The Body Part You Need to Target, But Aren't: Glute Workout

I had a client who was experiencing hip discomfort as a result of his running program. I sent him to my friend, a well-known sports orthopedist, who gave him the following one-sentence medical diagnosis:

"You have the typical guy weak-butt syndrome."

Weak butt = weak glutes. They are becoming an epidemic as a result of our sedentary lifestyles, for both men and women. We spend our lives sitting on these all-important muscles, hours at a time, day in and day out, making them weaker and weaker in the process. What so many people fail to realize is that weak glutes lead to a whole host of compensatory injuries to the hips, the knees and more. When people say "I have bad knees" or "I have bad hips," what they are often really saying is "I have weak glutes, which are causing me problems elsewhere."

The body works as a kinetic chain, which means that many different parts of your body work together to create movement. When one part of this chain is not working properly, the entire system fails to function correctly and problems arise, oftentimes in places other than where the weak link exists. More often than not, people focus on the symptom, not the cause, when it comes to these issues, and they never fix the problem as a result.

Technology has brought about many great changes to our modern society; unfortunately, it has also given us the aforementioned "weak butt syndrome." So we need to strengthen our glutes, for both recreational sports as well as for our everyday activities. Here are three of my favorite exercises that target these all-important, yet neglected muscles, keeping you injury-free while also sculpting your rear in the process. Do these 1-3 times per week, 10-15 repetitions, with at least one day off in between:

1. SINGLE LEG BENCH STEP UPS: You can hold dumbbells to increase the intensity of the exercise.

2. SINGLE LEG BENCH SQUATS

3. SINGLE LEG FLOOR TOUCHES