Why You Can't Seem To Get The Butt You Want
The Wellness Rookie is all about real and relatable information...a.k.a. shit you'll actually use. So for the right information on how to get some serious booty gains, I knew just the person to call on; my good friend, Kate Murphy, of Health Revolt. And, boy, did she deliver. Please welcome Kate to the blog. I know you'll love what she has to say.
There is a flat butt epidemic happening.
Everywhere you look butts are deflating at a rapid pace. Gluteal deflation is reaching an all-time high, and people’s glutes are “slacking off” all over the planet. Could this be the end of glutes as we know them? Gluteal extinction?
Sadly, the concern goes far beyond what meets the eye.
Shapely, strong glutes are all the rage. They’re in! But, knowing exactly how to get a firm, lifted booty can be quite complex. A recent copy of Women’s Health promises a better butt, “In 5 Simple Steps!” But, if getting a stronger butt were that simple, gluteal deflation wouldn’t be such an epidemic.
So why are the gluteal muscles so prone to being inhibited or shut off?
The short answer is our modern day lives. Our modern lifestyle directly weakens the posterior chain of muscles, essentially taking us out of correct alignment. Desk jobs, too much time on computers, texting, and sitting or standing in undesirable positions all lead to an accelerated weakening of the glutes. When sitting for prolonged periods of time, the hips (anterior chain) tighten, which inhibit the opposing muscles (posterior chain). Eventually, the body begins to shut down, and, over time, the glute muscles become weaker and more dormant.
Is sitting the new smoking?
We’re all guilty of sitting too much. Even fit people. While you’re sitting and hard at work, your glutes aren’t working at all. Over time the shape of the butt changes. If we fail to activate the gluteal muscles regularly, inevitably these muscles will eventually stop working. Without understanding the ramifications of sitting, we jump up without realizing our glutes are no longer “ON” and all of the work the glutes are intended to do is now being dispersed into other parts of the body. When the gluteal muscles no longer pull their weight, all of the work gets transferred to weaker areas of the body.
“There is a serious flat butt epidemic happening”
Recent studies link weak glutes with shin splints, back pain, hip pain, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, IT band syndrome, and much more. So, what can we do about it? Naturally, we google “the best butt exercises” and guess what pops up? Squats. Lunges. Glute bridges, etc. This is where we run into trouble.
Why does exercise add to the problem?
Our go-to remedy, lower body strength training, may be adding to the problem and even making it worse. Understanding proper biomechanics is key in effectively building a plumper rump. When we add weight to dysfunction, we get more dysfunction. It is not possible to make a muscle stronger and shorten it simultaneously (which is what most strength exercises do). Most go-to glute exercises take an already short muscle that has lost its ability to properly contract and make it tighter and weaker.
Many fitness experts are guilty of this same line of thinking. If I can just make it fire, “turn it on,” then it will get stronger. False. You cannot add strength to dysfunction and expect positive changes in your butt or body.
The flat butt remedy...
If you’re from this planet and have two legs, you’re going to be prone to gluteal deflation. No ifs, ands, or buts (pun intended) about it. Most of our day to day activity consists of repeating subtle movements done incorrectly and overtime these faulty movement patterns have a painful and costly consequence. If you’re not performing some type of corrective exercise to counteract what our modern day lives do to our backside, the prognosis for a pain free body and strong booty isn’t great. So, what’s the answer? What’s going to transform your glutes? The answer is Foundation Training (FT), a form of corrective exercise that focuses on restoring proper function and strength to the backside of the body.
A bonus: the same remedy that improves the appearance and function of your butt also makes your entire body move and feel better. That’s right. When the hips move well, so does everything above and below them. The result is less pain, increased physical performance, and a strong, nice booty. Seems pretty simple, right? It is, but the results are transformational! FT has changed my butt and my life so much that I’ve dedicated myself to transforming glutes all over the map. Cass, The Wellness Rookie, enters.
Cass, The Wellness Rookie, and I became fast friends after finding each other on Instagram. Fitting, huh? We share very similar passions and both have a burning desire to help guide individuals on their journey towards better health. I was thrilled to introduce Foundation Training to Cass (a yogi at heart) because I knew she’d dig it!
A wellness rookie's take on FT...
Cass: While we first connected on Instagram over our love of health and fitness, we immediately became friends the moment we met while out for a hike in Bozeman. Kate was wearing the cutest Lululemon outfit and drove a Jeep...so obviously this gal was cool.
While on our hike, we talked back and forth on what we did for work and how we had gotten there. She told me about the gnarly back issues she dealt with for years without knowing how to fix them. Then, she gave me the rundown on Foundation Training and how it completely saved her life. It was the first time I had ever heard of FT so I was intrigued, confused, and anxious to try it all at the same time.
After asking a bazillion questions trying to understand what exactly FT was, Kate asked if I wanted to try a session with her that next week. I nodded my head and smiled back, eager to try out this foreign fitness phenomenon.
The following week, Kate gave me the rundown on Foundation Training. Now, when I say “rundown,” I mean Kate completely kicked my ass (literally) when she put me through a 30-minute workout. It was unlike anything I’d ever tried. The tiniest micro movements, long holds in fixed positions, and the lengthening of areas I didn’t even know existed are what had me completely hooked.
I got more out of those 30 minutes than weeks of my personal training classes ever gave me. Kate taught me different moves that I could incorporate into my workouts and everyday life. For example, doing woodpecker (a move in FT) before my dead-lifts not only improved my dead-lifting form, but also gave me a new definition of muscle soreness in my butt. And boy was I loving it….
Foundation Training can change your life and your body for the better. If I had one piece of advice to give you about FT, it would be JUST DO IT….no ands, ifs or buts (lol) about it.
Tips For A Nicer Behind:
1. Practice Corrective exercise. Regular practice of proper movement patterns is key to achieving a properly developed booty/backside. Repeating better movement patterns is the perfect way to get rid of bad ones. That’s exactly what FT does.
2. Use it or lose it. Foundation Training helps to reeducate the body on healthy movement patterns, which gives the glutes an opportunity to “fire” every time you bend over. The average person bends forward roughly 2-4,000 times per day. You can image the gluteal potential if every time you bend over you move in a way that restores length and strength to the glutes.
3. Perform proper strength exercises. After you’ve rid your glutes of all their dysfunction and restored proper muscle length, then those muscles are actually able to contract/work. Now it’s time for functional strength exercises like squats and dead-lifts. These are two of my favorite booty-building exercises because they both lengthen the glutes under tension, which encourages the muscles to remain long, while simultaneously adding strength and mass.
Building a better booty will look great, save your back and improve the rest of your joints in the process. So what are you waiting for? Get off that booty, and try some Foundation Training. Your body (and butt) will thank you!
-Kate
More info on Foundation Training.
About Kate:
Kate Murphy is a certified Foundation Training instructor and also the founder of Health Revolt
"Before starting Health Revolt, I worked nine years as a personal trainer. For seven of those years I wrestled with chronic pain, failing to find relief on the symptom-chasing treadmill of conventional health care.
I spent thousands of hours researching and consulting with leading fitness, nutrition, and wellness experts. We don’t have to settle for a life of adjusting to our symptoms and rearranging our lives around problems we’re told have no solutions.
I believe we can cure and prevent chronic pain and sickness.
Want to know more? Follow me on Instagram @health_revolt or message me here!
Photography by Anna Vancleeve