Dynamic Warmup Glute Stretch

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DID YOU KNOW tight hips can influence pelvic and lumbar stability? We like the phrase "Tight Hips Sink Ships" - by ships we mean the pelvis, and by sinking we mean the 'butt wink'. During certain exercises like the squat or deadlift, we need hip musculature flexibility, and hip and pelvic dissociation. The glutes and the piriformis are muscles that can affect hip and pelvic dissociation. These muscles have one thing in common, they attach to the pelvis and the proximal femur (hip bone). As we perform exercises or movements that bring us closer to the ground, the hips need to move independently from the pelvis, thus hip and pelvis dissociation. With adequate dissociation, the pelvis can be stay stable and horizontal to the ground as the hips move. A stable pelvis allows the spine to stay stable in a neutral position. When these muscles are tight and lack flexibility, the pelvis goes for a ride with the hips, causing the lumbar spine to follow the pelvis - and you're showing off your butt wink.

LETS BE CLEAR - the butt wink is normal. Anyone who knows a thing or two about eastern civilization, or the squatty potty knows what we are referencing. When you perform a deep squat your pelvis naturally tilts backwards and tucks under - thus the butt wink. HOWEVER an EARLY, or EXCESSIVE butt wink under load is not desired. The 'butt wink' is actually posterior pelvic tilt of the pelvis, which forces the lumbar spine into flexion. Excessive lumbar flexion may overstretch the lumbar zygapophyseal joints, as well as the low back musculature. This can cause stress and strain to these structures. Chronically stretching the low back area is a quick way to find your back locked up after you stop moving for a while. That’s because you've pissed off your low back, and now the muscles want to protect it from anymore damage!

SO before we do any of these lifts or any activity that requires you to be low to the ground, you need to increase muscle flexibility! Muscle flexibility here = increased hip and pelvic dissocation = increased pelvic stability = decreased lumbar movement and increased spinal stability! This one of my go to exercises before I do squats, deadlifts, or in general leg day! The glutes extend and abduct the hips, so we need to do the opposite to stretch them out.

Get into a quadruped position
Rock backwards and side-to-side keeping a neutral spine, you should feel the stretch in the back and sides of your hips
After a few reps, increase your range by reaching with the opposite foot further backwards
Do this for a couple of minutes into you feel these muscles start warming up and loosening up

Some of you may notice I am going into external rotation, but the glutes and piriformis externally rotate the hip? Taking into consideration biomechanics and the orientation of the piriformis - once the hip passes 90 degrees the piriformis becomes an internal rotator. So moving into external rotation during this exercise hits the piriformis, boom!
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