The Best Stretches to Relieve Tight Glutes
Doing glute stretches not only relieves tight and sore muscles but also has a helping hand in reducing muscle tightness in other areas too. Glute stretches can help reduce tightness and tension in your lower back and hips too. In fact they help to increase your flexibility and range and reduce the chance of injury.
Your glutes don’t just get a workout in your Ballet Fusion classes, they are constantly working hard. They keep us moving as we go about our daily lives and play a massive part in walking, climbing stairs or even just standing from sitting down. Your glutes are attached to bones in your back, hips, pelvis and legs so having tight glutes can have an impact on tightness in those areas too.
Tight glutes can of course come from over exercising and focussing on one area but can also come from poor posture, poor form when exercising and muscle imbalance so make sure you listen to your Ballet Fusion instructor carefully when joining a class. They will offer correct postural techniques and show you how to move and exercise correctly within a class.
Your gluteal muscles are separated into three and they are
gluteus maximus
gluteus medius
gluteus minimus
They are located in your buttocks with gluteus maximus being the largest of the three. The gluteus maximus muscle gives us power to move.
What Are The Benefits To Stretching Tight Glutes?
Stretching the glutes can help relieve tension in the following areas.
tight hamstrings
tight hips
lower back pain
pelvic pain
By reducing tightness in these areas glute stretches can help with
improving your range of motion
enhancing your flexibility
reducing your risk of injury whilst exercising
improving all round mobility
When Should I Stretch?
There are a number of times when stretching your glutes would be beneficial.
after a dynamic warm up before you exercise
after your workout
after prolonged periods of sitting
Here Are Our Favourite Glute Stretches
You will find these in every Ballet Fusion class either in your warm up, throughout the class or at the end in your cool down and stretch.
Seated figure-four stretch
Sitting on a chair, lift one ankle on to the other knee. Keeping the toes relaxed and spine long, gently tilt forwards from the hips. Hold this stretch for 10 to 30 seconds on each side.
Seated Glute Stretch
Sitting on your bottom with knees bent, feet flat on the floor - lift one ankle on to the other knee. Keep the spine tall and don’t sink into the base of the spine. For extra stretch, gently push against the lifted knee. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds each side.
Downward-facing dog
Starting on all fours, push the hips back and tailbone towards the sky. Lift the stomach and gently push the heels towards the floor. Let the head relax. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Pigeon pose
A deep stretch for the glutes and hips: Bring one knee towards your wrist and toes towards the other wrist. Gently sink the hips and bottom down without forcing them to the floor. Keep the toes relaxed and hold for 10 to 30 seconds. For a deeper stretch, lower your upper body on to the elbows, or the head down towards the floor.
Seated twist
With legs straight infront of you, bend one leg and cross the foot over to the outside of the extended knee. Keep the spine tall, sitting up out of the hips as you twist towards the bent leg and turn the head to look behind you. Keep your shoulders down and neck long to enjoy the spine release which comes with this lovely stretch
Lying figure-four stretch
A deeper version of the figure four stretch - Lying on your back, place one ankle over the other knee and gently pull the leg towards the chest. For a deeper stretch into the glutes, use your elbow to gently ease the side-facing knee away from the body. Keep the toes relaxed and head on the floor.
As you can see, glute stretches have so many positive impacts on our bodies. If you are not sure how to stretch safely then feel free to ask your Ballet Fusion instructor next time you are taking part in an online ballet fitness class or in the studio. We are always here to help :)