How to Strengthen Your Glute Medius

Are your knees collapsing while squatting?

If so, read on to see why this is NOT a good thing & how to fix it!



WHY THIS MATTERS:

Squatting with improper form causes extra stress (wear & tear) on your joints, specifically the knees, which can cause major injuriesđŸ˜©



WHY THIS HAPPENS:

The main culprit behind the knees collapsing is because of a weakness in the gluteus medius (AKA glute med) muscle(s).

You have 2 glute meds, one on each side, and when they are weak, they “turn off” or don’t fire correctly, meaning they are not able to “hold” the thighs in the proper place when squatting.

This causes the thighs to “fall inwards” or collapse as you descend and stand up from the squat position.



❗BUT DON’T FRET! HERE’S HOW TO FIx Them!



HOW TO FIX:

By strengthening the glute meds!🍑

Once the glute meds become stronger, they will fire properly & squats will start to feel much easier AND better, especially on your knees!

Although there are a variety of exercises that target the glute meds, I’ve selected 3 exercises that really isolate them. This will allow to really start to FEEL the muscle itself, becoming better in tune with them!đŸ”„



đŸ’ȘđŸœTRAINER TIPS:

BANDED LATERAL SQUATS:

  1. keep your back flat, avoid overarching your lower back (see video above), image tucking the lower part of your pelvis forward

  2. step wide and feel the resistance of the band against your thighs

  3. originate the step from your hip, not the foot

  4. this helps keep the foot inline with the knee, which activates the glute med (if you step your foot out farther than the knee you won’t target the glute med)

  5. step the trailing in about half the distance to the leading leg

  6. repeat on both sides, 10 reps/side


STANDING HIP ABDUCTIONS:

  1. engage your core & stand tall

  2. lift your leg with control away from you, no higher than 45*

  3. return the leg with control, maintain posture the entire time

  4. repeat on the other side, 10 reps/leg


CLAM SHELLS:

  1. laying on your side, stack your hips, knees, & ankles; knees bent slightly in front of you

  2. engage core, place hand in front of you for extra support

  3. keeping your feet together, with control, lift the top knee up as high as you can WITHOUT your body rolling backwards

  4. you should AUTOMATICALLY feel that glute med fire. if you don’t, place yourself up against a wall and try again, chances are your hips moved backwards slightly

  5. repeat on the other side, 10 reps/side


These exercises are great for incorporating into your workout BUT I highly suggest you use them as part of your warm-up routine too!

Trust me, you’ll notice a BIG difference in your lower body exercises when your warm-ups include these PRIMING exercises vs when they don’t!


Also to note, you do NOT need to use a band for any of the above exercises, HOWEVER, the band provides great feedback to YOU and helps strengthen your neuromuscular connection (the connection between your brain and the glute med!)


Phew! 😅

Thanks for hanging in there! Make sure to SAVE this post & follow along as part of your next warm-up!


In good health,

Veronica

Healthy Living, Lifestyle, ExerciseVeronica RasicciComment