How do you train the gluteus maximus without causing knee or SI joint strain?
Hey Dorothy….
Looks like you are getting plenty of great ideas, but here are my two cents.
First things first, you have to know that are (or even CAN) train the glutes. Muscles don’t really work in isolation, and since the body is very responsive to demand it will find a way to perform movement. Now that doesn’t mean that when you asking your hips to into extension, that your glutes will do the work that they are supposed to, it just means that if the length tension relationships are off, maybe even you will end up using more erector spinae to compensate, for instance. This is a phenomenon called synergistic dominance, and is set up by one or more muscles within a group which is much more active than another. So that’s the bad news.
The good news is that you can do something about. If I were you I would try a couple quick assessments to help determine if joints are out if alignment and creating dysfunction thus creating pain.
Now, this gives you a place to start. With an anterior tilt as a default posture, it will be hard for the client to use the glutes the correct way. I would suggest taking a few sessions and really try to influence hop flexor and hamstring flexibility. Our job is to try and pull the pelvis back to neutral.
Hope that this helps
Jeremy
Try to determine if your client has an anterior pelvic tilt. This is easily done by looking at their waist band. If it tilts forward, you’re next step is to put put them up against the wall in and see you can
slide your hand in the small of their back. If you can do that you are looking at a forward pelvic tilt.
If she has not already seen a doctor or physical therapist, she may want to. I have found with clients with issues such as these that it is not the gluteous maximus that is always the culprit. For one it was a calf (soleus and achilles) issue. For another it was an adductor, gluteus medius issue.
You can also check her gait when walking. Some people, especially women, have a hip fall issue that can cause knee pain and stability issues over time. I’ve even heard of women having this issue due to quad VMO contraction issues. A physical therapist friend and I were just talking about these issues a few months ago and ways we can proactively help.
As some one suggested, a foam roller will help her to be able to identify where the issue may be stemming from, but an assessment with a physical therapist or orthopedist will help immensely!
Good luck! And take your time and encourage her to go slow. Most of those problems stem from long term issues and as such can take a long time to correct.
Good responses. Maybe while she is performing her hip exercises you could have her wear a band around her ankles to increase resistance and not working in the full range of motion, as Joanne suggested. Or you can have her ankle strapped in the cable machine while performing the prone hip exercises movements.