Any ideas for developing mind-muscle connection with glutes?

[RottenWillow]

For someone like me who seems to have always had it, I don't know how to teach my husband how to learn how to contract his during squats.

I suspect I've naturally contracted mine my entire life whenever I stoop down. Consequently, my glutes rounded out substantially when I started lifted in '03.

My husband on the other hand has developed pretty good quads, but still has a totally flat butt. Doesn't even appear toned. During standing quad stretches he can hardly activate his glute at all despite his best efforts at concentrating. I can very easily contract the glute I'm focusing on, but his hardly moves.

You guys have any ideas about helping him develop a better connection with the glutes and recruit them more during squats?

 

[musclemom]

There's probably better suggestions but out there but mine is fun ... you want him to work with very little weight. Stand behind him when he's going through the exercise with your hands on his ass. Tell him when you feel him activating the muscle. Once he knows what he's supposed to be feeling he should be okay.

With deadlifts I think of bringing up the weight from the heels up which sort of naturally brings your power up through the hamstrings but there is a temptation to allow the muscles in the front to do the work. I imagine that's even stronger with squats because your center of gravity is messed up.

 

[SouthernLord]

There are some good gluteal activation drills I will post up later.

Lifting your big toe up when doing DLs, RDLs, and SLDLs will make your glutes fire.

 

[RottenWillow]

There's probably better suggestions but out there but mine is fun ... you want him to work with very little weight. Stand behind him when he's going through the exercise with your hands on his ass. Tell him when you feel him activating the muscle. Once he knows what he's supposed to be feeling he should be okay.

With deadlifts I think of bringing up the weight from the heels up which sort of naturally brings your power up through the hamstrings but there is a temptation to allow the muscles in the front to do the work. I imagine that's even stronger with squats because your center of gravity is messed up.

Actually I tried something like that, MM. I applied some pressure to the center of one glute with two fingers so he could feel the pressure on the muscle group while he was trying to flex it. Didn't help him.

 

[SouthernLord]

TMUSCLE.com | Get Your Butt In Gear! - Part 1

Elite Fitness Systems

 

[moya]

how deep is he squatting?

 

[RottenWillow]

TMUSCLE.com | Get Your Butt In Gear! - Part 1

Elite Fitness Systems

Motor control exercises for the glutes. Rock on. Thanks.

 

[RottenWillow]

how deep is he squatting?

It varies, but never more shallow than 2" below parallel.

 

[ExtraMile]

What did it for me was bringing my stance right in so Im doing olympic squats, squeeze my glutes together while standing with the bar across my back, (he can squeeze his ass cheeks together, right?) then while keeping them tense, bend forward and go into the squat, squeeze them hard as your coming up then pause for a second after the rep is completed and squeeze them again. So basically lots of squeezing throughout the set. After a while I could do it easily and now I know what I should be feeling, I can do it with GHR's, deadlifts etc...

 

[Big_BK]

Only thing i was really told that might help is focus on the hip thrusts when you are coming out of the hole in a squat or locking out on a deadlift. Like how my football coach during highschool would say "imagine your banging your girl!!!" lol Might be easier for him to connect with that since hes a guy.

 

[RottenWillow]

Only thing i was really told that might help is focus on the hip thrusts when you are coming out of the hole in a squat or locking out on a deadlift. Like how my football coach during highschool would say "imagine your banging your girl!!!" lol Might be easier for him to connect with that since hes a guy.

Yeah that's the only thing that does get it for him. Do you think if he could learn to flex it fully only at the top of those movements would be enough for him to get some glute development? Both feet on the floor, legs mostly or fully extended seems to be the only position in which he can connect with them.