We’ll learn below that pain inhibits muscle contractility and is a major player in glute inhibition. There may even be inhibitory consequences to excessive sitting, as compression slows down vascular function and interferes with nerve function. For example, tight or shortened hip flexors may lead to what’s been coined “reciprocal inhibition” of the gluteals. Neural and mechanical inhibition involving opposing muscles can interfere with gluteal activation. There are a few reasons why the glutes could shut down. Several decades ago, physical therapists such as Vladimir Janda noticed that the glutes are quite prone to inhibition, and in the last decade strength coaches for professional teams began to notice that their athletes’ glutes were not functioning optimally. When considering the human body, we know that some muscles are more prone to inhibition than others, and the glutes are one of these “easily-inhibited” muscles. Significant imbalances of approximately 15% or more, however, should be actively targeted for correction. Therefore, non-significant gluteal imbalances should not necessarily be thought of as dysfunctional, they might just be a natural consequence of life. It comes as no surprise then that one glute or region of the glute might be stronger and more coordinated than the other. In rotational sports, most athletes swing or throw from the same side, which uses the rear glute to a much greater degree than the front glute. For this reason, most right-handed individuals are actually more stable on their left leg and therefore are initially better on their left leg compared to their right leg when learning single leg exercises. For example, when we kick, most right-handed individuals will plant off of their left leg and kick with their right leg. In sports, it’s natural to rely predominantly on one side during a particular pattern. We tend to shift to one side when standing for prolonged periods, and we develop comfortable, asymmetrical patterns for common daily tasks. However, of perhaps greater importance is that our daily movement is markedly asymmetrical in nature. Our anatomy itself can be asymmetrical, for example right to left pelvic and hip asymmetries and leg length discrepancies are common. Causes of Gluteal Imbalancesīy nature, we are asymmetrical beings. In this article I will first discuss the reasons why you may have a gluteal imbalance, and then I’ll discuss potential solutions. The reason why strength & conditioning experts shy away from this topic is because the answer is complicated. In fact, a Google search of the term “glute imbalance” yielded several links on the front page to threads from some of the most popular strength & conditioning forums – yet no comprehensive answers could be found. If you comb the web, you won’t find much good material on this topic. Out of all of the email inquiries I receive from my readers pertaining to the glutes, the topic of imbalances comes up the most often. Glute imbalances are very common – much more common than you’d imagine.
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