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Having dormant or inactive glutes could be the reason that they aren't growing. An indication of your glutes not being activated is if after completing a squat your back or quads end up being sore and you're not feeling anything in your glutes.
The gluteal muscles, often called glutes, are a group of three muscles that make up the gluteal region commonly known as the buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The three muscles originate from the ilium and sacrum and insert into the femur. The functions of the muscles include extension, abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation of the hip joint.
Strong glutes are important for proper pelvic alignment, propulsion during running, and even single limb stance support. Strong glutes also help to support the lower back during lifting motions and prevent knee injuries during lifting and running exercises.
Your glutes are a key component of any full-body kinetic chain. Like any chain, a weak link weakens the entire system. Underdeveloped or inactive glutes effectively force the effort for any squat, lunge, or similar movement to your knees, hamstrings, and back.
It's important to warm up or activate these muscles before use. This is where your neurons carve a path from the muscle to the brain. With lesser-used muscles, these paths are less-reliable. Furthermore, when you, say, spend your entire day seated with your hips forward and in flexion, it takes more effort to activate these muscles before a workout.
To activate your glutes, put together a routine that will wake them up so they perform during your workout. The routine doesn't need to be any longer than 5 minutes.
An idea of what to include could be glute bridges, clams, fire hydrants and donkey kicks. This ensures you are targeting all of your gluteal muscles. Check out this out other glute activator using bands!
Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
Keep arms at your side with palms down
Squeeze your glutes to raise your hips off the ground in a slow, controlled motion
Knees, hips and shoulders should form a straight line
Maintain the squeeze on your glutes throughout the full range of motion, and keep the abs drawn into your spine to support your back
Hold at the top, and control the movement to return your hips to the floor
Lie on your side - keep hips and shoulders in a straight line, and bend your knees to a 90-degree angle from your body
Your hips and shoulders should be stacked directly on top of each other
Draw in your abdominals, including the deep abdominal muscles
Gently rotate your top leg at the hip so that the knee lifts. Go as far as you can while maintaining the alignment of your hips
To ensure you don't put undue strain on the neck, and have a solid foundation in the upper body, rest your head on your arm and place the hand of your other arm on the floor in front of your chest.
Position yourself on all fours, with hands under shoulders and knees under hips
Engage your abdominals, keep your hips flat, and raise your right knee directly out to the side, as high as you can without disturbing the alignment of your hips
Hold at the top for a couple of seconds, gradually lower your right leg to the starting position, and repeat with your right leg for a number of reps
Switch sides and repeat by raising your left leg
Position yourself on all fours on a mat with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips
Keep your right knee bent at 90 degrees and flex the foot as you lift the knee until it is level with the hip
Lower the knee without touching the floor and repeat the lift
Once you've completed the reps on the right leg, switch legs
Your hip flexors and glutes work together, opposing each other. Stretching your hip flexors before a workout can also help with glute activation. The hip flexors are a group of muscle around the top of your thighs that helps to connect your upper leg to your hip. The hip flexors are vital in lower body movements like squats.
If your workout consists of any of the below exercises (or has a heavy focus on lower body training), warming up or activating your glutes before training is recommended:
Squats
Lunges
Deadlifts
Squat snatches
Squat cleans
Walking lunges
Bulgarian split squats
Another great glute workout is the leg press. Check out how this king of machines can activate your glutes.
Activating your glutes and stretching your hip flexors will ensure that your glutes are being stimulated for growth in your workout. Give 'em a go and see if you feel the burning in your glutes!