In our most recent Yoga Detour Summer School session, we had some fabulous discussion around hip extension and glute engagement in backbends. Many A-HA moments were had. For example, I thought to myself “Self, maybe you should write a blog post about this!” And here we are. 😄
Scene:
You’re in a yoga class. You are in a backbend – any backbend. You hear your teacher say something like….
“Soften your glutes.”
You assume your teacher knows best, so you comply. But then maybe…maybe you start to wonder ‘why.’ And you go down the rabbit hole to learn for yourself and you find out:
Maybe that arbitrary cue isn't the best advice.
If you were to ask your teacher “WHY should I soften my glutes in a backbend?”, you might get a response something like…
It compresses your SI joints
It causes external rotation of the femur
It causes lumbar spine compression
It allows you to go deeper into your backbend
Because that’s how I was taught and my teacher is the best! (everyone thinks their teacher is best 😉)
I’ve heard them all, and I’ve probably said at least one of them at some point (when I didn’t know better, and before I started asking WHY myself.)
Many of these cues don't hold up under the scrutiny of modern movement science.
Personally, I’ve been instructed to relax/soften my glutes in yoga classes in the following poses:
Camel
Upward facing dog
Wheel
Warrior 1
Crescent Lunge
Low Lunge
All of these poses have one thing in common besides spinal extension. They all demand hip extension. Your gluteus maximus is your primary hip extensor. It’s your strongest hip muscle, it’s arguably one of the strongest muscles in your body.
I believe that arbitrary cues offered in yoga classes arise from good intentions and are often rooted in tradition/lineage rather than modern movement science.
Teachers want their students to “be safe” and to minimize potential suffering in yoga asana. Ahimsa – or non-harming - is presented as a way to encourage yoga practitioners to honor their body in a kind and compassionate way. Makes sense, right?
What if I told you that relaxing the glutes in a backbend is likely to create more compression in the lower back, rather than less?
What if I told you that your S.I. joints crave stability as some of the most stable joints in your body? (And in fact, because your nervous system is always working to keep you safe, it craves stability as a general rule.)
...but that’s a whole ‘nuther blog post! 😅
What if I told you that there is data to support that strengthening gluteal muscles in coordination with lumbar segmentation reduces chronic low back pain? [ref]
TLDR version:
“The results showed that hip muscle strengthening exercise in addition to lumbar segmental stabilization exercise increased the stability of the hip joint and pelvis, which was conducive to increasing lumbar segmental stability. It was also more effective for increasing the lumbar low back pain disability index, isometric muscle strength of lumbar flexion and extension, and balance ability.”
Think of your muscular skeletal system as not only a series of muscles that move bones/joints, but as a complex & intelligently wired tensional system.
Your muscles don’t operate in isolation, and your nervous system is responsible for assigning muscular roles for any given task. Must you consciously engage your glutes in order to walk up a set of stairs or walk along the sidewalk? No, your brain is much smarter than that! Your NS senses that in order to extend your hip, your glutes need to fire, so they do – it’s like magic without the hat and rabbit. 🧙♀️
This is how you developed when you first learned to walk, you rock star! I bet you didn’t even know you had glutes when you started walking. But was your bum contracting to extend your hip, smarty pants? You betchya. ✅
Now we know: The main role of glute max is to extend the hip (it has secondary roles as well, and your proximal hamstrings also assist with hip extension.) If we take away their primary role as an extensor of the hip, your wise bio-tensegrity system will reorganize in order to compensate for that deficit.
What area is just above your hip? Your lumbar spine. I’ll let you conclude what consequences might occur if our primary hip extensor is off-line or consciously inhibited in backbends. It is not reasonable to solely rely on the hamstrings for hip extension, your body just doesn’t work that way. Remember, your nervous system is the Queen and she knows what to do! 👑
As far as external rotation – try this. Stand in tadasana. Squeeze your glutes. Did your thighs externally rotate / turn out more than a few degrees? Most likely not, because your feet are on the ground. You could even try it with one leg floating. What happens? Does that small amount of external rotation feel nefarious to you? 😇
The amount of external hip rotation with glute engagement is negligible when in a closed-chain position such as bridge or wheel pose when the feet are pressing down. Even in an open chain position, the amount of external rotation in a yoga posture (body weight only) is unlikely to “compress” anything to the point of injury – you aren’t made of glass. And even IF you did produce some external hip rotation by contracting your glutes, there is no evidence to suggest that it would be injurious.
Remember, your SI joints crave stability and are designed to distribute intense forces – they love a good squeeze! I’d go so far as to say that SI joint discomfort is more likely due to instability in that area, rather than excessive compression. Don’t just take my word for it, see what the research says. [ref]
TLDR version:
“The results of this case-series indicate that subjects with persistent pain in the lumbopelvic region and clinical tests positive for SI joint dysfunction demonstrated gluteus maximus weakness when comparing the involved and uninvolved sides. Following a five-week strengthening program directed at the gluteus maximus, subjects demonstrated a significant increase in function, decrease in pain, and increase in strength. These results support the inclusion of gluteus maximus strengthening exercises in those with persistent pain in the lumbopelvic region and clinical tests positive for SI joint dysfunction.”
Additionally, I believe that balancing glute engagement with adductor effort would likely mitigate any risk of over-rotation. I like to squeeze a yoga block or ball between my thighs in bridge pose – I feel a balanced effort all around my hip to support my hip & spinal extension. Have you tried it? Good stuff! 🤩
Bonus: Isometrics - simply contracting a muscle without moving a joint - are generally understood as analgesic in certain conditions such as *tendinopathy. [ref]
*I can personally attest to this as I have suffered proximal hamstring tendinopathy “yoga butt” in the past (pissed-off hamstrings tendon from too much stretch and not enough strength.) Isometrics in hip extension were my best friend during this time, and I still use them every day. 🤗
I’ve noticed that yoga is the only physical practice that (sometimes) asks us to inhibit hip extensor effort in a hip extension position. It is true that inhibiting the glutes will probably make your backbend deeper. So if your goal is to grab your ankles in full wheel, rock on. As long as it’s intentional and you understand the potential consequences of that habit. Risk vs. reward is something we should always consider in regard to depth of pose. Is deeper better? Why? 🤷♀️ I’m like that annoying 3 year old with all the “why’s”….I will not apologize. 😝
A personal trainer would be confused if you tried to do a hip thrust without using your glutes…your low back would likely take over. Do you have a different body when you take a fitness, Pilates or barre class? I remember taking a barre class once (well before the Detour), and asking the question:
“Sooooo….I’m supposed to ENGAGE my glutes in bridge pulses?”
Wide eyed and incredulous, the instructor nodded slowly and said….
”YESSSSSS, that’s how you make them stronger and that’s how we get our hips up off the ground.” 🤦♀️
Then she said to me "You must be a yoga instructor."
Oh. Shit. What. Is. Happening?! 😬
We should also consider the effort of the pelvis in forward bends and backbends. In a forward fold, we create an anterior pelvic tilt to create a hip hinge & eventually spinal flexion. Conversely then, doesn’t it make sense to initiate a backbend with a posterior tuck? Have you tried it out? How’d it go? 🤔
There may be reasons for initiating a backbend with an anterior tilt, I just haven’t personally experienced that in my body. My lumbar spine is all too willing to take on more than it’s fair share of extension. The struggle is real. 😑
This is a good time to remember that many cues are good for some people, but not all cues are appropriate for everyone. Understanding the why behind your instructions is one of the keys to being a credible educator.
I think you might find that initiating a backbend with the effort of a posterior pelvic tuck vs. anterior tilt gives you a bit more space in your lumbar. That’s not to say your lumbar won’t extend – it sure will and that’s totally appropriate. But wouldn’t you agree that a more balanced distribution of load is a wise strategy? 👍🏻
A posterior tuck effort + gluteal engagement might change your perception of backbends. I’ve witnessed a massive shift with multiple students. People who used to avoid or suffer through camel pose now feel empowered and comfortable in their camel. I've had so many lightbulb moments these past few years since I’ve been on the Detour that I stopped counting. 💡
I’ll leave you with a statement that nobody's autocorrect can seem to get right, right Cecily? 😂
Engage your ducking flutes. 🦆🍑
