Doug LarsonThis week on TechniqueWOD, we are bringing you part 2 of our glute activation series. This time around, the focus is on the gluteus medius and your other deep external rotators.
If these muscles are weak, you’ll likely struggle to keep your knees from diving inward during squats. This is a very weak position, which is bad enough, but the twisting under load can also cause damage to the meniscus and ligaments.
It’s only a matter of time.
No good.
Last week we showed you a few glute max activation movements for your warm-up and strength training. Work these movements before and after your heavy strength training and you’ll have a pretty profound butt-pump going on.
That can only boost your performance and confidence! 🙂
Glute Medius Movements
- X-Band walks – Step on a mini-band with your feet shoulder width apart. Cross the band over once and hold it under constant tension while you step from side to side. Keep your feet and spine straight. A few sets of 8-10 steps per side should be plenty.
- Seated abduction – Sit down with an elastic band or Slingshot hip circle around your knees. Next, drive your knees out by contracting and rotating at the hip. Make sure you pivot on your heel, keeping your knee from rotating. Remember, the last thing we want to do is practice that motion, on anything.
- Reactive neuromuscular training – Get up to squat, keeping the band around your knees. Perform your bodyweight squats or warm-up sets as normal, while the band tries to tug your knees inward. You will automatically resist and reinforce good position. Just avoid doing this with a heavy barbell on your back.
- Farmers walks and carries – These hip muscles contract to help to keep your pelvis level and stable as you walk around. That’s obviously a lot harder to do when you’ve got a yolk on your back or heavy handles in hand. Therefore, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more effective assistance movement.
Pursue the pump!
Chris
Great article! As someone who battles with keeping my knees out during squatting, jumping and running I have had great success with strengthening the hip external rotators and extensor muscles. I wanted to share this article with you because it is specific to what exercises offer the most activation in isolation of the glute med. I have incorporated the Rose Wall Slides in various forms (sidelying with back up against the wall, abducting the top leg to about 75 degrees x 25-30 reps each side) and it’s amazing how well it’s helped with my knee pain.
Here’s the article:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3201064/
Thanks for all the good information!
Thanks Jessica. Glad to hear about your progress. Well done.
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As always, you guys present outstanding videos with tons of information. I recently picked up a Sling Shot 2 and have been incorporating it into my warm ups. I have been placing the SS2 above my knees just above the knee cap. I see in your video, you placed the band on the knee itself.
When I finish, I feel my abductors, glute meds, etc.
Should I adjust the SS2 to the position on the knees as described in the video or keep it in the position above my knee.
Thanks in advance…
Paul