Why You Should Care About Your Booty

If you didn't already know, the biggest muscle in your body is your butt. There is no shortage of seeing nicely toned, well lifted rear ends all over social media and in real life. "Booty goals" #amiright? However, the benefits of a strong backside go much deeper than just appearance. Sculpting your backside doesn't have to strictly be an aesthetic pursuit you're on.

If you’re not already incorporating movements that target your gluteal muscles into your workouts, you’re missing out on strengthening arguably the most important muscle group in the human body. The beauty of The Reformer is that is allows all of the three muscles to engage as well as the lower back and abdominals. When done properly you will feel them while doing things such as plank, cow/cat stretches, glute bridges and leg lifts. The Reformer adds more mobility and resistance to optimize your results.

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What are your glutes?

• Gluteus minimus- a small triangular muscle located deep in the posterior region of the hip, spanning from the gluteal surface of the ilium to the proximal end of the femur. The smallest and deepest of the three, aiding in rotating lower limbs and keeping the pelvis stable.
• Gluteus medius- a large fan-shaped muscle located in the posterior hip, extending from the ilium to the proximal femur. Like the minimus it also helps with stabilizing your pelvis and rotation of the legs.
• Gluteus maximus- the most superficial as well as largest of the three muscles and makes up most of the shape and form of the buttock and hip area. It helps keep us upright when sitting and standing. It is also important for generating force from your lower body.

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Why it's important to strengthen your gluteal muscles.

"Many people might have chronically tight and weak glutes (sometimes accompanied with tight hip flexor muscles) due to prolonged sitting and living a more sedentary lifestyle. As a result, glutes become inactive and in effect, switch off because of an over-reliance on other muscles during exercise and everyday movements that should be performed by the glutes."

Overall body strength

The stronger your glutes are, the stronger your entire body will be in generating power. There's a reason they call it the powerhouse, it pushes our body forward and upward. As well as being responsible for accelerating, decelerating, changing directions, and creating explosive power in jumps. Overall you will be stronger and faster!

Better Balance and Posture

The stronger the glutes, the better you will be able to balance on and off of reformers, making each transition more flawless. When your glutes aren’t strong, your latissimus dorsi overcompensates, pulling the torso and shoulders out of their proper position which leads to improper posture resulting in pain and chance of injury.

Reduces chance of Injury and body pain

When your glutes aren't performing properly it will increase your overall chance of injury to your groin, lower back, hamstrings and knees. They play a huge rule in relieving some of the stress and pressure from your lower back. When they are strong your back wont have to bear the full force of your motion. And because the glutes keep the pelvis stable this will help prevent unnecessary pressure on your knees.

Takeaway

"Maybe the sitting problem doesn’t apply to you at work, or you’re one of the 23 percent who gets the recommended amount of weekly exercise. Even if you’re an athlete, a runner, or just an active person, you still need to train your glutes. And there’s research to prove it — a 2015 study indicated that greater gluteal activation enhanced the force generated when jumping from a squat position. A 2012 study suggested that “low-load exercises targeting the gluteal muscle group acutely enhance explosive power output.”

It doesn’t matter where you are in your fitness journey or what your goals are, strengthening your butt will help keep you healthy, pain-free, and improve physical performance. Our motto stands true, be a badass with a good ass!

In the words of Sir Mix-A-Lot "Shake that healthy butt."