BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION By Mark Verstegen

Post date: Nov 22, 2016 1:31:35 PM

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BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION - Your glutes should power you through every activity, and not just in the gym

By Mark Verstegen

www.coreperformance.com

All of those muscles that attach to your ribs and spine are extremely important for shoulder and core stability. But what good would this be without a strong foundation?

Of all the people I evaluate, including the best athletes in the world, the No. 1 focus is hip function and stability, which is to say how we use our pelvis. If people better understood how to use the pelvis and hips, we could eradicate lower back pain, knee pain, foot ailments and a host of other aches that make us miserable.

We tend to think that if our ankles, knees or feet hurt, there must be something wrong with those areas. But if we look at the body as a wheel, the pillar -- and more specifically the pelvis -- is the hub of that wheel. The pelvis is in charge of controlling the spokes. You might have the greatest spokes (legs and thighs), but if something goes wrong with the hub, the spokes cannot function.

Many injuries - hip, knee, back, foot - are caused by hip tightness and a lack of hip stability. As a result, the body is not recruiting the necessary muscles from the pelvic region. It puts more stress on other areas, which overcompensate and get injured. We need to go to the source of the problem and prevent injuries from happening.

On either side of the pelvis is a hip capsule, where the femur attaches to the pelvis. This should allow us to rotate our knee in or all the way out, as well as lifting the leg up or back and in every combination. We should be able to lift a leg up and across the body, as if posing for the Heisman Trophy.

Most people get into trouble squatting by using their quadriceps rather than the muscles of the hips to initiate movement. As a result, the knees slide forward, the glutes (butt cheeks) don't get involved and there's undue pressure on the knees and back.

Our goal is to become more glute dominant. Watch kids and see how well they squat and stand up. Many of us have lost this movement from sitting too much and being inactive.

Thankfully, we can get it back. Let's practice for a moment.

From a standing position, take your feet outside the hips. Lean forward, arms straight ahead. Elevate your chest by pulling the shoulders toward the back pockets and keep the tummy tight. Now, try and sit with the hips as if trying to create an arch in the lower back, shifting the weight to the middle part of your foot, even a little toward the heel. Feel the glutes and the other muscles of your hip capsule stretch as you lower your body. Squeeze the glutes to stand back up.

Now try and push the pelvis forward while standing -- and then squat. It doesn't work, because you drive the knees over the toes. No wonder we see so many knee injuries.

We want to initiate all movement from the hips. If you're going up steps, squatting to pick something up or simply standing up, squeeze your "glutes" until your legs are extended. Walk with your toes pointed forward, chest over the knee and push through your hips until the leg is extended. This way, the pressure is on your hips - where nature intended - not the knees.

We want to move from the hips in everything we do, while maintaining perfect posture. The reason we see so many running-related injuries is because people don't have the necessary hip stability. Runners have to be able to effectively balance on a single leg and move from the hips. If the hips don't stabilize, the force created by the pounding of running is stored in the body.

But if you're stable in the hips, core and shoulders, the energy transfers through the feet, legs, core and through the opposite arm, creating maximum energy. If you lack stability, the energy is absorbed and stored in the muscles, tendons and joints, leading to overuse injuries.

By creating a mobile and stabile hip joint, we will store and release energy efficiently, creating optimum movement. Muscles are our suspension system. Their job is to store and release energy efficiently.

If your hip capsule is locked down, lacking stability and mobility, it's as if a bone is welded to the pelvis. It's like having a cast on the hip. To get anything to move, you need to have excessive motion in your back and knees. The better job we do of creating stability, mobility and strength around the hip, the less potential there is of injury and the far better chance you'll have of performing well in any activity you do.

A proper functioning pair of hip capsules is the most powerful thing you have in your body, but it's the most destructive if it's locked down.

You know the easiest way to get buns of steel? Use them constantly. Don't do just one isolated workout. People who have flat, shapeless butts do not use their hips and glutes properly in everyday movement; they just have couple of saggy bags back there. Look for every opportunity to lengthen and strengthen those glutes, whether it's squatting, going up stairs, getting out of a chair, or simply walking. It's the foundation for all movement.

Every time you lower your center of gravity, initiate the movement with your hips. Whether it's going up steps, squatting to pick something up or simply rising from a chair, get your posture in proper position. Fire (squeeze) those glutes until your legs are straight. Your chest should be over the knees. When you go upstairs, make sure the toe is pointed ahead and push through the hips until the legs are extended. That might mean you have to skip every other step, but that's okay. Otherwise, you put all the pressure on the knees.

Think of life as one big glute workout and you'll see amazing results. Every time you walk, move and bend, fire those glutes. Don't take them for granted.

Remember, you're a competitive athlete in the Game of Life and that's not just when you're working out. Throughout the day, fire those glutes, keep that tummy tight and elevate the chest. Soon you'll be gliding through life like the successful person you are.

Adapted from the book Core Performance Essentials by Mark Verstegen and Pete Williams. Rodale Press. Copyright 2006.