Expert Advice: “I want you to stop squeezing your butt.”
Print This Post
Photo Credit: David Boyle
I mean it. I want you to stop squeezing your butt.
One of the biggest misconceptions in the entire health, fitness, and rehabilitation industries is ‘butt-squeezing’ or over-squeezing the muscles in back of the hip. If you’ve been a regular follower of Women’s Health Foundation, you will already understand why this is a misconception. For those of you that don’t know why or need a refresher, keep reading.
So, first of all, why do so many of us squeeze our butts all day long? There are 3 main reasons:
1. Pelvic floor weakness: Avid followers of Women’s Health Foundation understand the importance of the pelvic floor as part of your core muscles. The core muscles are the ones that help stabilize our spine and essentially our entire body. When the pelvic floor is weak, we will over-grip or hold our entire backside tight to make up for that weakness.
2. Posterior hip weakness: The posterior hips, mainly the gluteus maximus, is the largest and strongest muscle in our body. It is mainly responsible for keeping us upright, propelling our body forward, and provides protection for our backs and knees. When the gluteus maximus is weak, we will instinctively squeeze the hips for stability.
3. Posture and aesthetics: Squeezing the butt will make us appear to have a smaller rear end. We are also told to maintain good posture by pulling in the stomach and tucking the butt. And we do that by squeezing the butt. The butt looks smaller but it also has a flat and long appearance. And tucking the rear end under is also a major cause of low back pain.
So what can we do to stop butt-gripping? There are 3 main things:
1. Become aware that you are doing it. Stand alone in your house and get a sense of your posture and tension around your body. Now squeeze your rear end as much as you can and relax it fully. That’s what it should feel like all the time. If it doesn’t, sorry, you’re a butt squeezer.
2. Learn how to breathe and use your core better. By breathing properly and using the muscles of the core better, you will not have to over-squeeze the posterior hip muscles.
3. Learn how to move and exercise properly. You must be able to use the muscles of the hip and core properly. There are a ton of resources on exercises for the hips and core. Be sure you get your information on exercise and fitness from reliable sources such as Women’s Health Foundation or O.S.A.R. Consulting.
Dedicated to keeping you moving better,
Dr. Evan Osar
Evan Osar is the founder of O.S.A.R. Consulting which specializes in treating individuals with chronic pain and dysfunction. In addition to his chiropractic degree, Dr. Osar has earned national certifications for advanced fitness, exercise and rehabilitation and from The Soma Institute – National School for Clinical Massage Therapy. His mission is to help clients and patients achieve their health and fitness goals through proper movement. You can reach him at 773-343-4012 or www.osarconsulting.com.
Hi there! Great post. Question- WHY is it so bad to squeeze your butt? What does it do to you?
Great question, Judi. As far as squeezing your butt when properly performing a pelvic floor exercise, aka a kegel, squeezing your butt only activates the “bully” muscles, the glutes, and thus you can’t properly isolate those inner muscles.
Plus, have you ever seen those totally anxiety-ridden people who walk around looking like they have a stick lodged up there? Who wants that?
[...] See the original post: Expert Advice: “I want you to stop squeezing your butt.” | Women's … [...]
[...] See the rest here: Expert Advice: “I want you to stop squeezing your butt.” | Women's … [...]
This is excellent! Where do you find this stuff?
Great post! As a women’s health physical therapist I’ve noted that many of my patients with pelvic pain are CHRONIC butt-clenchers! Overactive glutes definitely contribute to overactive pelvic floor muscles (and vice versa). Releasing the “clench” can also reduce the pain!
Awesome post! I thought your 3rd paragraph was very insightful