TODAY'S TOPICS: Why your glutes may be weak, tight, and switched off all at the same time — and two long-hold stretches to start waking them up. Plus video demos.

Welcome back to our Hip Mobility Sequence. I'm encouraged by the positive feedback I've gotten from several folks who are seeing good results already!

A quick recap: In our first sequence we stretched the hip flexors on the front of the hips. In our second sequence we stretched the back or posterior hip complex — the hamstrings. This week we're stretching the glutes.

If you haven't done sequences one or two, you can absolutely jump in here — each stretch is valuable on its own. But they're designed to work together, so circle back to the hip flexor and hamstring stretches when you can. We're all different and have different stretching needs at different times, so if you find you're more tight in one area, spend longer in that stretch. Here’s a link to all the videos of our series.

If you've been doing the couch stretch and the hamstring stretches from our last two newsletters, you're already doing more for your glutes than you realize.

Here's why. The hip flexors and glutes are functional opposites. When one contracts, the other is supposed to relax. It's an efficiency shortcut: the nervous system assumes that if one side of a muscle pair is working, the other side should get out of the way. That works fine when the contraction is temporary. But when your hip flexors are locked short all day from years of sitting, the "stand down" signal to the glutes becomes permanent. The muscle is still there, but it's not picking up the phone.

And this isn't just a couch potato problem. If you run, cycle, play pickleball or weekend soccer, any repetitive movement without adequate stretching, you're creating the same tightness through overuse. Different cause, same result. The muscles get short and tight from doing the same thing thousands of times without ever being taken through their full range.

Now, you've got a problem. You still need to climb stairs, walk uphill, get up off the floor, push off to chase a ball or change direction quickly. Those are all glute jobs. But the glutes aren't answering, so the body reroutes the work to whatever is available — your hamstrings, your lower back, your inner thighs. None of them were designed for this, so they get overworked and tight, which locks in the compensation pattern and makes it even less likely the glutes will re-engage on their own.

And here's the part that surprises most people: a muscle that isn't being used doesn't just go slack. It shortens and stiffens. The body only maintains range it regularly uses. So, the glutes end up simultaneously weak, switched off, and tight. All at once.

This is why just stretching the glutes isn't enough, though it's where we need to start. And, why just strengthening them doesn't work either if the hip flexors are still locked short. They're still sending that "shut down" signal.

The good news is that releasing the hip flexors and hamstrings, which is what we've been doing, is already starting to lift the inhibition on the glutes. Every time you do the couch stretch and the hamstring stretches, you're not just loosening those muscles. You're beginning to remove the neurological brakes on the glutes. Today we add the next piece: restoring length and mobility to the glutes themselves.

I'm going to show you two options for stretching the glutes. I put together a summary, below, and a thorough video demonstration of each stretch. Just click the image for the link to the video. Take it slow and easy. You may feel some soreness in the glutes after doing these stretches. That’s totally normal.

This is the more intense option. You're also getting a hip flexor stretch on the back leg, reinforcing the work from our first newsletter.

How to do it:

One important technique point
Keep your hips square — both hip bones pointing toward the floor. If one hip lifts or rotates, you're compensating and losing the stretch where it counts. Place a pillow or block under the hip of your bent leg to keep things level.

Intensity control
The closer your front shin is to parallel with your hips, the deeper the stretch. Start with your foot tucked closer to your body and only open the angle as flexibility improves. If you feel any pressure in the knee, back off — add padding under the knee or switch to Option Two.

The challenge
Hold for 3–5 minutes per side, breathing slowly. Same rules as our other stretches — uncomfortable but not painful, 6 or 7 out of 10 intensity. You'll feel this deep in the glute and hip of the front leg

More accessible than the pigeon fold — and easier on the knees

How to do it:

One technique point
Keep your right foot flexed — toes pulled back toward your shin. This protects the knee and deepens the stretch in the glute. If you can't reach your hands behind the thigh comfortably, loop a towel or strap behind it and hold the ends.

Red flag
If you feel pins-and-needles down the leg or a sharp, electric pain at the back of the buttock, that's your sciatic nerve telling you to back off. Reduce how far you're pulling in, or come out of the stretch entirely.

Intensity control
How close you pull the supporting leg toward your chest determines the intensity. Start gently and let it deepen over time. You can also do this with the foot of your supporting leg flat against a wall instead of held in the air. The wall holds the leg in place so you can fully relax into it, just like the doorway hamstring stretch.

Not ready for any of that? Start with both feet on the floor. Just cross the ankle over the knee, slide the heel of your supporting leg close to your body, and hold. No lifting, no reaching. Same stretch, much less intensity.

The challenge
Hold for 3–5 minutes per side, breathing slowly. Intensity at 6 or 7 out of 10. The stretch is felt deep in the glute and outer hip of the crossed leg.

The poll responses from the last newsletter indicate many of you suffer from general stiffness and lack of mobility. A few of you identified knee pain as an issue. Proceed gingerly with these stretches. It has taken time to lose flexibility, and it will take some time to regain it.

Your cumulative routine now looks like this: couch stretch for the hip flexors, forward fold or doorway stretch for the hamstrings, and pigeon fold or figure-4 for the glutes. Aim for three times a week. Do them back to back — the whole sequence will take about 20–25 minutes. Stay tuned for our next progression, where we will begin strengthening and re-awakening the glutes and core.

Cheers! George.

PS — You can always email me with questions or comments. Tell me what you need help with. I answer every email and your feedback helps me write better newsletters.

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I'm George Harrop, founder of SecondFifty — At 52, I was out of shape and facing a choice: get healthy or accept decline and frailty. I chose to get healthy. And so can you!

I hired a trainer and went to work. I got stronger, moved better, and felt better. I also made plenty of mistakes and got injured a couple times doing routines that weren't right for my age.