In addition to a recent article I wrote about the hamstring glute tie-in, I have decided to elaborate with some more effective exercises to target this area. You know the area, where your upper leg and lower butt become one? Or, for some us where the butt sags over your thighs!
One of the best ways to target this area is to work within the lower 90 degree angle of the knee and hip bend. Frog walking is a killer on this area but for those with bad knees, it’s probably not the best choice and I don’t suggest you perform this exercise. Frog walking is where you crouch down on your feet so that your butt is almost touching the back of your heels or the Achilles area. Now, in this position start walking forward while never rising beyond a 90 degree knee bend. Try to get this technique down until you can do it smoothly with larger steps. I recommend doing 10-20 steps per leg.
Pop squats are another great exercise for the hamstring glute tie-in. You will begin in the same position as the frog walk, while rising up to a 90 degree bend in the knees as if you are sitting in a chair without the actual chair. Hold that position for a 5-10 second count then stand all the way up and immediately drop back down to crouch position again, with your butt on your heels. Repeat this for 10-15 repetitions.
With all of these exercises, your knees will go beyond the toes slightly, so you must have injury free knees and also make sure to use the utmost control with your movements. These are unconventional exercises but they can be performed safely if you go nice and slow.
The 90 degree hold is one I remember from grade school when they would take us outside on nice mornings and make us do some exercises in order to burn us out a little before class started. It really worked because I was tired as heck after I did them! We would lower into a 90 degree knee bent squat. Some of us were allowed to lean on a wall but it did not help that much. We had to hold this position for 60 seconds and do it 2-3 times. This exercise would usually have a few kids crying in agony! As an adult female, I now find myself torturing my own body while doing this same exercise in the gym to get that nice tight swoop in the hamstring glute tie-in!
The last exercise is the drop squat. You will drop into the crouch position mentioned in the first 2 exercises while ensuring you do not use any leg muscles at all to get there. Then for a 10 second count, slowly rise up to a standing position. Then immediately drop back down and resume another 10 second rise for 5-10 reps total with each set. Try to feel like you’re holding your belly button into your lower back throughout this exercise to make sure you really hit the right muscles. Engaging the abs will recruit the hamstring glute tie-in extremely well.
Stretching after each exercise is very important and it’s the only way you will be able to effectively perform each movement. You cannot progress if you fail too quickly which is what will happen without the benefits of stretching and proper recovery.
