ADVERTISEMENT
Did you know your butt could fall asleep? I'm not talking about the pins-and-needle feeling you get when you cross your legs for too long. I mean the muscles in your butt — your glutes. They can kind of... take a nap. Enter: This glute workout, which is designed specifically to wake up your tush.
I'll back up. During the pandemic, many of us are stuck indoors. We're sitting around more than usual and walking a lot less. That means we've been using our butt muscles less, too.
Over time, this can become an actual problem. There's even a term for it: gluteus medius tendinopathy, aka gluteal amnesia, aka dead butt syndrome, reports Healthline.
Funny name, but it's kinda serious. After all, your butt muscles are meant to keep your pelvis stable and your posture aligned. And once they turn off, it can be hard to turn them back on. We get used to not using them when we do walk around. Instead, we rely more on other muscles, straining our knees, ankles, feet, and hips. So if you're feeling achy, blame your butt.
If you're in serious pain, you should see a doctor, who may prescribe physical therapy. But a great way to keep your butt awake and healthy is to fit some glute-focused workouts into your routine. Like this one, creating especially for Refinery29 by Ashley Joi, a trainer at Centr, Chris Hemsworth's health and fitness app.
"It's very important to keep your glutes fired and active!" she says. "Having a strong posterior chain helps keep us upright and standing, and supports a stable core. Strong glutes aren't just eye candy."
To complete Joi's workout, you'll need a timer and a dumbbell (or a laundry detergent jug, or a filled water bottle): Do each exercise for 40 seconds. Take a 20-second break between moves, and a 30-second break between rounds. Complete up to three rounds.
ADVERTISEMENT