You wouldn’t really suggest to someone they just show up to take an exam for a class without studying at all, would you?

I mean….sure 🤷🏼‍♀️, it is possible….There aren’t laws against it or anything….But it doesn’t mean it’s the smartest choice, right? You are left underprepared, unprimed, unpracticed, more likely to fail, and you never know….you could end up really hurting you in the end.

I want you to think of activation exercises the same way. So, let’s grab our “textbooks and notes” and do the work necessary to make the most of our workouts!

 

 

Why Activation Exercises?

Contrary to popular opinion, strength is NOT just about muscles. Much of our strength actually begins in our motoneuron recruitment.

 

Shall we back up a bit???

 

Messages sent to contract our muscles originate from our brain, and are relayed via neurons. These neurons are called motoneurons because they are motor/efferent nerves, which means they carry messages from the brain out to the muscles (innervation). When an electrical charge is carried from the neuron to the muscle fibers, depolarization and contraction occurs. However, each neuron will innervate multiple muscle fibers, and multiple neurons innervate many muscle fibers within a single muscle. The more coordination amongst all these signals, the more coordinated the contraction will be, with more strength behind it.

 

Think of it like a big game of tug-of-war, with 25 people on each side. If everyone on one side was matched with another person of equal height, weight, and strength on the other side, (with all things being equal) you would think no side would ever out-power the other, right? WRONG! It all depends on their strategy. If one side had a captain that was leading them in a coordinated effort (“Everyone on the count of three. 3 ….. 2 …… 1 …..Go!”), but the other side was people just pulling at their own times (uncoordinated), the first side would win every single time.

 

Have you ever gone to the gym to begin a new weightlifting routine, and found that you could increase the heaviness of your weights within the first couple of weeks because you were getting stronger? Did you know that has NOTHING to do with muscular strength? Nope, muscular changes won’t come until after about four weeks into a regular lifting routine. That initial strength gain is solely from the neurons learning to fire together. Over time of them repeatedly firing together, pathways are built so these neurons will more easily and quickly fire together again in the future (neuroplasticity). Hence the adage of “Neurons that fire together, wire together.”

 

Studies have shown that after the first 2-4 weeks of strength training, the gains in strength are from the synchronization of the neurons beginning to fire together in a coordinated effort, as well as more motoneurons being recruited in that firing. Changes in the structure of the muscle won’t come until about 6-8 weeks after training begins. In order for muscles to grow new fibers, first we must overload them (breaking them down with the stress of lifting), then we begin the repair and building of new muscle fibers. However, like I said, that takes about 6 weeks before you can start seeing increases in strength due to actual changes in the muscle. In other words, you’ll often see improvements in strength in the first 2-4 weeks of starting a lifting program because of changes to the neural system. After that, there is a small plateau in strength gains for a couple of weeks, followed by additional gains in strength through actual muscular changes.

 

SIDE NOTE: This synchronization occurs even if no actual exercise occurs. Simply the visualization of the movements (if vivid enough in your mind) can lead to the same neuronal synchronization, causing increases in strength to occur without even lifting a weight! This is why visualization is so powerful during rehabilitation of an injury. You can delay losing some of your strength by keeping the neurons synchronized for your sport and activities.

 

 

What’s the problem?

 

We spend the majority of our days sitting around….quite literally – Driving in our cars, eating at tables, working at our desks, watching TV on the couch, etc…

When we are in this sitting position (all day, everyday), our hip flexors are constantly shortened, which automatically inhibits signals heading to the antagonist/opposing muscles, mainly the glutes (gluteus maximus and gluteus medius). This continual deactivation/inhibition of the glutes leads to weakness in these muscles.

 

Then we head to the gym, and get ready to work these muscles with squats, lunges, and even deadlifts. However, we go from very limited activation to multi-joint, complex movements. On top of that, we place heavy loads (weights) on these movements, leaving the glutes underprepared for the exercise, unprimed, unpracticed, more likely to fail, and more prone to injury.

 

 

So, what is the solution?

 

This brings us back around to activation exercises…..

 

By activating the neural system before we begin lifting heavier weights, we will prime the body to be able to handle the heavier load better. We initiate the neural connections, prompting the motoneurons to practice firing together (either unloaded, or with minimal load), priming them for the work we are about to do. This activation decreases the chance of injury, and improves “strength” provided to support the exercise. We do this by performing small, single joint (hip) exercises, that will activate the glutes.

 

 

Clamshells

 

 

• Start on your side, with your hips and knees at about a 90 degree angle.
• Make sure your top hip is directly over, or even a little in front of, your hip on the floor. This keeps the movement isolated to the muscles you are wanting to work, and isn’t just your hips opening, anatomically.
• Brace your core by drawing your pelvic bone up toward your nose (posterior pelvic tilt).
• Slightly lift your top leg (at the ankle), then lift your knee by externally/outwardly rotating your hip.
• Think slow and controlled, not fast and speedy.
• Rotate as far as your anatomy will allow, without your top hip opening (always keep it over, or slightly in front of, the bottom hip).
• Hold for second (or longer), and then rotate your hip back to bring the knees back together again.
• Repeat for 10-12 repetitions. Then repeat on other side. Complete 2-3 sets on each side.
• Perform with just body weight, or add a resistance band around the legs (just above the knees), for added resistance.

 

 

Fire Hydrants

 

 

• Begin on your hands and knees, in a table-top position.
• Brace your core by drawing your pelvic bone up toward your nose (posterior pelvic tilt).
• Extend your hip slightly, and bring your knee up with an outward/external rotation of the hip.
• Think slow and controlled, not fast and speedy.
• Rotate as far as your anatomy will allow, keeping your hips at the same level. As soon as your hip that is moving rises above your kneeling hip, that is the extent of your range.
• Hold for second (or longer), and then rotate your hip back to drop your knees back together again.
• Repeat for 10-12 repetitions. Then repeat on other side. Complete 2-3 sets on each side.
• Perform with just body weight, or add a resistance band around the legs (just above the knees), for added resistance.

 

 

Double Leg Bridge

 

 

• Begin by laying on your back, with your knees bent.
• Draw your heels as close to your glutes as you can (this helps to take pressure off the knees).
• Start the movement by first engaging your core, by drawing your pelvic bone toward your nose, and flattening your back against the floor.
• Now push your feet against the floor, lifting your hips, and push out slightly with your thighs.
• Think slow and controlled, not fast and speedy.
• Hold for second (or longer) at the top, and then slowly lower the hips to the floor.
• Repeat for 10-12 repetitions. Complete 2-3 sets.
• Perform with just body weight, or add a resistance band around the legs (just above the knees), for added resistance.

 

 

Resistance Bands

I am a HUGE proponent using resistance bands for all three of these exercises. You can order them online through Perform Better. If you click HERE, I do get a small commission to help support my “fun sock fund”, but I promise you that all opinions are my own. I only recommend them because I’ve used these exact bands regularly for over seven years.

 

 

You are now ready for more complex movements and heavier loads!