A quick glance at social media celebrities will confirm that a toned, muscular backside is in fashion. While J.Lo booty status isn’t everyone’s goal, there are clear benefits to being able to utilize your glutes on an everyday basis, both in and out of the gym. Yet there are tons of people - even highly active ones - who have weak glutes. Here are 6 signs you need to strengthen your glutes.

1. Your Lower Back is Always Sore

There are two things that happen first when the glutes are weak: loss of hip mobility and low back pain. If your hips can’t go through their proper range of motion, then the back gets tired and hurt because its muscles are working too hard. If you’re performing exercises that don’t directly target the back (Think: deadlifts and squats) but you’re feeling lower back soreness afterward, there’s a decent chance hip mobility is compromised and your lower back is compensating.

2. You Have Unexplained Knee Pain

One of the most common indicators of glute weakness is knee plain. When your glutes are weak, the hip can’t control the femur as well, which means less stability. The knee can only do what the foot allows it to do and what the hip can control. So when you are getting up and down, lifting heavy weight or running with weak glutes, the knee becomes less stable and can become injured more easily.

To test your hip mobility on your own, one of the easiest ways is to do a deep squat with your hands above your head holding a PVC pipe (Thank you FMS). Stick your butt out like you are going to sit in a chair, and see if you can keep your heels on the ground without flaring your feet out. If you can’t do this, it could indicate weak glutes as the source of poor hip mobility.

3. Your Glutes Are Never Sore

If you perform glute-dominated movements - such as deadlifts and squats - and feel minimal glute soreness with more quad and hamstring soreness, this is a functional indicator of glute weakness. By learning to activate your glutes when performing these exercises, you’ll make huge strides in strengthening them. For example: when squatting, focus on keeping all your weight back on your heels and not letting your knee cave in. Keep the focus on your glutes at the bottom of the squat and really make sure to push through the hips when coming up.

4. Your Posture is Out of Whack

If you notice yourself slouching at your desk or as you go through your everyday activities, it’s more likely than not that your glutes and the rest of your core are weak. If the glutes are not active, the spine begins to slouch, causing everything else to fall apart.

5. You Can’t Isolate Them

Awareness of, and ability to tense, a specific muscle in your body on demand can be a good indicator of how strong that muscle is. When laying face down, if you cannot independently squeeze one glute and then the other with strong and equal force, it is a strong indicator of poor glute activation and control (Again, thank you FMS). To test this at home, simply lay on your stomach and place your hands on your backside (make sure everyone in home knows what’s going on). Try to squeeze each side of your glutes independently. If you can feel a difference or can’t feel the muscle tensing strongly, you may want to check in with an expert to learn how to utilize them for better fitness and reduced risk of injury.

6. You Have Unexplained Tension Headaches

While this is definitely on the rarer side, it happens. When the glutes are weak, we lose fascial tension around the hips, and we need that tension to move forward. Without it, we overuse the neck extensors, and this can cause a headache.

If need help with your fitness routine, schedule a free week with us at Pride Fitness by visiting https://pridefitness.fit/free-week and signing up. We have certified fitness coaches on staff that can help you move past your obstacles and towards your goals!