEEL the right muscles working... The glutes.

Not your hamstrings.

Not your lower back.

Not your quads.

Your glutes.

Before we get into how to strengthen the glutes let’s touch on some reasons WHY you may have either underactive glutes or imbalance glutes!

Humans Are Asymmetrical by Nature

By nature, our bodies are asymmetrical. You might notice that your anatomy reflects this, such as having one leg slightly longer than the other. While these natural asymmetries—like pelvic and hip imbalances or leg length discrepancies—can happen, the greater impact often comes from our daily movements. We tend to favor one side when standing or develop habitual, asymmetrical patterns in everyday tasks, which over time can lead to imbalances in the body.

A slight imbalance is normal, and complete & total symmetry between each side may be a fools game attempting to create, however if you are finding an imbalance at 15% or between your glutes it is important to correct it.

Also worth noting, if your problem is that you are simply NOT activating the glutes & have no mind body connection due to glute inhibition, that is a different story and must be addressed to reach your physique goals, live pain free, & improve in your sport.

 Sport Imbalances

Imbalances can develop due to the sport you play, for example baseball.  Most of my clients are either focusing on physique goals or functional fitness (ie- CrossFit) so rarely am I finding glaring issues that other sports create, however if you start with an imbalance and don’t fix it you will absolutely end up with more issues long term.

 What is an example?  If you are training in CrossFit & start with a glute imbalance yet continue to train, your dominant glute will continue to get stronger and compensate for your weaker side.  This dysfunctional movement over time will likely lead you to a back injury.  Also, if you begin training in functional fitness and you have glutes that are NOT properly working at all other muscles will compensate (typically back and quads) which will then lead to a back injury down the road.

Therefore, even if your sport itself isn’t predominantly using one side of your body any sport, over time, can feed into glute issues if not addressed.

 Inactivity

The reality is that inactivity is going to lead to muscle imbalances throughout the body, especially if you are sitting a lot.  Sitting on your glutes is going to cut off blood flow to the muscle, reduce the mind body connection, create imbalances itself through tightening the hip flexors, and over time impinge your sciatic nerve due to the fascia being tight and shrink wrapped to the muscle (not an official medical term!).

Remember when your mom used to say “if you don’t use it you lose it?”.  That’s basically how the glutes work, more so than many other muscles in the body.  There is research, using electromyography (EMG), that says there are certain muscles that are activated in daily movement.  For example, your quads are most likely to be activated in getting up from your chair, picking up your kids toys from the ground, and walking up your stairs.  Your erectors (back) are highly activated doing yard work.  The problem, however, is that no research supports the glutes being used effectively in daily movement. In fact, research shows that the glutes only activate at 10% maximum capacity when going from a sit to stand. The glutes activate even less in normal walking, therefore your 10, 000 steps you are getting on your Fit Bit also are not helping you with your glute activation.

 Glute Inhibition

Pain is shown to be a contributor, as well, to glute inhibition.  Research shows that the glutes can become inhibited with just about any lower body or spinal injury.  Stubbed your toe?  Tweaked your knee?  Shin splint? Bulging disc? Fell on ice? Anything, big or small, can result in your body turning off your glutes. 

Now, this is not inherently bad, and this natural “self protection” mechanism in the body actually protects you from making your injury worse.  Your glutes are a massive source of power and propulsion, meaning that being “turned off” in the time of injury protects you from making the injury worse.  The reality is that from an evolutionary perspective you would not have been able to survive if you could never hunt or gather again.  You wouldn’t survive if you couldn’t run to get out of danger.  Therefore, the body forcing you to rest is actually a smart evolutionary mechanism to protect your survival long term.

The problem, however, is that the glutes don’t simply magically turn back on when you get back to training.  You must actively rebuild the mind to body connection & create functional movement patterns again, without the body bypassing the glutes. Most people get back to training & believe that just because they are squatting or lunging that the glutes are working because it is a “glute exercise”.  That is not the case.

Solutions to Create Buns of Steel

The first thing I recommend is looking at these two things: 

1. Is overall glute activation an issue and neither glute is properly activating?  The approach will be different than if you only have 1 glute which is the issue.
2. What is the root cause of your glute issues?  Resolving this, or at the very least minimizing the impact (for example maybe a desk you can move between standing & sitting) will go a long way in preventing issues long term, or from issues continuing to pop up.

Yet, either way, regardless of the cause I recommend following the same plan below!

Do not train through pain

 
The solution to your glute issue is not to be found in starting your rehab while your injury is still causing pain.  Wait until the injury heals then, through the ok from your trainer or physiotherapist, begin incorporating the protocol below.

 Isometric Contractions

Prior to starting, identify if you are dealing with one weak glute or two.

If you are dealing with one weaker glute ONLY perform these exercises on the weaker glute.  If both glutes are flat as a pancake no matter what exercises you do, then I would recommend doing these exercises for both glutes.  Always start on your weaker side, which likely will be the less dominant side.

I recommend doing this protocol 2-3 times a day.  I recommend, for my clients, morning, afternoon, and evening.  You can even do this while you are in a meeting with your boss… No one will know! 

Each exercise is to be done for 10 sets while holding each rep for 3 seconds.  Rest for 3-5 seconds between sets.

Exercise 1: Maximum contraction with the glute(s) from a standing position.

Exercise 2: Maximum contraction with the glute(s) from a seated position.

Exercise 3: Maximum contraction with the glute(s) from prone position.  For this exercise you will lie flat on the ground, you can cross your arms under your head if you wish.  Lift your weak leg to a 90 degree angle with the bottom of your foot parallel to the ceiling. Using the glute raise the leg as high as you can without lifting the back or using the hamstrings.

 Low Load Dynamic Drills

These are the typical exercises you will be prescribed by a physiotherapist which help you now move from simply activating the glutes to integrating your glutes into movement.  It is important that for these exercises you are not going to failure or attempting to increase the difficulty.  Do not add bands or weights for this. As well, do not do so many repetitions that you begin using your hamstrings or back.  Stop as soon as the glutes stop.

You will perform these 5-7 days per week, preferably 7 days per week for a maximum of 5-10 minutes.  Do NOT perform more.  More is not better, in fact, it may put you right back to square one.

Complete these exercises as a circuit, meaning exercise 1, then 2, then 3, etc.  Rest 60 seconds- 2 minutes then start again. Only do both sides if you are having struggles with both glutes.

Start with bird dog, both sides.

Exercise 1: Lying side abductions- I recommend doing this against a wall if you are prone to lean forward or back.

Exercise 2; Side lying clam shell- I recommend doing this against a wall if you are prone to lean forward or back. 

Exercise 3: Quadruped hip extensions with straight leg- Tight core and push into hands so that you are not sinking into your shoulder blades.  You will be in a bird dog position with the weaker leg straight out behind you.  You can also do this for your elbows if it is easier for you to focus solely on your glutes. Lift the leg, using the glute, as high as you can. Lower and repeat.

Exercise 4: Side Sumo Walk/ Duck Walk/ Monster Walk.  It goes by different names however is  popular for strengthening the glutes in rehab.

How to do the Sump Walk: This is performed by getting in a slight squat and stepping sideways with your legs staying fairly wide apart.  While as you progress you could add bands, and research supports the highest glute activation with the bands around the forefoot, do not rush to that point.  Focus on reeducating your body to create a mind to body connection through movement.

In this part of your rehab the point is basically reeducating the glutes, so again, don’t rush adding bands.  Don’t be a hero! Remember, the focus is on quality muscle contractions. You want to feel these movements as much as possible in the gluteus maximus of the dysfunctional side. 

Worthy of noting: Form and positioning will be as unique as you are.  Play around with slight differences in your feet to find where you get the most activation.  Be intentional with this rather than just going through the motions to get it done.

Training

You do not have to completely avoid training, I simply suggest following these suggestions in regards to your weight training.

First, always cater to the weaker side.  Prioritize quality of movement and activation rather than hitting PR’s.  Use this time to really nail form & instill proper movement patterns. What your weights look like will be individual to the person. If you are someone that has been inactive likely you will want to stay with bodyweight movements. Someone that has been training extensively prior may find something in the range of 65-70% of your 1RM may be sufficient.

If you go heavy your body will always pick the path of least resistance, which means returning to your old movement patterns.  Be patient, the increase in performance will be worth it in the end!

My second suggestion in returning to training is to incorporate single leg movements as well as core stability exercises.  This may be lunges, 1 leg romanian deadlifts, 1 leg glute bridges or hip thrusts, etc for your glutes. Always start with the weak glute and stop when you feel your glute stop working.  It is a loss, and will set you back, if you push past your weak glutes abilities. Depending on the severity of your imbalance I also recommend doing twice the volume for the weaker side compared to the stronger side. For example: If you do 10 reps for the weaker side, stick to 5 reps for the stronger side.

By working the proper muscles in an exercise you also incorporate a process called reciprocal inhibition, which describes the process of muscles on one side of a joint relaxing to accommodate contraction on the other side of that joint.   Therefore,  by activating your glutes and focusing on squeezing them to drive hip extension in a glute bridge you will work on relaxing the tight hip flexors on the front of your hips.  HOWEVER, if you do this move and don't focus on the glutes, or hyper extend at the top by recruiting your lower back, you are only going to perpetuate your pain.

Myofascial Release (foam rolling) + Stretching

Through stretching you are able to relax tight muscles and restore them to their proper range of motion.  By allowing your muscles to access their full range of motion you are then better able to recruit proper muscles during your workout. It is important, however, to stretch the right muscles.  You must stretch the tight muscles without stretching the loose muscles more.  For example, in upper cross syndrome someone will have loose back muscles and tight chest muscles.  In this situation, most people have a sore back so they stretch their back more, making the problem worse.

For most people the tightest areas are the hips, hamstrings and quads.  Some areas not often thought of are also the calves and ankle mobility!  If you work at a desk or spend a lot of time driving I can nearly guarantee your back pain is due to tight hip flexors and quads, with weak hamstrings and glutes.

 When stretching something to keep in mind is that it will not fix fascial tightness and knotted, matted down, tissue.  Stretching will not repair this, and attempting to just stretch it out will continue to stretch the tissue ONLY around the knotted matted tissue.

To help combat this I recommend a combination of Myofascial release with deep tissue massage as needed. You can do myofascial release at home with a foam roller, lacrosse ball, and massage balls, easily accessible on Amazon.  I recommend 5-10 minutes of glute work per day, paying attention to where it feels tight, sore, or knotted.

Conclusion

The goal is for your glutes to automatically operate as they are meant to within functional movement patterns.  Focus on quality over quantity and in time you should see better performance, less pain, and a more balanced physique.

Ashley Briana Eve

strong.ER Functional Fitness

https://www.strongerfunctionalfitness.com/