Columbia Association: 4 Exercises To Prevent Butt Amnesia

Columbia MD

19 January, 2022

3:42 PM

Description

Press release from Columbia Association: January 19, 2022 When we first covered "butt amnesia" on the CA Fit blog, it raised a lot of interest — and additional questions! According to CA personal trainer Darrell Gough, most of us have some level of butt amnesia, which is what happens when your glutes "forget" how to activate properly. Before we get to the best exercises for perking up your posterior, let's do a quick refresher on what exactly butt amnesia is… Butt amnesia 101 It probably comes as no surprise that excessive sitting is mostly to blame for butt amnesia. Our sedentary lifestyles have deteriorated our gluteal activation and strength, and this leads our glutes to stop firing correctly. Poor posture (text neck, anyone?) can also contribute to this disconnection. This is a big problem, because a well-conditioned butt protects your back, knees and hips from pain and injury. Weakness in the glutes forces other muscle groups to compensate, and creates imbalances in your body. Butt amnesia is often most apparent in your squat pattern, and one telltale sign is if your knees draw inwards together as you squat. This is a big problem, because a well-conditioned butt protects your back, knees and hips from pain and injury. "Good squat mechanics allow you to pick up a heavy case of water, keep it close to your hips and activate your glutes to stabilize your back," says Gough. "If it's not in good shape, that's when pain or injuries occur." The good news is, this pattern can be reversed — which leads us to the four moves below. Time to fire up those glutes, Columbia!   Air squats  Air squats, also known as bodyweight squats, might be one of the most famous exercises of all time. It's no surprise when you consider that squats build lower body strength, balance and endurance. The good old-fashioned air squat is a foundational move that's perfect for beginners and targets your thighs, hamstrings, quads and glutes. And from a functional fitness angle, doing squats helps ensure that you'll be able to get up from a seated position for many years to come! Do's  Don'ts   BEGINNER TIP: If this feels too challenging, start against the wall to build up your strength. Carefully slide down until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle, hold as long as you'd like and then push your weight back up the wall. BEGINNER TIP:    Frog pumps Frog pumps are amazing for isolating and strengthening your glutes. While this move might feel awkward at first, the external rotation of your hips makes frog pumps  pretty unrivaled in engaging your booty muscles to a high degree. Even better, if you have knee or ankle problems that make squats difficult, this is a great low-load exercise you can safely add to your regimen. Do's: Don'ts:   BEGINNER TIP: If the starting position feels super uncomfortable for you, try a standard glute bridge instead. This exercise requires a certain amount of opening in the hips, and it's not possible for everyone's hip mobility. Listen to your body! BEGINNER TIP:    Bulgarian split squats  As a single-leg, unilateral squat, the Bulgarian split squat places extra emphasis on shaping the quads. Your back foot acts like a kickstand, which is great for challenging your core, balance and stability while sculpting your booty. Do's: Don'ts:   BEGINNER TIP: It may take trial and error to find the right positioning of your feet, so take your time with the set-up. If you find your form faltering during this movement, pause and reset. BEGINNER TIP:    Barbell hip thrusts are wonderful for strengthening your posterior chain and hip flexors, which is why it benefits your lower back big-time. The added weight of the barbell leads to greater strength and glute activation. Do's: Don'ts:   BEGINNER TIP: Start with just the bar. When you're feeling comfortable with the movement, you can add weight. It's best to use a weight that's challenging yet doesn't compromise your form. You can also wrap a towel or pad around the barbell to make this move more comfortable. BEGINNER TIP: Combat butt amnesia with CA After years of prolonged sitting, reactivating your rear can feel challenging. That's where the expertise and support of CA's personal trainers comes in! CA's personal training programs are open to both members and non-members. The first step is to fill out our referral form, which gives our fitness training supervisors background on your goals and preferences so they can find the right fit (we have more than 30 trainers across three fitness clubs!). Once you fill out the form, either the fitness training supervisor or the personal trainer will contact you to discuss setting up a free consultation. Learn more about CA's personal training programs here. This press release was produced by Columbia Association. The views expressed here are the author's own.