Read on if you have tight hip flexors and need help with glute activation exercises!
The best way to get your glutes activating without over working your thighs or lower back is to improve your Hip Dissociation! What's that? It's your ability to move your legs freely in their sockets without your hips or trunk moving... at all! To dissociate the two. This is what it means to have healthy functioning hips. Leg circles is a good exercise to test this out on and the exercise is down below but before you jump ahead, read on so you get the full picture.
It comes down to pure biomechanics and it seems sometimes we can overlook it. Simply adding weights or repetitions to your session plan won't work. You've got to re-work your biomechanics. Your muscles move your bones so thinking about obtaining optimal bone alignment and smooth freedom of motion in your joints means the correct muscles will work for you - organically.
Slowing it down and taking the time to get your biomechanics in good working order is where your Pilates comes in. Pilates is all about bone alignment and optimising your movement and if your keen on getting your glutes activating once and for all, Pilates better be in your weekly exercise schedule! I've created a playlist on Youtube with the breakdown exercises so you can learn how to do each one correctly. (Your leg circles exercise is in there).
Remember you're working on your Hip Dissociation whilst doing the exercises and the sooner you can do this well the sooner your glutes will activate for you. It's not just about the exercises, it's about the principal too. Here is a direct link to the Youtube playlist. Do it 3 x a week for at least 3 weeks for results! Enjoy awakening your hips.
With love,
Alex x