Our Exercise of the Week features an exercise crucial to anyone’s routine, whether you’re training like an athlete, or simply recovering from an episode of lower back pain: The Glute Bridge. We are all aware, or should be aware, of the fact that technology is making us more sedentary and impatient, among other things. By now, you have most likely come across an image depicting the evolution of man that looks something like this:

However, I prefer the more extended version, which adds a couple extra steps in the process:

While this is hilarious, it remains extremely disturbing if only for the truth that is behind it. Our skeletal system and the muscles that control it were not designed for this increasingly sedentary lifestyle that leads to the crumpled posture and inevitable health concerns that go along with both. “Glute amnesia,” as it has been dubbed, is the idea that our goals for fitness and health are strictly focusing on what we see in the mirror (abs, chest, arms, thighs), instead of utilizing a properly designed exercise program which should have a balanced approach to all muscle groups. So often you will see somebody who sits at a desk 8 hours every day in the gym doing countless crunches and repetitive flexion of the spine. Are your abs getting stronger? Sure, but when you spend most of your waking hours in a flexed position like our friend at the computer up above, you are only furthering the imbalances between front and backside that ultimately lead to pain and weakness equivalent to a baby’s fart.

So, what can you do about glute amnesia and how do you strengthen your back and butt? Squats, deadlifts, and any exercise that involves hip extension. However, the first two are extremely advanced exercises and should only be performed when appropriate mobility/stability has been established. We have an instructional video featuring an exercise which allows virtually anybody to perform a hip extension and activate the glutes (butt) fully. Check it out: