Suffering from Dead Butt Syndrome? How to Reactivate Your Glutes [Video]

Do You Have Dead Butt Syndrome from Sitting Too Much? Video Summary:

In this discussion, we explore the concept of "dead butt syndrome" (gluteal amnesia) and how it affects the body. Dead butt syndrome occurs when the gluteal muscles become inactive or weak due to prolonged periods of sitting or improper body mechanics. This can lead to muscle imbalances and compensation from other areas of the body, such as the lower back, hamstrings, or even shoulders, as they try to make up for the inactive glutes.

Our posture experts explain that while glute-focused exercises like bridges can help, they may not address the root of the problem if other parts of the body—such as the spine, hips, or even the upper back—are not functioning properly. Improving overall posture and mobility through exercises that engage the whole body, rather than focusing only on the glutes, is key to reactivating these muscles and preventing further compensation patterns.

We emphasize the importance of movement, posture correction, and regularly taking breaks from sitting to keep the glutes engaged and functioning properly. By addressing the underlying postural imbalances and incorporating full-body exercises, you can not only wake up your glutes but also improve your overall body mechanics and prevent future discomfort.

If you think you might have dead butt syndrome, watch the video to learn about simple tests and exercises that can help you identify the problem and start correcting it.

Do You Have Dead Butt Syndrome from Sitting Too Much? Video Transcript

So, hey, guys. The other day, I got a text from one of my clients, and it was a link to The New York Times article on dead butt syndrome. And she got really excited, and she said, is this what I have? And then that same week, a few other clients asked about it. So I thought it might be nice to talk about dead butt syndrome, what it is, if you have it, and why that might matter.

And my short answer to her was, like, yes. That you could call it that if you want, and that's not the only problem. Because everything we do, our whole body is involved. And once when your butt does go dead, and I think it says gluteal atrophy. I think that's a term it mentions in there.

A lot of times it's because your shoulders get really hunched over and you're pulling your erector muscles tight and then you're pulling your glutes really, really long. So in the article, there are a lot of glute exercises you can do, and all of them are good. They're good exercises. And truth be told, most people do need a lot more glute work and should be doing most of those exercises, but there's probably some setup that you need elsewhere in your body first before you go into those exercises. Do you guys have thoughts on that?

Yeah. What comes to mind. So gluteal amnesia is another term for that too. So just the sort of disappearance and it's kind of interesting to have a real term for it now because we used to joke about it and call it NBD or no butt disease because we saw a lot of clients who who had literally no butt, and we joke about like where it went and it has a lot to do with well, there's two things. So there's the postural position, right?

So if someone is tucked under in posterior pelvic tilt, then that's going to make their butt disappear in and by itself. And when the pelvis goes, the lumbar spine goes into flexion and then the whole C curve of the spine can start, and head forward position that can go with that. And then,  whether with the legs doing underneath that as well. So we've gotta gotta consider all those things. And then there's the actual muscle activation aspect of it.

So if you're in a posterior pelvic tilt, chances are your glutes are short and not able to get much leverage. And then if you're in an anterior pelvic tilt, sometimes it works in the sense that the sacrum is pushing out. So it makes it look like you have a little shelf there for a butt. But really, there's no real glute activation there. So even people in an anterior tilt, like Carrie Ann mentioned about how the muscles get long, a lot of those people have hyperactive hamstrings, and the glutes don't actually do the job. 

So we wanna make sure those muscles are active and kind of sounds like what the article was going after, was trying to wake up the glutes. But if they don't look at the position of the body, then sometimes that can be interfering. 

Yeah. I think a lot of, and it has to be individually tested to see what is activating and what isn't, but sometimes, in a lot of people, just because their upper back is in, I guess, such a stuck position, you have to do some thoracic work just to even gain some length before you even wanna worry about the glutes. Like, it isn't always the first thing you go to. You can, but it's not always the best thing. And so before everybody gets really excited about this new diagnosis and just is like, oh, that's what I have. I just can focus on bridging and squeezing my butt and then and then I'm gonna be better.

I just want people to know that there are other things and other parts of your body that go into it. So, and putting a name on something can be really reassuring, but it doesn't make it go away. 

Yeah. Is there a pill for that now? Is there a shot for that now? Is there some surgery that I can do to get my glutes back? 

It’ll look like it. Well You know? Surgery will make it look like you have glutes, but that surgery doesn't make them any more functional.

Yeah. You can get implants anywhere. But, anyways yeah. No. It's funny. I have a couple clients say the same thing. I feel like I lost my butt once I started working, once I got out of college, and I have a desk job. They're like, I sit there 5 days a week, you know, 40 hours a week.

And I go, well, yes. They're inactive, but, again, what else is going on with your body? Because you can do as many glute contractions, like bridges. But is that actually what's turning on when you're actually trying to contract, or is it your lower back? Or is it your hamstring? Something above or below that's making it look like it's doing the work because you're doing the motion of a bridge, but my lower back is what's actually hurting while doing a bridge instead of my glutes actually squeezing and contracting. 

So it's I feel like I'm saying this every time, but I tell people to take breaks. Best thing to do is I use my little Apple Watch that tells me, hey. You've been sitting on your butt for an hour. It's time to get up. So I will get up, and I'll walk. I'll get a drink of water. I'll move around for a few minutes, do a couple exercises, and then I'll sit back down. I know it's hard, especially if you're kind of in the thick of something to do it. But at least then if you get a second notification saying, hey.

Stand up. It's been an hour. And they go, oh gosh, I didn't stand up for the last hour. It's been two hours, and I've been here on my butt. And then I'll actually connect with myself and go, how do I feel? And I go, oh, okay. I do feel very stagnant. I feel like I can't even straighten up. It's almost like if you've ever been in a long car ride and you've been sitting for 6 hours or 8 hours. And once you get out, like, it takes a moment for you to fully straighten up into a standing position because you feel like you're stuck. But yeah. So I tell people, take breaks, stop working, for 5 minutes, and then jump back in. 

Yeah. I have a similar approach, for my clients that are constantly sitting, and maybe they don't even have the option for a standing desk, which I still think we need to toggle between the two, not just stick to one.

Really, it is just like give yourself a break whether it's just resetting your sitting posture, sitting up an extension, or taking a walk, or anything like that. Just getting the whole body moving and not just, I don't know at the end of the day or the beginning of day, doing bridges and just trying to activate that way, just getting everything from head to toe kind of active as you continue working. I feel like that is the most helpful thing because the body is not meant to sit or stand in one position for 8 hours, 9 hours at a time. 

Yeah. I like length. Your body will crave feeling taller and longer. So just really just reaching up and making yourself feel taller and longer is a good thing to do when you take a break from work. One good thing to do to sort of feel if your glutes are working or if your spine, even if you're ready to go into training, is a pelvic tilt or a cat and dog, which, you know, a pelvic tilt is just laying on your back, doing a nice exhale, pulling your belly button down into the floor. And then when you inhale, when you release, you wanna arch up and feel your hip flexors turning on, getting a little arch in your back. If you can't do that motion, if you don't feel anything happening down there, then something… you have more work to do before you decide to work your glutes.

Or if when you tuck under, you go right to the glutes and you just feel your glutes activate and you don't ever feel your abs or your hip flexors, you have more work to do somewhere else. Your spine being able to move in all areas is really important and one of the first things that has to happen before you tack on harder work. So I like pelvic tilts and cats and dogs and very basic just like opening exercises as self tests. 

That's great. And, I think the lengthening is important that you're talking about in the movement in general because so what we're talking about here is the glute amnesia. It can be related to a couple things that you have blood flow, because you get you're sitting basically in a still position, and circulation happens as we move. So our muscles actually work as pumps to help with circulation. So if we're sitting on top of those muscles, they're getting compressed. There's not much blood flow there. 

So we want blood flow coming in and out, which has to do with lengthening and shortening of the muscle or contracting and relaxing of the muscle. And then you also have nerve compression that can happen as well because we're just sitting on top of that. So that's where that numbness or amnesia can come in. And and and just to recap what we're talking about too in terms of muscles, and we're talking about the glute max, which is the one that we I'll think about, which is the main butt muscle, but they also have the the side butt muscles, which we find with a lot of our clients that those muscles are shut off or inhibited or not doing their job.

And that has a lot to do with not just movement, but then also pelvic position. So if we're in hip elevation, for instance, and one side is longer, maybe that lateral glute, the glute medius glute minimus are inhibited there or not doing their job. And the other one might be actually short and tight and stuck. So that's where that postural positioning comes in also. And so that can also speak to the types of movement.

So, it's great. Get up, walk. Stairs are good. You know, you can put one foot up on top of a chair and kinda stretch and do things that way. The antagonist to your glute also is your hip flexor.

So getting your hips to open up on the front as well, and then lengthen on the front, and that will allow the reciprocation also of the glute to do its job. So moving back and forth in flexion. So going up and downstairs, I think you guys mentioned that also, but going up two steps even getting that long, elongated stride. Every time you hit the ground walking too, your glutes are supposed to fire. So that's, you know, we're really not designed to sit.

Our human evolution was not based on sitting at a desk or in a chair for hours at a time. So, it's really based on movement. So our body operates and moves, or works most efficiently with that. So if things are starting to shut down, I guess the people who understand that see that they have glute amnesia and so that's a good thing.

Listen to the signs and then, yeah, let's let's do something about it. And you can do something about it, you know, through movement, through exercise. Because, like, your client, Carrie Ann that you brought in, was there anything specific going back to her? Was there anything specific with her that you?

She actually has frozen shoulder. That's why she's coming in, which I you know, with her, I went through the whole thing about her upper back is locking out your back and leading to your glutes not turning on. But, also, it could go back to her glutes not firing for so many years, which is why she's got a frozen shoulder now. 

Exactly. The body working as a unit rather than looking at it as isolated parts.

Yeah. For me, that's the main thing I want people to hear. That's the main takeaway that, yes, you might have a dead butt, but that's probably not the only thing that isn't working at capacity. And it's just really important to kinda move and check all the parts. And the one thing that you talked a lot about going up and downstairs and walking, but lateral movement is also important, especially if you wanna get glute med, shuffle sideways. You know? Dance. Dance is good for you. Do silly weird movements too. 

I have a client. I wanna say she has dead butt syndrome. So it was interesting as one of the tests I do is just glute contraction. Just stand there and squeeze your buttocks. And when she did it, as soon as she squeezed her buttocks, her toes just did this on both sides. Her toe is just lifted up. So I was like hmmm. , I was like, okay, I'd like you to try that again, but try not to lift your toes. 

And she was like, oh, oh, gosh. This is really hard. She couldn't because then she was trying to grip her toes to the floor, and then her shoulders just did this. So kind of like opposite ends of her body were pulling to get her glutes to actually contract.

And then I was like, oh, your shoulders went up. But she's like, I felt that. So I was like, try not to have your shoulders or your toes. And then when you look at her toes, on the knuckles of her 2, 3, 4 toes are calluses because her toes are overworking whenever she walks to try to get her glutes to fire that she's just like, oh, yeah. I've always just had these calluses.

I always have to get my shoes half the size larger because the toe box is too small because she keeps hitting her toes. So it was such an interesting thing to see kind of, again, both ends of her body, either her toes or her shoulders. And her shoulders are very forward, very tight, very stiff, and her toes have these calluses. And when I put her lying down in a different position like hooklying and just to do glute squeezes, she can't. She can't squeeze her bottom at all. So it's one of those things of, yeah, you can try bridges, but will that actually get your butt to fire, or will, again, the toes or something else compensate for it? So it's all working to help each other out. 

Yeah. That's a great point about compensation through the body and how certain areas will compensate. So and it reminds me, yeah, for decades, we've been dealing with glute amnesia and dead butt syndrome with people. We just didn't have the proper name for it.

So now that it has been dubbed as such, then we can use that term, and people will get it as far as what we're talking about. But, yeah. So that is a good test for people watching this. They can stand up and just try and squeeze your glutes because there are so many people who can't even do that or they feel one side working and not the other side working. And that's not just after you've been sitting for hours. That's any time. And then you may watch in the mirror too. Like, yeah, does something else contract? Or do you maybe feel your quads instead of your glutes firing? Or maybe you feel you have to get your abdominals involved and it's not really your glutes.

The other thing that you should observe, if you have a full length mirror, observe your knees. So put on some shorts or something, and watch your knees. Because when you squeeze your glutes, they're external rotators. So I’ve worked a lot of people who I'll ask them to do that, and they'll go like, yeah. I'm starting... and I can't see. So they're facing me. So are you squeezing your glutes? And then they'll go, yeah. I'm squeezing them.

But there's no movement. So there's no leverage there. So that's usually when they're stuck in the anterior pelvic tilt or their femurs are stuck in the socket where they're squeezing them, so they're actually getting the activation, but there's no movement. So the glute again the glute max is an external rotator. So if they're really squeezing it, then we should see some femur movement or some knee, you know, pointing out movement as they're doing that.

So, a little test. Try it at home.

Are You Struggling with Dead Butt Syndrome or Glute Amnesia?

Feeling the effects of weak glutes, back pain, or stiffness from sitting too long? Imagine regaining strength, balance, and comfort in your body with the right posture and movement techniques.

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