Glute clenching explained! ➡️ Before I give into the explanation, I want to state that if you are squeezing your glutes at the top of your hip thrust and do not have any pelvic floor dysfunction or any pain — carry on! I never want to be that person forcing you to change something that isn’t harming you. BUT if you experience any symptoms such as hip pain, low back pain, pelvic pain, deep ache in your butt, painful intercourse, constipation or a “flat butt” despite doing all of the glute work — then you might want to listen up! If you are squeezing for dear life at the top of a hip thrust you may be contributing to glute & pelvic floor tension. If done over & over, this tension then becomes chronic leading to any of the above mentioned symptoms. ✨Your glutes need LENGTH as well as strength — same with your pelvic floor ✨ If your glutes are extremely tight, they can appear “flat” as well as have a hard time contracting when needed because a muscle that is in a state of constant shortening has a difficult time contracting. Often time when you squeeze your glutes, you clench your pelvic floor as well — especially the posterior aspect. A tight pelvic floor can lead to a variety of symptoms like pain, painful intercourse and constipation. ➡️ Moral of the story — glute clenching or gripping in exercise (and daily life) might just be the final missing link to resolving your pelvic floor symptoms! In my pregnancy, postpartum and general fitness programs, you won’t hear me cue to squeeze your glutes at the top simply to avoid the potential development of a hypertonic pelvic floor and/or glutes. Hope this helped!
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