Importance of Glute Activation

In recent years, the posterior chain of the body has come into focus as the primary determining factor of athletic performance. While this is partially true, many trainers spend too much time on the posterior chain while neglecting the anterior chain's importance. As stated previously, their is a direct relationship between squatting power and vertical jump. Many times trainers neglect the primary movement of the vertical jump. The vertical jump is a knee dominant exercise, and many people commit to posterior chain exercises with mixed results. Posterior chain exercises will translate more directly to speed enhancement than vertical jump.

However, this is not to say that the posterior chain is important. A strong posterior chain is vital in avoiding injury, gaining those extra inches on your vert, and maintaining physical balance. For every knee dominant lower body exercise that is used during a workout, a hip dominant exercise should also be employed. This is important to make sure the glutes and hamstring are balanced with the quadricep. Athletes should also make sure they save their central nervous system for knee dominant exercise. They should always perform a knee dominant exercise first because knee dominant movement is more relevant to vertical jump.