Look after your bum!

85% of the gluteus maximus consists of phasic, fast twitch fibers attaching to the ITB and the 15% are postural fibers that insert onto the coccyx and sacrum.

If you where to ask most western societies 'what function does your bum/arse/asss/glutes offer?' 

....you might expect an answer relating to its role during sitting, protecting the anus, cushioning a fall, law of attraction, enhancing medical liposuction revenue, symmetry and maybe even how it helps to extend the hip joint during some extreme change of speed...

Though all of the above may be true and yes some are true, its important to consider that your bum isn't just something that assists our destructive sitting obsession, as we no longer know how to squat, your bum is actually a skilfully woven piece of manufactured art, that integrates with every system streaming across the pelvis and its design is highly complex. Even if we where to consider solely its biomechanical potential, that would require a depth of regurgitation, sitting and equations way beyond a functional blog post!

So what can your bum tell you about how well your operating? 

When an an individual experiences optimal homeostatic posture where no discomfort or compensation is announced, the chances of seeing a well developed gluteus maximus is high. Its when issues within the abdominal wall become chronic, that you begin to see overcompensation and dysfunction presenting at and around the bum.    

Panniculus adipose tissue-
with minimal glute max development,
often accompanied with a protruding
lower abdomen.

A sedentary background, consecutive pregnancies, food toxicity, faulty exercise patterns.. Can all promote a bad looking-dysfunctional bum.

All of the above can actually promote leaky gut, constipation, muscle inhibition and viserotosis (organs "falling down"). Which again has a knock on effect to how well your 'inner unit' opporates in order to create spinal (lumbothoracic) stability and stiffness when producing force. 
The inner unit consisting of predominately the TVA, multifidis, diaphragm, pelvic floor, internal obliques..when exposed to these conditions.. will turn off. 
So now the internal postural stabilisers cannot function, this makes the nervous system subconsciously adapt to create the required structural stability.  

By adapting and preventing the organs from dropping through the pelvis due to the faulty abdominal wall, the body utilises the slow twitch 'glute mead' and a small percentage of glute max to act as a inner unit stabiliser. Consistently in a "clenched" mode acting as the new 'pelvic floor', the postural fibers soon become phasic (dominant), leading to the 85% gluteus max atrophy (tissue breakdown) as it now only has use as postural support, leading to pelvic girdle instability and imbalance throughout the spinal stabilisers. 
This can be seen in distance runners, as they loose muscle mass and become more slow twitch.

Look at that development!

To create optimal function within any muscle fibre string, it would make sense to use and train the muscles as they where designed to be used. The Gluteus Maximus as shown, is a fast twitch dominant muscle that would benefit with exposure to firstly correct activation and secondly environments that can express its true potential as a force generating unit (weighted glute bridges, isometric holds, low dynamic drills, squatting, deadlifting, sprinting and even correct hand standing etc.. etc..)

The same can be said for the rectus abdominus, which is constantly trained as if it were a slow twitch dominat group, but in actual fact its largely fast twitch! So by performing 100, 200, 300....crunches through partial range, all your promoting is a dysfunctional set of abdominals, tight pecs and neck, increases thoracic kyphosis and only partial function! If you really wanna crunch, get over a swiss ball, grab a 40kg dumbbell, put your tongue to the roof of your mouth and work through full potential!
or just learn to deal with gravity a little better.. 

Individuals with Inner unit dysfunction and poor gluteal development/ activation, can be very susceptible to injury when moving with dynamic effort...assess the individual from the neck down, move with caution until function is restored.   

Look after your insides, move and you will have a sweet looking functional bum! 

Beatle.

Richard Don Tigney
'Janda Approach'
Paul Chek

Gee Photgraphy