Do you experience back pain? If so, it could be that you are neglecting a large group of frequently neglected muscles. This would be your posterior chain, the backside of your body. Your posterior chain is made up of the glutes, hamstrings, calves, erector spinae (tiny muscle surrounding the spine) and the lower and upper back muscles.
These muscles play a large part of just about every movement you do. For many their daily movements don’t require much of the posterior chain so if they become weak your spine will beg for proper support. This can lead to bad posture and low back pain.
When these muscles don’t get used it’s like they fall asleep (especially your glutes) and your body will start to compensate by giving more work to the quads and to the front side of the body. This can lead to injuries since the front of your body is now taking on loads meant for your glutes. An example of this is in runners with knee injuries. They can end up having too much too much pressure coming down on their knee joints due to their glutes and core not working correctly.
To teach you posterior chain how to work again it’s important to concentrate on squeezing the glutes and the back side when doing posterior chain work. Once your body gets use to this these muscles will get used to being used first and will correctly support your body. Properly activating your glutes will also improve your posture and balance and help prevent back and knee injuries.
Here are some familiar exercises to help you achieve a stronger posterior chain.
-Supermans
-Bird Dogs
-Sumo Squats
-Back Extensions
-Glute Bridges
-Reverse Lunges
-Back Rows
-Romanian Deadlifts
-Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts
-Kettlebell Swings
-Barbell Hip Thrusts
-Renegade Rows
Remember have patience take the time to correct your form and movement patterns to become the best version of you!