Ever spent a whole morning sitting at your desk?

Perhaps you've been on a long Zoom call where you haven't moved. You did get a couple of coffee breaks, but you only walked from your desk to your kettle.

Add this to the fact that your commute that morning consisted of going from bed to shower to desk; and at lunchtime, it's just a few steps from desk to kitchen table and back again.

The job of your butt muscles, in movement terms is to either propel you forwards (glute max) and to rotate your legs outwards (glute medius & minimus).

When you just spend all day sitting on them...well, frankly they get lazy and forget what it is that they're supposed to be doing when you do need to move.

They've been stuck in a permanently lengthened position - and when you need to move and they need to contract (or shorten), they're just not interested. 

Your butt muscles play a strong role in the tilt of your pelvis. When the glute max contracts, they act as a counter to your hips flexors, which are pulling your pelvis in the other direction.

Imagine your pelvis as a bucket of water - your butt muscles pull your tailbone under so that the bucket tips back and water spills out; your hip flexors pull your tailbone back so that the bucket tips forwards and water spills out. 

(I bet you sat there and tipped your pelvis backwards and forwards, didn't you?!)

What you really want is for the bucket to level so that no water spills out - meaning that the hip flexors and glutes need to be in balance to allow you to move freely and without discomfort.

We all know (because I keep telling you!) that there are two reasons why joints feel stiff:

1. The muscles are shortened so they don't like to be pulled out of that position and/or;

2. The muscles are weak so they aren't strong enough to do their job and so your brain restricts the range of movement to protect the joint

So, if your hip flexors are shortened because you sit all day; and your glute max is weakened by sitting in that lengthened position all day...imagine how that makes your hips feel. 

Except you probably don't need to imagine it, do you?

And guess what else you'll probably feel? Yes, that's right, stiff achy back!

Oh joy! Not just stiff, achy hips, but stiff, achy back too? 

Why's that? Well, you know what I said about the bucket in the previous section?

Your "bucket" is attached to your body. When your hip flexors are letting your bucket tip water forward, it puts your lower back muscles (your quadratus lumborum, or QL) into a shortened position. All day. 

But they're not "working" as such, they're just passively shortened by your posture, so they're also weak.

And remember what we said about shortened and weak muscles? That's right, they don't like to move and your brain restricts range of movement to prevent injury.

Ta-dah! Stiff achy back!

Well, it's actually very simple.

Move more.

Get up from your desk at least every hour and move around (says me having sat here for over an hour writing this!).

Every day get outside for a walk. As you walk, focus on activating your glutes to push you forward. Doesn't have to be a long walk - thirty minutes will do the job (and help you to hit your recommended 150 minutes a week of movement!).

Want an actual workout in the comfort of your own home that will focus on strengthening and releasing hips and back? Join one of our regular online classes via Virtual Studio.

We've got all the online classes to get you moving - Pilates, Step, PiYo....And my particular favourite  - Strength & Stretch on Fridays at 7.45am. 

As the name infers, you'll enjoy your hips and back getting both a strength workout and a damn good stretch - leaves you feeling bloody awesome!

If you're one of my regular Gold or Deluxe members, you've also got access to the recordings of the last three months' Pilates and Strength & Stretch classes.  This means you can actively focus on your mobility any time you like. 

If you're not one of my Gold or Deluxe members, email me today to find out how you can get access to online and in-person classes to help you to focus on feeling less stiff and achy AND to make your butt remember again!