Hi, im starting to do squats as i can do them during the day while using the computer (taking a 1-2min break a few times during the day) but i feel they are working my legs and not my glutes, or maybe my lower back even, I must be doing something wrong because i heard they are good for the glutes aswell
if you sit a lot for work you may need to perform sets of stretches to activate (wake) your glutes. My preferred stretch is lying on my front, raising one lower leg to point upward, kicking the leg up towards the ceiling, and holding it there for a sec to squeeze. There are more dynamic exercises to achieve the same which i’ve found to be just as effective
leaning your upper body forward as you squat may also help you target your glutes and posterior chain in general
mhmm that’s what i tried and felt it on my lower back while a more vertical squat i feel more on the legs
in that case, you might need to do a bit more to wake your glutes up.
i can demonstrate the exercises later on today and record it as a short clip if that’d help?
That would be insanely nice of you to do for a total stranger haha, id for sure appreciate it but don’t feel at all obligated to
i got a quick clip from my office which i think should help illustrate how it works. please pardon the carpets, they’re absolutely fucked in this room (my own fault lol).
glute bridge is also a good way to activate your posterior chain
lmk if you have any questions.
thanks a ton, the idea here is that if you do a few of these to activate the glutes then when you do other exercises like squats you’ll be able to target them better?
yeah, they’ll properly activate during those exercises.
the idea is that if your glutes are dormant, other muscles in the posterior chain (including your hamstrings and spinal erectors / lower back) will overcompensate.
glute bridge / hip thrust is also an excellent way to directly target those muscles for growth.
you can try thrust a friend or partner (sounds sus, I know) in lieu for a ketttlebell, dumbbell, barbell etc, and even try single leg to effectively double your working weight, and help target stabilising muscles within your trunk.
damn called out for being single on my first post huh? hshshs, I’ll try this tho and see if it improves
friend or partner, anyone willing to help (it’s honestly a pretty big ask in either case!). Failing that, any weight you can safely have on your lap for hip thrust will do well.
let us know how you get on!
it’s ok. have a couple meetings to get through and will see if i can clip it later in the garage gym.