Never Do This When Stretching Your Glutes

The Glute Stretch Debate: Why "Wrong" Can Be Right for Your Hips

If you've been battling tight glutes or persistent glute pain, you've likely sought out stretches to find relief. Maybe you even caught my recent video on a powerful glute pain stretch. In it, I offered some advice and cues that might raise an eyebrow or two from other fitness professionals. Some might even say my approach is "totally wrong" and could be harmful.

But here's the thing: real life isn't always "ideal." And to truly bulletproof your body, sometimes you need to venture beyond the perfect, textbook position. In this post, we're diving deeper into that glute stretch, exploring some finer nuances, and I promise you'll pick up tips that can help your hips and the rest of your body if you stick around.

Supercharging Your Glute Stretch: Beyond the Basics

In that previous video, I showed how to stretch your glutes by crossing one leg over the other and bringing your hips into hip flexion. We also talked about bringing the leg across your body to deepen the stretch.

Now, for the one part I didn't mention: you can supercharge this stretch by thinking about adding more arch to your lower back. This is known as anterior pelvic tilt, and it means creating more space between your lower back and the floor.

Why do this? It emphasizes the stretch on the muscles around your posterior hip and helps prevent your lower back from rounding too much. While some rounding isn't inherently bad (and we'll get to that!), if you want to target the hip muscles specifically, adding an arch can make a big difference.

The Rounded Back Dilemma: Why You Need to Explore Both

There's a common belief that you should never let your lower back round during exercises or stretches to prevent injury to your lower back. And while overdoing it can be an issue, the reality is your lower back should be able to round safely (even in this stretch!).

Think about real-life movements: bending over to pick something up, tying your shoes, or even exploring complex floor movements (like I've been doing recently). All of these require your spine and hips to be comfortable in a variety of positions, including a rounded one. If your body can only handle the "ideal" position, you become vulnerable as soon as you step outside that narrow range.

So, when you're doing a glute stretch, I encourage you to play with your pelvic tilt.

• Try allowing some rounding of your lower back.
• Also, try some extension (arching) of your lower back.

Figure out which position feels like a challenge for you, and then gently and gradually work with it. Play around with different angles, tilting your pelvis forward and back. See where your muscles struggle to position your bones, and then give them time to learn how to manage that position safely.

The Power of Exploration: Why Absolutes Limit You

It's easy for "experts" to give absolutes: "never do this," "always do that." It sounds protective, but it often limits your body's potential. Real life doesn't always put you in ideal positions. If you only train in the "perfect" setup, you risk injury the moment you find yourself in a slightly awkward, non-ideal situation.

When stretching your glutes, or any other muscle, remember to be exploratory. Your goal isn't just to be good at one strict, specific, ideal position. It's to cultivate a greater array of options for your body. This versatility is what truly builds resilience and prevents pain.

Ready to Build Healthier, More Versatile Hips?

If you're looking for a program to help you make your hips more flexible, strong, and capable in a variety of positions, be sure to check out the Healthy Hips program at uprighthealth.com/diy.

While you're there, you can even pick up a free program, the Body Rebuilding Basics. If you just want the freebie, head over to uprighthealth.com/brb. It can help you sleep better, live better, and do a whole lot of things better!