Today will be the third diary on a specific muscle group in the body. Last month, we looked at our Deltoids. Back in early October, we reviewed our Triceps. The purpose of the series is to focus on one muscle each month with the idea to present functions of the muscle, points of origin and insertion on the skeletal system, and a range of exercises to supplement your other exercising to improve this area of the body.
Join me below for a quick look at your glutes and how they follow you wherever you go.
WHEE (Weight, Health, Eating and Exercise) is a community support diary for Kossacks who are currently or planning to start losing, gaining or maintaining their weight through diet and exercise or fitness. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are working on your weight or fitness, please -- join us! You can also click the WHEE tag to view all diary posts.
As you can see from the list below, there are several opportunities for assistance from DKos readers. My goal today is to get three people assigned to diaries for this week. What's my bid for tonight. Even an open thread to encourage us all to stay focused over the next several weeks will help.
Scheduled WHEE diaries:
December 7
Mon PM - ???
December 8
Tues AM - ???
Tues PM - Clio2 (Kessler, Ch. 30)
December 9
Weds AM - ???
Weds PM - Edward Spurlock (Kessler, Ch. 29, part 2)
December 10
Thurs AM - ???
Thurs PM - ???
December 11
Fri AM - Ed G
Fri PM - ???
December 12
Sat AM - ???
Sat PM - Edward Spurlock (Kessler, Ch. 31)
December 13
Sun AM - ???
Sun PM - Holiday Fit Club - kismet
December 14
Monday AM - NC Dem
Monday PM - ???
First a visual look for all of us
For a larger view, please click on the image and it goes to one that is easier to see at photobucket. I promise that before next Monday, I will learn how to enlarge the photos to better fit the diary. Promise!
Do we abuse our glutes?
They are always the last area both men and women consider. We buy tons of eye makeup, razors for a beard, lovely undergarments, facial makeup or cream for moisture, hair products to add bounce and shine to our hair. The list can go on and on. And what do we do for our glutes. We sit on them most of the day.
Gravity takes over
One of the real problem areas on the body for the effects of gravity. Take a close look at the first photo of the glutes. Notice how they run at an angle on the back side of our butts. A very clear demarcation line is shown...right! But it only is if we do more than sit on it. Both men and women want a tight, lifted, well-defined glute. But it is not just for our vanity. It adds tremendously to our functional strength.
Many websites refer to the glutes as a helmet shaped very thick muscle that attaches to the ilium (posterior crest) and the posterior sacrum. This is the origin. How do we determine where a muscle originates and inserts? If you learn one point from today's diary...please learn these two points.
Origin (b): muscle attachment that moves least, generally more proximal
Insertion (a): muscle attachment that moves most, generally more distal.
The glute is actually three different muscles. However, most of our attention is always focused on the gluteus maximus which is the large muscle pictured. If you go to Exrx.net, you can see the
Gluteus Medius which is above and to the outside/lateral side of the gluteus maximus. The Gluteus Minimus lies almost directly below the gluteus medius.
The primary purpose of the glute ( if I use glute alone, it is always just the maximus) is leg extension (opposite of leg flexion). It also assists along with minimus and medius with both abduction (away from the body) and adduction (toward the body).
Most of us have hip flexibility problems that cause severe pain if you over use the hip flexors in running fast, jumping, or quick sideward movement to avoid hitting someone. Much of our hip flexibility can be avoided if we have strong glutes. Most of us do hamstring stetches before jogs or runs to allow the fascia to expand. If it is not loosen and warmed up before strenuous running, it can cause pain all the way from the heel to the lower back. Having a tight, well conditioned butt can make the stretching both easier and quicker. The glute is also a major muscle for maintaining good posture. Because of the way the psoas attaches to the lower spine and the same area on the ilium and sacrum as the glute, they often compete for strength and control of your posture. Without a strong glute, the psoas will pull your back more flat and not allow a natural curvature of the spine. It affects both men and women but I think men more often. Have you ever seen men who have almost NO Butt. One...they have weak glutes and the psoas pulls the lower spine forward and with it the butt folds downward and directly under the spine... thus no butt.
And now to making a glutes stronger and more defined!
There are several great exercises for your glutes. We just need to use them. The most common are:
Deadlifts
Lunges
Squats
Kickbacks
One of my favorites is the simple body weight air squat. The video below is a very basic explanation of the technique involved. At night while sitting on my butt watching TV, I will avoid going to the kitchen during commercial breaks by doing 25 squats which is about when the lactic acid buildup starts in my hips and thighs. I try to do this 4 times each evening for a total of 100 squats. Since many shows I watch at night are tivo'ed, it makes it easy to avoid other breaks in the kitchen except for a small 6-8 oz glass of 1% skim milk about 9:00 PM.
One final point, I'll make and then I need my last cup of Caribou coffee. Most of us have done lunges, right? Walking lunges, step lunges, side lunges, circle lunges, and backward lunges are all apart of our knowledge base. One lunge that I like is slightly different. Step the right foot forward but place it just 2-4 inches to the left of your left foot but the traditional distance forward (like 2-3 feet). Now when you lower your body toward the floor, it places more emphasis on the gluteus minimus and the gluteus medius. Make sure to keep your knee above your toes on the forward foot and not beyond it. If you have balance issues, use the arm of a chair or a countertop for additional balance. Just do 8-10 on each leg at first and I promise you that you will feel a slight twinge when you get off your butt in that chair the next day.