Glute Amnesia? No,Your Butt Still Works!

The concept of "gluteal inhibition" or "gluteal amnesia" is the idea that the gluteal muscles (butt) become "inactive" or "forget" how to function. “Glute amnesia” claims that long hours of sitting somehow switch your butt-muscles off, leading to back pain and poor performance (the actual data suggests there may be MORE gluteus maximus activity in the presence of pain and injury for lower back pain, hamstring strains and OA in the hip). And the glutes don't magically turn off. While it’s easy to imagine that our muscles could simply forget how to work after prolonged periods of inactivity, the reality is far more complex. Factors such as overall muscle conditioning, posture, and even psychological aspects play a significant role in how our bodies respond to sedentary behavior. Therefore, although the idea of 'glute amnesia' grabs our attention and instills fear, it simplifies a much more complex connection between weakness and movement. The fact is that there is NO diagnosis or condition that demonstrate the gluteals shut off or are truly inhibited.

• Greg Lehman’s classic piece, “Have the Butt Muscles of the World Gone Silent?” points out that, despite the epidemic of people 'diagnosed' with “inhibited” glutes, there is almost no direct evidence that the muscle truly goes offline in healthy adults. In many injuries glute activity actually increases as compensation.​Greg Lehman

• Emami et al (2014) found higher glute maximus activation in athletes rehabbing hamstring strains, suggesting the tissue steps up rather than checks out.​ Pubmed

• Arab, Emami et al (2011) No difference in glute max activity in those with low back pain Pubmed

Bottom line: weakness is not the same thing as neurological inhibition.

What is really going on?

Yes, prolonged sitting can leave your hip extensors deconditioned (aka weak), just like any muscle you neglect. But the nervous system does not throw a master switch and exile the glutes to the shadow realm. They are NOT turned off.

• Leinonen et al. (2000) compared hip and lumbar muscle patterns in people with and without back pain. They saw different recruitment strategies, not silent muscles. PubMed

• True inhibition (arthrogenic muscle inhibition) happens after joint trauma such as ACL injury, and even then it affects quadriceps far more than glutes. No study has shown ordinary office chairs producing that level of reflex shut-down.

Aesthetics are a major concern for many people, however, blaming an imaginary dysfunction does not explain why your butt is flat or hangs low. Possible causes of this occurrence may be genetics, exercise selection, lack of exercise or a combo of all the aforementioned. Strengthening hip muscles has many benefits for overall health, life activities, and performance. Incorporating a variety of hip/glute exercises is a great

way to decrease loads on other joints in the body and may even help overall performance.

Words matter

When a PT or trainer says “your glutes are shut off” it may make some folks feel broken. Pain science research shows that threat-laden language predicts worse outcomes.

• Darlow et al. (2013) documented how clinician language shapes beliefs and disability in low-back-pain patients for years afterwards.​PubMed

It is better to use phrases like “they are under-trained” or “let us make them stronger.” Same fact, radically different psychology. There are too many PTs and trainers telling their clients they have a glute dysfunction - when none exists. It is true, these muscles may be relatively weak, but they did not lose their ability to activate. If someone tells you that your butt muscles are shit off, ask them for clinical data. They won't be able to produce any.

Is sitting evil?

Simple answer, no. It is not siting per say, it is our sedentary nature that may cause problems. Our bodies crave movement. Yes, extended sitting can tighten hip flexors, alter posture, and lower overall activity, but labeling it dead butt syndrome is an exaggeration. Plus 'sitting is NOT the new smoking'. This is hyperbolic and not helpful.

A 2021 systematic review in Sports Medicine concluded that movement variability and overall load management beat blaming sitting alone for musculoskeletal problems. Interrupting long sitting bouts with light activity was far more protective than obsessing over chair time.​PMC

What we experience when we sit for extended periods of time throughout the day is a mild insult to the nerve and not sustained damage that is irrecoverable. We have the ability to naturally shift and change our positions to alleviate sustained pressure. We naturally do not sit perfectly still. Therefore it is unlikely that we are providing enough sustained pressure to our superior gluteal nerve at any given time to impair the electrical supply from the nerve to the muscle, which causes muscular atrophy (muscle wasting).

Translation: move more, worry less.

Strengthening the glutes: what actually works

Instead of hunting for magic “activation” drills, focus on progressive loading and compound exercises. The evidence based favorites:

• Barbell hip thrust — Direct horizontal load on hip extension through a large range of motion. Key evidence: Bret Contreras’ EMG research shows hip thrusts outperform squats for peak glute activity. PubMed

• Deep back squat — The deeper you go, the higher the glute demand. Key evidence: Caterisano et al. (2002) found full-depth squats elicit significantly greater glute EMG than partials. PubMed

• Single-leg work (Bulgarian split squat, single-leg RDL) — Forces each cheek to pull its own weight and taxes frontal-plane stability. Key evidence: Multiple EMG studies (e.g., Marshall & Murphy 2011) report robust unilateral glute activation.

• Sprinting or sled pushes — Max hip-extension velocity recruits the highest-threshold glute fibers. Key evidence: Track-and-field EMG data consistently rank sprinting near the top for glute-max firing.

Where do “activation” drills fit?

Banded glute bridges, clamshells, and monster walks make terrific accessories. They warm tissue, cue movement patterns, and raise local blood flow. They do not cast a spell that gets your glutes to fire again. If your program stops at clamshells, expect your butt muscles to change very little. These muscles are the largest in the body, and a significant stress stimulus is required to trigger adaptation.

Sample Progression

1. Primer (optional)

   • 1–2 sets each of clamshells and banded bridges for ten to fifteen reps.

2. Primary lift

   • Hip thrust or full squat, 4 × 6–8 at a load that leaves two reps in reserve.

3. Single-leg accessory

   • Bulgarian split squat or Deficit lunges, 3 × 8–10 each side.

4. Explosive finisher

   • 4–6 sets of 30 m sled pushes or short hill sprints with full recovery.

Progress load or volume every week or two. Six to eight weeks later, retest. Odds are your glutes will feel plenty “awake.”

Here is an older post listing some of the best butt exercises according to science.

Rapid-fire takeaways

• Your glutes are not broken; they may simply be under-trained.

• Language that catastrophizes normal variation fuels fear and worse outcomes.

• Sitting is not the villain; a low total movement dose is.

• Heavy compound lifts with full hip extension beat endless activation circuits.

• Use small drills as seasoning, not the entrée.

References and further reading

1. Greg Lehman. Have the Butt Muscles of the World Gone Silent? 2016. ​Greg Lehman

2. Marshall PW & Murphy BA. Core stability exercises in individuals with and without chronic nonspecific low back pain. J Strength Cond Res. 2011. PubMed​PubMed

3. Leinonen V et al. Back and hip extensor activities during trunk flexion and extension. Clin Biomech. 2000. PubMed​PubMed

4. Darlow B et al. The enduring impact of what clinicians say to people with low back pain. Arthritis Care Res. 2013. PubMed Central​PubMed

5. Caterisano A et al. The effect of squat depth on EMG activity of hip and thigh muscles. J Strength Cond Res. 2002. ​PubMed

6. Contreras B. Squats versus hip thrusts Part I: EMG activity. 2015. Blog​Bret Contreras

7. McGowan E et al. Effects of acute prolonged sitting and interrupting sitting on heart rate. Sports Med. 2021. PubMed Central​PMC

No secret glute spells required. Just pick up something heavy, put it back down, and repeat. Your posterior chain will thank you.

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