Opposites Attract- How to Help Improve Your Force Production

February 26, 2014

2 Mins Read

Hello Movement Warriors,

I wanted to talk a little bit about Glute weakness, specifically your Gluteus Medius and Minimus (Glute Med/Min) and the relationship it has with Quadratus Lumborum (QL – a muscle in the lower back on each side). Often when one glute is weaker, then your opposite QL is also weaker.

If you are someone who knows you are weaker on one side than the other consider this concept when it comes to your performance:

Bilateral Deficit:

This basically means that the sum of of your force production in both limbs is less than the force production of one of your limbs. One way to recognize this would be to get hooked up to an Electromyography (EMG) device.

However, there is no need to get hooked up to an EMG if you are paying attention to your body. Consider the fact that you feel stronger on once side doing pistols, or under heavier loads you shift your weight to one side, the stronger side. This may mask as pain in that weaker side, it may feel like you are walking more like a chronic “beach goer” with a strut (see video). Perhaps you have a harder time balancing on one leg or doing half moon pose in yoga on once side versus the other.

Check out this video and help yourself work on the tissues that balance each other out in everything we do: “Meet Your Glute Medius/Minimus and Quadratus Lumborum.”

Prescription:

Grab a kettlebell that is the weight you would use for heavier kettlebell swings (watch video to reinforce the below): You will have to side bend your neck to see parts of this…just wanted to keep you on your toes!

1. When working the Glute Medius hold the kettlebell in the opposite hand and lift the opposite leg. To make this more challenging, pass the kettlebell from hang to hand still balancing. To make it even more challenging and improve your proprioception to the max, close your eyes. Do this for 1 minute, rest 1 minute, 3 rounds.

2. To work on your Quadratus Lumborum on the opposite side of your Glute Medius, hold the kettlbell on the side of the weaker Glute Medius and walk 20 feet intervals, 10 times without stopping. Rest 1 minute, repeat for 1 more round.