Last month, it was my tailbone that started to malfunction so badly that I could barely walk to the kitchen and back. My doctor confirmed it was sacroiliac joint pain, and while it was probably mainly caused by pregnancy hormones relaxing my pelvis too soon, the problem was exacerbated by instability of, you guessed it, weak glutes.
I quickly searched YouTube for some workouts that might help. In a video by Body Love PilatesTrainer Ali Handley shares a seated glute exercise with a resistance band wrapped around your calves: As you push your legs out onto the band, slowly raise and lower your heels while maintaining a constant amount of resistance.
Watch a demo starting at minute 8:18:
Following Handley for just eight reps, I immediately felt my gluteus medius on the outside of my hips fire up and stay active even after I finished. I walked my dog around the block right after, and I could feel that the muscles were still on (ie slightly burning with each step). That activation kept my pelvis more stable and less painful than it had been in over a week.
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So I told myself that I was going to repeat the exercise every day. Which meant I did it for two days straight and then promptly forgot about it.
I knew I needed some way make it a habit. Since this is such a simple exercise that doesn’t require a lot of concentration, I realized that instead of setting aside dedicated time, I could incorporate it into my morning routine – now, when I first sit down to work, I simply wrap a resistance band. around my calves for the first half hour (or until I get up for more coffee) and do some occasional heel raises while I check email and Slack. I keep the band next to my laptop to remind myself to wear it, and since it doesn’t take extra time out of my day, I actually do.
This may be the easiest workout routine I’ve ever done. And also one of the most effective. In just a week of practicing it regularly, I could feel those hard-to-reach muscles get stronger and my pelvis stay more stable when I walk or run, which means I have almost no SI joint pain. .
I know, I know: it sounds too good to be true. Are such remarkable results somehow all in my head? I posed the question to a NASM certified trainer Cecilia McCulloughworking with clients in functional fitness based studio p.returnswondering if this kind of habit could really be effective, or if I just want to think it is and I’m experiencing some sort of placebo effect.
She notes that working your glutes while sitting can be a strategic way to isolate and target the right muscles. “When you’re sitting, you have more support with your pelvis and spine, so you’re not working against other factors, like when you’re standing or even lying on the floor, working against gravity,” she says. “And with the seated movement, it’s also a minimal range of motion, especially since the band adds resistance.” Even when I’m not paying much attention to lifting and lowering my heels, the movement is so small and contained that it’s easy to maintain proper form.
On the other hand, physiotherapist Theresa Marko, DPT, spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association and owner of Mark Physiotherapy in New York City says my favorite exercise wouldn’t work the glutes as much as just squeezing and releasing while sitting. Or, better yet, she says, getting up to move. “Frequent, small breaks can go a long way in relieving problems before they start,” she says.
But as the cliché goes, the best type of exercise is the one you will do. Although there are many other ways to strengthen my glutesfor now I will continue doing the one that I hardly have to think about.
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