Name: Gluteus Medius Activation Progressions (Activation Circuit)
Uploaded: 2023-04-26T01:01:17.000Z
Duration: 6 min 35 s

English captions

https://stream.mux.com/vfznlZwzNeF9L64e7tv5B91hOkLIL3iGPpflEgzhR00M.m3u8

Learn how to properly perform gluteus medius activation progressions in this comprehensive step-by-step instructional video from the Brookbush Institute. This evidence-based video provides expert coaching on setup, positioning, alignment, and technique (including progressions and regressions). Safely enhance gluteus medius activation, improve hip stability and neuromuscular control, and support optimal lumbopelvic alignment and lower-extremity mechanics. Suitable for all fitness levels. Perfect for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and rehabilitation clients seeking to reduce pain, improve performance, and restore optimal movement mechanics while reducing injury risk.

Introduction to Gluteus Medius Activation Techniques

Progressions for Side Lying Leg Raises

Activation Circuits for Gluteus Medius and TFL Management

Combining Warm-Up and Resistance Exercises for Glute Strength

Gluteus Medius Activation Progressions (Activation Circuit)

This is Brent coming at you with gluteus medius progressions, but, in reality, this is just a video to kind of lay out some of the new techniques that I've found, that I've been working on, to help keep progressing gluteus medius activation. So, we're going to talk about a smattering of techniques, to ensure we're getting the most out of these exercises. I'm going to have my friend, Leanne, come out and help me demonstrate. So the trick with all gluteus medius activation, I'm sure some of you guys have already found this out, is trying to get the TFL to calm down. Now that starts doing good, we need good release, stretching, and mobilization techniques, and hopefully you've done that before you get somebody on the table, but, we still need to refine our techniques as much as we can to ensure that we're getting the most out of our gluteus medius, and TFL isn't creeping its way back in. So I'm going to have Leanne go ahead and lay on her side. One thing that I've found pretty effective, although I honestly have to admit that this is a progression, as soon as Leanne backs her body off the wall, it's going to take her a lot more lumbo-pelvic hip stability and control, to get this exercise right. So hopefully you've started somebody on the wall, now we can progress them a little bit, move them away from the wall, and then we get to use this little trick with a stability ball. If I have Leanne go into her side lying leg raise, but this time I have her do a side lying leg raise by pressing this ball into the wall. Just by pressing the ball on the wall and holding it there I've got glute activation, which is going to help reciprocally inhibit my TFL, and then we get an added benefit, that, literally the shape of the stability ball, allows her to go into extension and external rotation as she goes up, which of course is all the joint actions that the gluteus medius will do, and further reciprocally inhibits the TFL. Is that pretty tough? -Yeah. If I wanted to progress this exercise, of course, I could use an ankle weight. Ankle weights started here above the knee, and then I can move it down to the ankle. Start light, it doesn't take much to resist. I do find that I prefer ankle weights to bands. Obviously with bands, they start with almost no resistance, and I think what you will find, is if you go to muscle test to somebody who's been doing band gluteus medius work, that you'll get them here in the neutral position where they need that gluteus medius strength for gate and sprinting, and they actually test weak. So, ankle weights, to me, they create a nice even resistance through the whole range so I tend to use ankle weights more, and tend to have better results. Now, I do have those individuals who have really, really, really, stubborn TFLs. That even this jacks up their TFL. So what I've started to realize, is we can use a little bit of an activation circuit to calm the TFL down further, improve hip mechanics, as almost a warm up to our activation exercise. So I'm going to show you a couple of things I use here. Leanne's going to go ahead and sit up. How many of you have probably done glute sets? Well glute sets, in a long sit position, this is just food for thought for you, if I can really get Leanne to squeeze her quad, start with a quad set, good, and then really squeeze her glute by pressing her leg down into the table, her glute in this position, posteriorly glides her femoral head, and her acetabulum. So her femoral head, glute tight, femoral head is slowly gliding this way, that's exactly what we need, right? We know that femoral head has a propensity to do an anterior and superior glide. That anterior superior glide further increases the tenacity of our TFL. So I use this, having her do 15 to 20, this is not one of those things that has to be super, super, super hard. It just has to be a little warm-up for her glutes, and getting that femur to move right. If I did want to resist it, I could throw a band around her foot, then we have tibialis anterior activation, right? So I'm going to have her dorsiflex with her toes curled down, quad and then glute. That's tough. So now I'm getting a lot involved, but I'm also resisting that posterior from wall glide, again improving those joint mechanics. Her glutes have to work really hard to keep that moving the way it's supposed to. From here, from this exercise, I could have her then lie on her side, and I could have her do clams. Some of you might be like, 'well why are you going to do clams if you're already going to do side lying leg raises?'. Well, clams are an easier exercise, and the only thing I'm thinking about right now is trying to warm up her glute medius, get it a little bit active, before I do the hard resistance training and reconditioning that the side lying leg raise is. So, little key point though, if they have a really stubborn TFL, you're going to want to take this foot, and let it internally rotate. Remember your TFL, via your iliotibial band, is an external rotator of the tibia. So a lot of people who have a really stubborn TFL, you'll also notice when they go to do clams, they externally rotate their tibia, this foot comes up with their leg. So what I'm going to have Leanne do here is put her foot down, and then do her clam, and I'm going to just have her do 15 to 20 reps. This isn't looking to kill her, this isn't where the resistance training is happening, that's going to be the ball. So once again I did glute sets, you could progress that to glute sets with a band and then turn it into dorsiflexion, quads set and glutes set. I'm then going to have her do clams, and we could go ahead and add an ankle weight to her knee. Once we get all of this warmed up, we get that posterior femoral glide, we get a little bit of gluteus medius activity, then I'm going to go back to the ball, and if I can get her pelvis position set up so that she's not rotating back, and turning this back into hip flexion, I think what you will find, is one very active gluteus medius. All of a sudden this exercise becomes really, really, tough. How does that feel? Feel better than the first time we did it? -Yes. So there you go. You've got the ball exercises of gluteus medius progression, and a couple pointers for a stubborn TFL: glute sets, followed by clams, followed by your side lying leg raise. I hope you enjoy this stuff!

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Resisted Side-Lying Leg Raise: Adding the Ball

The progressions in this video are identical to the "Clam" and "Side Lying Leg Raise" described above; however, the stability ball is added.

Added resistance (the weight of the ball)

Additional tactile cue to reinforce hip extension (pressing the ball into the wall)

The shape of the ball reinforces hip abduction with extension and external rotation

The ball increases instability and inter-muscular coordination on the gluteus medius and additional stabilizing muscles of the hip

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